In the 2016 edition, Tekno was disqualified from the “Next Rated” category after the pop star lambasted the event organisers.
Tekno has been in no rush to put out his debut album. The singer’s contract with MMMG expired recently without the Ebonyi star delivering a body of work. Under most circumstances, his time at Made Men would have been seen as a failure. But, with at least a dozen hit songs, top brand endorsements and some of the highest performance fees in the game, Tekno has been a resounding success, making MMMG co-founder, Ubi Franklin one of the wealthiest men in Nigerian music.
Tekno himself has been in the news lately. The singer was included on Beyonce’s The Lion King album, but prior to that, he’d been relatively quiet. In a recent interview, Tekno explained that his absence was due to a severe case of acid reflux which kept him away from the public eye for several months. Unfortunately, in plotting a comeback, the singer then entered hot water with Lagos authorities after videos of him in a mobile display truck with half-naked women dancing went viral.
Inasmuch as music purists detest this trend, the truth is that it has yielded results for artists like Tekno. The pop star has more monthly listeners on Spotify than artists like Tiwa Savage, Olamide and Yemi Alade who have multiple albums in their catalogue. Furthermore, of the 2016 Next Rated nominees, Mr Eazi , Ycee, Humblesmith and Aramide, only Tekno is still yet to have a solo project.