Laycon: Where Do You See The Star In Ten Years Time? Our Writers Weighed In

Since the return of Big Brother Naija in 2017, after its 2006 debut, the winners have always been obvious on the last day and sometimes, for a large chunk of the season. During the See Gobbe Season, 2017, it was clear to many that Efe was the candidate to beat; he won. During Double Wahala Season, 2018, Miracle was the standout candidate and, despite a late rally by Cee-C, he won. The 2019 Pepper Dem House had Mercy Eke and Tacha running head-to-head. Tacha got into a fight with Mercy and was disqualified for assaulting Mercy; Mercy then won the show largely unchallenged. Last year, the Lockdown House had Laycon and Erica running nearly head-to-head until Erica got herself disqualified. Laycon won with a record 60% of the votes in a tally that saw Neo and Vee settling for 1% each.

But after the pomp and pop of winning a reality show comes reality itself. How would Laycon fair in the real world? We have seen a few months of him and he isn’t doing badly but will his relevance outlive the next Big Brother show? For how long? Would we be talking about Laycon in ten years’ time because he is a force in his chosen industry or would he be a stuff of nostalgia?

We asked our contributors to air their views.

Martin Edung, Guest Contributor, AnaedoOnline:

Where do I see Laycon in 2031? I am surprised I’m asked this question because I am yet to ascertain where I would be at that time. So if I cannot say with any degree of certitude what would become of me in ten years’ time, why should I bother with Laycon? Why would my words hold any special meaning? Nigeria is full of prophets who hear from God on daily basis, on 5G network, these people should be the ones making this call on Laycon.

But they probably don’t have the time, Laycon is a nobody in the grand scheme of things, he is not an American president, so they won’t talk about him. And it is not like their prophecies are cast on stone. In 2016, I predicted that Trump would be president and a certain prophet saw Hilary Clinton. Perhaps we all have little prophets in us. This could be the time to invoke mine and see about Laycon.

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In 2031, there would have been 10 other Big Brother Naija seasons. A lot of beauties, models, actors, singers, dancers, comedians, etc, would be pumped into the Nigerian space from Big Brother’s house or, should I say, Big Brother houses. How many of 2006 Big Brother Nigeria housemates are known today. I know Katum won the show but I can only see Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Gideon Okeke on TV.

A lot of 2017 housemates are largely forgotten. 2017 is too far, even 2020 housemates not named Erica, Ozo, and Kiddwaya are slipping into oblivion. Housemates disappearing is a constant. Even past winners, in fact, most especially past winners. Efe and Miracle are now in obscurity. Mercy Eke is no longer trending as much as she was last year. It can only get worse for her. To remain in the limelight, you have to be more than just a society person who appears on red carpets whenever any show pops up. You need to do something creative, persistently.

Laycon is a singer and rapper. He already has an EP to his name. After the house, he was featured in the remix of “Nobody” with DJ Neptune and Joeboy and it was rather good. DSTV is advertising a reality show of sort “I Am Laycon” on Showmax. But none of this would keep Laycon in the limelight. He needs something stronger and repeatedly, like releasing bangers every two years.

It is hard to see Laycon dropping popular singles, EP, or albums on two years basis. It is safer to bet that Laycon would be an average past winner whose name bloggers dig up and mention now and again. I may be wrong (in fact, I wish I be proved wrong) but I won’t beat myself for being wrong (when and if I am proved wrong). I was right in 2016. A celebrity prophet was wrong and nobody has banished him from the pulpit.

Choice Arukwe, Head of Innovation, AnaedoOnline:

It is hard to picture Laycon as an entertainer in the showbiz industry in ten years’ time without picturing his fans, and this brings a huge question, would the people who cheer him on continue to do so, and continue to trend his name on Twitter (or whatever medium that would be a fad ten years to come)?

Laycon is super-talented but in a super-crowded hip-hop industry, talent is not enough. You will need a bit of luck, persistence, hard work, and more luck. Since winning the Big Brother Naija Season 5, Laycon has released some tracks and if you have not heard about them, then it is one of those tracks. He jumped on DJ Neptune’s Nobody’s remix with Joeboy, and his contribution was evident that the song needed no remix.

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Laycon reminds me of Efe when it comes to grace, but why he is more talented than Efe, he would need more than the praise-singing of his fans to write his name in gold as an entertainer, if he must remain relevant in the industry in 2031. His relevance would depend on how many club bangers he is able to churn out in this timeline.

The people are waiting and he should be aware, people run out of patience. Quickly.

Ifeanyi Okonkwo, Reporter/Content Writer, Anaedoonline:

No one knows what tomorrow will bring and as such, it might be dicey to predict what will happen in ten years’ time with Laycon. Having said that, months after winning the reality show, Laycon has proven that he got what it takes to dominate the entertainment scene.

Watching Laycon freestyle at the DJ Jimmy Jatt “Jump Up” show, I am even more convinced that this dude is not only talented but also gifted.

The fact that hip-hop artistes do not break into the industry easily is not lost on me but I have no doubt that Laycon has what it takes to put his name on the map. Fortunately for him, he has the chance to feature virtually any artist he wishes in the country, and probably in Africa.

Ten years from now, I see this young man winning major awards such as the Headies, AMAA awards and probably have a nomination at the Grammies.

The only person that can stop Laycon is Laycon because he has nearly everything going for him.

In an interview before he entered the Lockdown House, he said he was in the BB Naija show just to promote his music. Ebuka reminded him that Big Brother House was no talent hunt. Well, Laycon went on to win it. Now, his date with destiny is booked and the stage is set for him.

Would we be talking about Laycon in ten years to come? I think the answer will be yes. With the way he is going so far and all things being equal, he would make enough good music to enable him to stay on top of the game.

Having listened to his EP, he has the content and the street credibility. All he needs to be is consistent and put in loads of work. He would not only get to the top, he would remain on top which is the big deal.

Kingsley Okechukwu, Editor, AnaedoOnline:

I have the privilege of reading everyone’s view before writing mine. It is laziness on my part; I could have written my view as soon as I send out the calls for opinions. But I was sure that I had my views cast on stone and could weave 300 words if need be on him in a couple of minutes. But after I read the other contributors’ opinions, it dawned on me that it won’t be easy and made me reconsider my supposed views on Laycon.

I have listened to Laycon’s EP and there are one or two fairly good songs, average songs and forgettable songs. But his verse in DJ Neptune’s “Nobody” was really good making me believe that Laycon is only getting better. The truth is that he needs all the “better” he can get to make it in the cut-throat Nigerian music industry. While in the house, Laycon’s songs were streamed over two million times. This is more out of his goodwill than talents. Going forward, he needs more of talents.

Yes, talent is not enough but it is foundational and for someone in Laycon’s stead, talent is the key. We have also seen that money, luck, and hype are not alien to him. So if he can make good music, he is made. And I believe Laycon would hold his own in the music industry.

The next two years are crucial. If he doesn’t make a big banger in the next two years, attention would begin to shift from him. Today, a moderately good song from Laycon would be considered a banger. In three years’ time, he would require a really big banger to scale.

So the question would be, where do you see Laycon in two years’ time? I think, waxing strong musically. The odds should be around 2.23. If you understand how betting works, you would know this is not siesta for Laycon.

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