My birthday wish...

By the time most people read this, I will probably be somewhere, 30 thousand feet above sea level, en route my hometown of Lagos, Nigeria. I'm thanking God in advance for journey mercies. I also want to say a very big thank you to everyone who posts/sends a happy birthday comment, an IG picture, a tweet, a facebook message, an email, a whatsapp, a text... etc. I'm really REALLY grateful. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you can imagine, it's not humanly possible for me to individually reply every single one. However, please know that I've read everything and I'm very, very grateful.

With that being said, as the birthday boy, I have one tinyyyy little request, if y'all would be so kind as to oblige me. Here it is...

I've made manyyy music videos in my life. Some great, some okay. Mostly, I try to make music & videos that are a little different; art that inspires or entertains or whatever. It just... causes you to feel something. A lot of times, I've been asked what my favorite video that I've ever done is... and I've never really been able to pick. That's because they all mean something to me, and I know exactly what I was thinking when we created them, and because they're all special to me, and different, I've never had a favorite. Until now.

Late last year, I attended a filmmaking class at NYFA, to hone my directing skills. My goal was to be able to at least have the option of directing videos myself when I felt like it (not that I wanted to become a full time video director, but still). My long term goal is to get into Directing, writing and producing films. In any case, I wrote, produced, and directed 3 videos while I was in film school. "Mercy" is my favorite of the three, and absolutely my favorite video that I've ever done.

It was my final film project in film school.. it was a lot of work, and I tried to push myself and the actors, like never before, to create something special; to tell a story that could speak to different people in different walks of life, and help make someone's journey a little better.

The problem with doing a video that's more inspirational, is, that it invariably never gets the attention/airplay in today's media space that say... a party video, or a love song, would get. I understand that... I love partying as much as anyone, and I've made a career of singing love songs... but I think there's room for something that's a little deeper, more thought provoking, and more powerful.

The "Mercy" video, in my mind, is my greatest work thus far. It's most powerful story I've ever told in a video, and it would mean a lot to me if more people just got to see it. It may never have the views of "Yes/No" or "Jasi" or whatever, but it's just as important.

So please... do this birthday boy a tiny favour of watching and sharing the "mercy" video. If I get it to 250,000 views, I'll be happy. If I get to 500,000 I'll be besides myself. Anything above that? God knows what I will do. Please watch it, share it, and let me know what you think about it in the comments here or on youtube. Here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKgPgwgNEto

Thanks,
~ B.W. 

Grateful, but never satisfied...

It's a few hours before my birthday, and I'm sitting in the lounge of another airport, waiting to catch a flight back to Nigeria. Birthdays are a great time to celebrate, but also a great time to reflect; on where you are, where you're coming from, and where you're headed. And that's precisely what I'm doing... sitting here, sipping on peppermint tea, and just reflecting.

God has been very, very good to me. I'm blessed with a great family that loves and supports me, friends that I will cherish forever, business partners that are more like brothers, and a fan base that is crazy and kind enough to allow me to do what I want, and still appreciate me for it. In the immortal words of Jay-Z... "only thing missing is a Mrs.." lol... but I'm confident, that even that will work out sooner or later.

Not many people wake up every day and are happy to go to work. I'm very blessed to be able to make a living off doing exactly what I want to do. I do not take it for granted at all. Sometimes it gets tough, and stressful... but in the long run, I can't/won't complain. I've had an incredible run... I started "doing music/entertainment" full time in Nigeria, on Valentine's Day 2008. That means it's been 7+ years, and I'm still going strong. I'm grateful for every fan and every critic.. for every song I've been able to release... for every video I've put out, and every album I've been able to drop. For every deal I've closed, and even for the opportunities I've lost. For all the flights I've been on, every road trip, every tour... in this day and age, simply coming and going in safety is not something we can take for granted.

It's been an incredible learning experience, and the memories are countless; too many to sum up in one column. At the end of the day, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to God, to my fans, family and friends. To my business partners, to my artists and staff, to my peers, colleagues and everyone I've ever crossed paths with. Everyone we meet, and everything we go through, plays a part in shaping who we become. I wouldn't be the man I am today, without the experiences I've had. I'm extremely grateful.

For anyone that I've ever wronged, or hurt, or disappointed... I pray that you find it in your heart to forgive me. I always mean well, even if I'm not always able to live up to it.

I hope to continue along this path... I pray that I grow to become a wiser, better, stronger, more successful and fulfilled man.  These days, I have more job descriptions than I can count. Singer/Rapper/Songwriter, Record Label Exec, Chef-in-Training, Actor & Filmmaker, Advertising/Marketing Mogul-in-progress, Events Planner, Promoter & much more. The reason being, I'm never really satisfied with where I am. I'm always reaching for more... Trying to grow and expand my horizons. Trying to set goals, conquer them, and then set new ones. Success is not a destination, they say... it's a journey. I believe that, and thus far, mine has been incredible. I pray that it continues.

For anyone that reads this.... I'm a living testimony to the fact that if you dream it, and work hard, and never take no for an answer, and believe in God and yourself... nothing is impossible, and dreams do come true.

Love always,
 ~ B.W.