BTV

Can we discuss the popular term “the big 3 GOAT”?

As we know, it’s a category that has music heavyweights, Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy.

However, is it safe to say these guys are the greatest of all time?

To be honest I have my reservations about that.

While all 3 of them have been able to take Nigerian music to great heights and contributed in making Afrobeats a force to reckon with, I do feel the 3-man category is a product of present-day fandom.

I feel people are in awe of what’s happening now that they’re not looking at history.

One could say David, Burna, and Wiz are the big 3 of OUR TIME.

But all-time greats?

I mean, let’s keep sentiments aside.

If they’re the greatest of all time, where do we place REAL MUSICIANS like Lagbaja who also received international acclaim for his works?

Do y’all know that Lagbaja and his band sold out big venue shows in almost every corner of the earth?

He was such an enigma that he appealed to audiences outside Nigeria  – Europe, Asia, you name it – and was a crowd pleaser.

All of these without revealing a face.

Lagbaja was one of the few musicians who successfully crossed over when most of our artists were still doing local in the early 2000s.

Before then, his debut album in 1994 titled “Side by side” was an explosive hit.

But you see that second album- “Coolu Temper,” the one with the song Baby Ta Ni Ko Fe Wa, it exported him.

It’s just that these feats were not readily accessible before social media.

Lagbaja is the first Nigerian to release 23 songs in 3 CDs, which was maaad at the time.

I’m speaking from the commercial side of the business, because that’s the metric this generation is using to measure all-time greats.

Forget how every music is labelled Afrobeat.

Lagbaja in his prime was giving us a mix of Fuji and jazz…

Pop and funk…

Hip hop and high life…

He was dabbling and cross-breeding genres successfully.

A real musician.

Not just a musician, but an entertainer too.

Back then he would keep his fans guessing by changing up his entrances at different shows.

Sometimes, he’ll pop up from under the stage or climb down from a crane with his saxophone. Stage theatrics we see today and say wow!

His electrifying stage presence is part of the reason he has been in constant demand for live performances for nearly 3 decades.

Truth is, fans are using today’s streaming numbers, Grammy wins, money flex, mega endorsement deals, and image as the barometer for all-time greatness.

To me that is flawed.

Again, the ‘big 3 GOAT’ label is a product of present-day fandom.

It is a reflection of modern fan culture, focusing on a select few artists who’ve dominated the scene in recent years.

However, true greatness isn’t limited to the present. Looking back, history is littered with artists like Lagbaja and others, who defied genre, broke boundaries, and inspired generations with their timeless creations.

BTV reporting