The imminent change in the Nigerian Comedy Scene.

The spectacular thing about time is the change it brings. The fact that it doesn’t stop for anyone, and is always willing to change the status quo, inventing and reinventing along the way is a beauty to behold. One of the most interesting places to watch time take its course is the comedy scene in Nigeria.

Once upon a time, the comedy scene in Nigeria was made up of Ali Baba and his few teammates doing it at the level he was. He and a select few were the face of the business, and if he wasn’t playing at your show, you were actually wasting your time. We saw people like I Go Dye, I Go Save, TejuBabyFace and more rise up and make names for themselves. The comedy scene was expanding, and everyone’s favorite show was Nite Of A Thousand Laughs. 

We saw females enter the scene, Princess quickly became a household name. Basketmouth, Bovi, AY, Akpororo, became the kings over time. They became the go to guys, and we saw comedy start to take shape. Factions started to form, and beef would obviously find its way into wherever there’s multiple versions of success. 

We began to see cliques form. Some called themselves “AY’s Boys”. We had “Basketmouth’s Boys.” Since there was beef between the two leaders of the groups, the boys made sure to avoid each other, not perform at their shows and not appear in their skits to show solidarity. 

Everyone started hosting their own shows. The market was big enough for everyone to have a share of. A system was formed. You perform at everyone’s show, and everyone performs at your show. You perform free of charge, and make your money from your own show. The system was a working one. 

I always am amazed at how this system gamed the masses because it was the same comedians and the same songs at every show, just a different headliner. I hues that was all the difference needed, now that I think about it. 

Things were growing smoothly, and the comedy industry was buzzing. They were getting sponsored by the biggest companies involved in entertainment, and were having the biggest artists performing at their shows. Everything was good, till time would take its course. 

Social media came and became dominant, and the definition of a comedian changed. They first of all tried to call them skitmakers. They said they were online comedians, actors, many things. Craze Clown, Kaponeski, Tega and the early generation of comedians on social media were buzzing, especially on Instagram. When Instagram introduced 15 second videos, they broke out, and became menaces.

When it was increased to one minute, they began to have more power and effect on the consumer. You had someone that could make you laugh in 15 seconds, while communicating brilliant ideas, imagine what he’d do in a minute, or 5. Things changed, permanently. 

We saw the OGs try to transition and keep up with the change. We saw a few of them succeed at it. We also saw generation after generation of comedians come on social media, with different brands and niches, each unique in their own way, making people laugh one video at a time. 

From the Lasisis to the Okikis, the Sydney Talkers to the NastyBlaqs, the Macaronis to the Marajis, the Taaomas to the Brodashaggis, we saw change. Comedians became the most in demand entertainers in the country. Under the tag ‘Influencers’ they began sealing deals and charging per video, using reach and impressions gotten from social media as leverage over clients. 

Time would come visiting again, and this time it would bring TikTok with it. TikTok would change the entire entertainment industry, and comedy would not be spared. The popular guys from instagram initially dominated the space, but time would see a new generation of entertainers rise on the platform. TikTok live became the new in thing, and people like Peller, Jarvis, JoBlaq, Azeez and the likes would become the face of the platform. They were different, as they could entertain people live, and for hours. They kept people interested in their day to day activities, and maintained an insane level of consistency. 

Now, the Instagram personalities are slowly shifting to the new trend. They’re going live, and trying to maintain the level of relevance they have. The big question is, is this the final bus stop? Who survives the shift? What does the future hold for comedy?

There seems to be a new wave in YouTube. Everyone’s going there. Shank, Bae U, Broda Shaggi and some others are the first buyers of the new stock. Is the shift going to happen or it’s a phase? Would we see a merger of all three platforms at the end of the day? Who would come out of this generation as the ‘Father Of Comedy’ like Alibaba did? These are interesting times, and while we wait, we will say the grace, in fellowship of course.