A full recap of the Hennessy Artistry 2012

The 2012 edition of the highly acclaimed annual music event Hennessy Artistry has come and gone, and like every year’s event, the 2012 edition was once again a success. We’ll for the sake of those who missed the events, do a total recap of the Hennessy Artistry 2012. 2012 Headliners As is the tradition of Hennessy Artistry, headliners had to be chosen, as last year had singers, Banky W, Tiwa Savage and rapper eLDee. This year witnessed the coming together of two popular Nigerian rappers M.I and Naeto C, chosen as part of the blending culture of Hennessy. The news made headlines, as both artistes have never featured on a track together, and as part of the responsibilities of being headliners for the Hennessy Artistry 2012, they were to do a theme song. Therefore, bringing M.I and Naeto C on a track for the first time was both a major feat for the brand, and a welcome idea by both rappers who expressed their respect for each other and excitement at the opportunity of finally working together. The Theme Song/Video The 2012 Hennessy Artistry theme song was not going to be an ordinary task. This was the first attempt to produce a song with just M.I and Naeto C, two respected rappers, so everything had to be on point, as both organizers of the project as well as the rappers did not want to disappoint their fans. Ace producer Tee-Y Mix was called in to handle the production, with support from headliners M.I and Naeto C, who paid close attention to detail, and project head Tola Odunsi. And the result; a brand new club jam titled ‘Bartender’ which was premiered on The Beat 99.9 FM’s ‘The Midday Show’ on Friday August 3. M.I was his talented self, going hard on the beat, while Naeto was confident on the hook. ‘It’s a track Hennessy lovers will love’ M.I said. ‘We made this for them, as well as for fans of Naeto and myself. Summer is here, and y’all have the music to make it all fun and fab.’ The track soon became a favourite. The next step was to make sure a video for the track lived up to the hype. Video director, Clarence Peters, who was in charge of the visuals said, ‘Hennessy is a very premium brand, and the headliners – M.I and Naeto C – are also top notch. So we’ve created something that complements the brand and personalities while making sure it’s fun and spontaneous. In the video, everyone just blends and flows, and I’m sure the fans will like the result.’ The Video Premiere The ‘Bartender’ video premiered at an exclusive private screening and cocktail party held on Thursday, August 16, 2012 at The Penthouse, Villa Picasso, 62B Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event was attended by celebrities, media personalities and the press. The show kicked off with a cocktail session and a brief history from the Hennessy marketing manager, Tokini Peterside, who introduced the headliners M.I and Naeto C. M.I was however unable to attend the event due to flight issues as he had a gig the previous day outside Lagos. Speaking to guests at the event, Tokini Peterside said, ‘We organized this event to show our appreciation to friends, partners and lovers of the Hennessy brand who have supported us since the beginning of this year’s project. This year’s video is definitely the best music video we have had in the Hennessy Artistry project so far and we are glad to be working with a group of creative and talented people‘. The video was later aired for all the guests, who watched with excitement and were pleased at the end. Speaking on the video, the General Manager of Beat FM, Deji Awokoya expressed his satisfaction for the video and the project. ‘We are very happy to be a part of the Hennessy Artistry project, and to also see history take place with M.I and Naeto C on one collaboration track together. The music video is beyond impressive.’ Guests at the event got gifts bags that contained Hennessy Artistry souvenirs. The video finally went public on Friday, August 17, 2012, premiering on popular music TV station, Trace Urban, and music site notjustok.com. Supporting Acts for Hennessy Artistry Club Tour After a fierce voting period, several supporting acts for this year’s Hennessy Artistry club tour were selection. The chosen acts that were to perform in different clubs in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, were announced at the video premiere event of Hennessy Artistry 2012 theme track, and they included: L.O.S, Ms Jaie, Dammy Krane, Burna Boy, Rayce, Solid Star, Mo’Eazy, Flowssick, Tunde Ednut and Solid Star. The tour saw the supporting acts as well as the headliners performing at different clubs across various cities, such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Calabar. The tour kicked off on Friday, August 31, 2012, with the first set of performances at club DV8 in Lagos. And so began a series of performances, from clubs Un (Lagos), Ground Zero (PH), Liquid Lounge (Lagos), Mayfair (Calabar), Grotto (Abuja), as well as Aura, Deuces, Octopus, and Rumours, all in Lagos, as the artistes gave a gave thrilling and exciting shows across the nation. The Hennessy Cypher Competition Hennessy Artistry, in conjunction with Beat FM organized a cipher competition, in which talented young rappers across the nation competed by producing the best third verse for the Artistry theme song ‘Bartender.’ The competition ran through September and October. Four finalists were selected, after which Ede Emmanuel, aka Manilapush, beat the other three to emerge victorious. He got to attend the Hennessy Artistry 2012 Finale as a VIP guest and was treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience backstage with the event’s superstar performers. The Grand Finale VVIP Party The Hennessy Artistry 2012 climaxed in style with an exclusive party held on Friday, October 19, 2012, at the event centre of the Federal Palace Hotel, V.I, Lagos. The Posh event witnessed the crème de la crème of the Nigerian entertainment industry as well as lucky Hennessy consumers who won invites to the exclusive events. The red carpet began with an interactive session with finger food and blended mixes of the Hennessy Cognac. In what seemed like a night of endless performances, all the supporting acts of the Hennessy Artistry club tour gave the special guests a night to remember. Headliners M.I and Naeto C performed their individual material at the request of the excited audience. More excitement was added to the night with performances from past Hennessy headliners Banky W and Eldee. The event ended with an after party at the same venue, with popular DJ’s on the turn-tables , as the guests partied the night away.