The Tribe Of Judah At Two.
The Tribe turns 2 today and with more than enough reasons, it's a day worthy of celebrations because it’s been two years of love, growth, and giant strides.
The Beginning
MI Abaga is one artist that’s always been blessed with loyal fans across eras due to his beautiful compositions. And though he’s always had supportive fans, one thing was missing, which was the uniformity that existed in the community.
The name 'The Tribe Of Judah' was endorsed on 6th February 2020 by 'The Guy' himself in a response to a tweet by a Twitter user @Caleb_Abah1, calling for name suggestions for M.I Abaga fans as a sequel to Twitter conversations demanding for a unified fan base. Like every idea whose time had come, a WhatsApp group was created by Oghenekaro and in less than no time, its full capacity was met.
Achievements
Like an ember left smouldering, waiting for the faintest of breeze, it spread like wildfire: a team of amazing, young, and talented people who had never met or barely knew each other, came together for the love of one man. Its goal was centred on giving back, celebrating, and encouraging a man who has chosen a different path with his music, whose message has touched all and sundry, and has diligently spent his years shaping lives through his lyrics.
After several deliberations, we agreed on having annual projects in his name—the first being a documentary titled ‘Legend of MI Abaga’ which was planned, executed, and launched just in time for the GOAT'S birthday (lest you forget, 4th October is always #MIAbagaDay).
Premiered on his birthday in Lagos, the documentary was a huge success, being the first to be executed by a fanbase for an artist across Africa. It was, however, difficult to convince people that it was done voluntarily, out of sheer love and respect for 'The Guy'.
The result? Our effort was blessed with interest, recognition, and support from a wider audience and co-signed with The Guy's guys.
Watch the documentary series here part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4
It didn’t stop there. With the Tribe's trends, hangouts, and streaming parties, we kept the fire burning as the Tribe kept growing even more. The most interesting part was when we attended music shows or festivals and witnessed performing artists openly declare their love for the Tribe.
The next major project we embarked on was the Orphanage visit to commemorate MI’s 40th birthday. M is widely known as 'The Guy' who embodies and promotes love, giving back, and being there for people in less privileged positions. He is arguably one of the artists with the most co-signs and affiliations with the success of music artists in the Nigerian music scene. So we echoed the sentiments and philosophies of The Guy by self-funding a visit to the Orphanage to commemorate The Guy's 40th birthday across 3 states - Lagos, Abuja, and Akwa Ibom.
And last but not least, the artistes in The Tribe came together to give us the best cypher of 2021 - TOJ Cypher - and they've promised to keep giving us yearly. Not forgetting to mention our in-house rap battles that saw Viquetur clinch top spot on the first version, and Jay Hitz winning the second.
Even this website was built, hosted, and financed solely by the Tribe.
Love and Growth
"When the family thrives, then I've arrived," declared The Guy at a time the idea of the tribe hadn't been birthed. Heck, he didn't even know an Aiseh, Badruler, Jeron, Ahmed, Paul, Cross, Meddy, Lakeside, Karen, Jolliano, etc existed anywhere. But that line right there best explains what goes on in the Tribe today.
As fans of The Guy, apart from being committed to his growth and making him 'smell his flowers' while he still can, there’s the commitment of The Tribe members to themselves that I just can't explain.
This kinda family bond is just natural with the Tribe. Like, if it happens to one, it happens to us all. We take welfare, emotional, financial, business, and most importantly, mental support seriously amongst us.
We’ve seen cubs grow into lions, people getting jobs through the Tribe, artists amongst us getting support and businesses growing because of the love that radiates in the community.
The Future
Walt Disney once said, "get a good idea and stay with it. Do it, and work at it until it's done right."
The idea of The Tribe for The Guy was a good idea, and to make it a reality, everyone, for the love of The Guy "must act, experiment, fail, adapt, and learn daily" (Jocelyn K. Glei) to not just be another fanbase, but one with a difference.
Over the past 2 years, The Tribe has grown from being just a fanbase to being one big family with structures. Sometimes, we are a PR and Marketing agency for The Guy, and at other times, we’re just people full of vibes and cruise. But in all, we are The Tribe and there’s so much more for us. If this much can be done in such a short time, imagine what we can achieve in the nearest future.
So, here we are, using this medium to appreciate every one of us, whether you’ve been here from day one or just joined today, for your commitment to ensuring that the vision of The Tribe doesn't fizzle.
Hence let's share ideas as they spring up, execute, and connect more with fellow Tribe members on the group by networking. Also make sure you engage with us on our social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
Where do you see the Tribe in the coming years? Please share your thoughts below, as your imaginations are all valid.
Happy Anniversary, Tribe Of Judah!
#TheTribeAtTwo
