In music’s vast history, bands and groups have been known to have wrangles and vendettas that culminate in their eventual break up.
From The Supremes to The Temptations back in The Motown heyday in the 60s and 70s, drama within music ensembles is not foreign. Egos, creative differences and favoritism are some of the underlying factors that play a part, and history has been recurrent. One Direction, Fifth Harmony and even closer home, Nigeria’s P-Square went their separate ways even after garnering so much success.
Camp Mulla
The 5-member group took over the Kenyan and African scenes in the early 2010s. They came out the door swinging with their urban, upmarket appeal and sound. Miss Karun (Karun), Taio Triiper, Kus Ma, Shappa Man and Marcus were all only teens when they debuted. In a short span of time, they were chart fixtures and ruling the airwaves with monster hits like ‘Party Don’t Stop,’ ‘Fresh All Day,’ ‘Addicted’ and ‘Chafua.’ Their career morphed from being a local breakout act to an international sensation, to getting international recognition. From being nominated for BET Award to collaborating with fellow stars like Wizkid, the group was nowhere near stopping.
Then in came the unprecedented disbanding when the group was at its peak of success. The group went their separate ways citing plans of going back to school and pursuit of individual passions. A few years ago, an attempt at a reunion proved unsuccessful, much to the disappointment of fans.
P-Unit
The 3-member group ruled the airwaves with a slew of hits. Frasha, Gabu and Boni had Kenyan revellers turned up in the club. Thing of ‘Kare,’ ‘Juu Tu Sana’ and ‘Weka Weka.’ With a catalog made mostly of club bangers, the trio had their audience on lock. They would eventually split, with Bon Eye making the exit first, Gabu and Frasha following shortly afterwards.
The Kansoul
With already successful careers, Mejja and Madtraxx joined powers to create an outfit, The Kansoul, with the help of a relatively new kid on the block – Kid Kora. The trio dropped a few club hits including ‘Drum’ and ‘Nyongwa,’ and performed together for sometime, before unceremoniously going their separate ways. Kid Kora initially insinuated that he was leaving the group at the peak of the pandemic, cryptically citing mistreatment.. Shortly after, it was clear that the group was no more. Mejja is the most visible member out of the group since, while both Kora and Madtraxx have remained under the radar for the better part since.
P-Square
Before Afrobeats took over the globe with so much tenacity, P-Square laid the blueprint for what the future would look like for Nigerian musicians. The twin brothers raked in colossal success, so much so that their crossover appeal saw them collaborate with international acts like Akon and Rick Ross. Predictably, after years of dominance, the kin fell out over creative and management differences in 2016. An attempted reunion did not work out. They have recently announced that they are back together again, in a teased CNN interview with Larry Madowo, and have new music in the pipeline.
