Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek was a Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was best known in his home country for the 1988 album Prisoner of Conscience, which included the multiple award-winning single "Send Down the Rain".
As he has passed on to glory, I pay tribute to him with these super amazing facts...
* The proper pronounciation of his name is Ma-je-ko-dun-mi Ifa-kii-she-eke, (closest translation: don't let it hurt or pain me, Ifa "higher medium of divination" does not bear false witness)
* He was born March 7, 1963.
* Fashek was born in Benin City (once the center of the ancient Sini kingdom) to an Edo Old Bendel State mother and an Ijesha father,(Osun State, Western Nigeria) but identifies with his Benin roots.
* Majek is also known as The Rainmaker. In 1987, when his self-penned tune, "Send Down The Rain" was released, the song seemed to coax a rain storm that ended one of the worst draughts in Nigeria's history. He however denied being superhuman and not possessing the power to invoke rain.
* After his parents separated Fashek remained in Benin City with his mother, and soon joined the choir in his local Aladura church and learned to play the trumpet and guitar, whilst composing songs for the choir.
* Also, Fashek inherited his love of music from his mother, an Edo businesswoman, who supplied concrete to road contractors, she inspired him through her participation in traditional religious ceremonies where the Olokun rhythms were used to accompany worship of the river goddess. As a youngster, Fashek played maracas during the ceremonies.
* In the early eighties Fashek, who at the time went by the stage name Rajesh Kanal, joined the group Jastix with musicians McRoy Gregg and Black Rice. The trio soon gained popularity as the in-house band on the NTA Benin show Music Panorama, and toured with fellow reggae group, The Mandators.
* While he developed an early interest in the music of Jamaica, Fashek was equally drawn to the music of Indian cinema.
* Fashek Learnt to play guitar while in secondary school, then he later played in clubs in the capitol city of Lagos.
* In 1988, shortly after Jastix disbanded, Fashek, who now used the name Majek Fashek, signed with Tabansi Records and began a solo career by releasing the album Prisoner of Conscience, and quickly became Nigeria's top reggae artist after the song "Send Down The Rain" became the most popular song of the year.
* In 1989 he won six PMAN awards for "Song of the Year", "Album of the Year", and "Reggae Artist of the Year" among others.
* Fashek's next album was I&I Experience which was released in late 1989 under the Tabansi Label, and included the anti-apartheid anthem Free Africa, Free Mandela which sampled Steam's Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.
* After leaving Tabansi Records, Fashek was signed to CBS Nigeria in the early 1990s and released So Long Too Long. It was included on Putumayo World Music's first album.
* In 1990 he was signed to Interscope Records and released the critically acclaimed album Spirit Of Love, produced by "Little Steven" Van Zandt.
* In 1992, he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman in support of his new 1991 album, and performed the song "So Long Too Long" for the television audience.
* Flame Tree released The Best of Majek Fashek in 1994. He was later dropped by Interscope before moving to Mango, a division of Island Records accustomed to marketing reggae internationally.
* His first album for the company included a cover version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song". He has recorded several albums for various labels since, including Rainmaker for Tuff Gong (1997) and Little Patience for Coral (2004).
* Fashek's musical influences include Bob Marley – whom he resembles vocally, Jimi Hendrix, and Fela Kuti.
* He was one of the original Nigerian artists to be drawn to the music of the Caribbean, specifically reggae, rather than indigenous hybrids such as fuji, jùjú, but has been known to mix these genres into his own style which he calls kpangolo, and the song "My Guitar", an ode to his favourite instrument, was also heavily influenced by rock.
* Fashek had a supporting role in the 2000 Nollywood movie Mark of the Beast, and starred in a commercial for non-alcoholic beverage Diamalt.
* In 2016 he performed to an audience of over 10000 people at a comedy show in Lagos to critical acclaim.
* In December 2016 Fashek contributed the song "We Are Not Afraid" to a video featuring 200 celebrities to raise funds for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
* Fashek was married to Rita Fashek who inspired the song "Without You"; the couple had four children together, but later divorced.
* In 2015, it was revealed that Fashek was bankrupt and battling drug addiction. After admitting that he needed help, he was admitted into a drug rehabilitation centre in Abuja. He recovered and returned to music. He however denied ever being on drugs, saying his problem was spiritual which was more of a punishment.
* Besides his struggle with drug addiction, other health conditions required Fashek's hospitalisation on several occasions.
* He was rumored dead in September 2019 but his manager quelled the rumors, confirming that Fashek had indeed been critically ill, hospitalized at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich in the UK, and in dire need of financial assistance.
* Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Femi Otedola pledged to cover all the singer's medical expenses.
* Fashek died on the 1st of June, 2020 at 71 in the United States, after battling an unknown illness. His death was confirmed by his manager, Omenka Uzoma, on the late singer’s official Instagram handle.
* He once said "I believe in God and if you believe in God, you can never die. You can never fade away, if you don’t believe in God then you will fade away . The power of Majek Fashek is that I never give up on God and God never gives up on me."
* Labled a "prophet", Fashek went on to become one of Africa's greatest reggae-influenced performers. His debut solo album, Prisoner Of Conscience, released in 1988, sold more than 200,000 copies in Nigeria alone.
* Majek invented a kind of music called “Pangolo”which he said was transformed into Afrobeat. Pangolo is a mixture of jazz, rock, hip-hop, Afro-beat; it has all kinds of sounds mixed together in it. Majek regards “Pangolo” as the sound of many culture.
* Majek was separated from his family for 10 years until last year September when they were reunited on the advice of his doctors that he should be close to his family.
* Majek has worked with various artists worldwide including Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Cliff, Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, and Beyoncé.
* Fashek is from the generation of Nigerian artistes who used their music to address issues in the society. In songs like ‘Religion Na Politics’, he sang about the religious wars — evident in the society till date —and the implications of such actions in a diverse cultural society.
* In ‘Mother’, an emotional Fashek song about the strong African woman. The catchy call and response hook ‘Mama de de oyoyo’ became a sort of welcoming chant for mothers.
* One of his greatest hits ‘Majek Fashek Ina New York’ talked about his experience in the popular city of United States of America. Instead of glorifying the city, Fashek sang about the poverty and confusion in the golden streets of New York.
* When Fashek performed at the 2014 Headies, he received a standing ovation as he sang some of his popular hits to their delight. The outpour of emotions for the reggae king was like a homecoming treat.
* The Legendary Reggae star is dead after battling with cancer for almost a year.
The manager, Uzoma Day Omenka confirmed the news on the singer’s Instagram page on Tuesday morning. According to him, he died 11.45 pm June 1, 2020, Nigerian time in New York.
* Majek died at the age of 57.
Sleep on and rest well, The Rainmaker 😭😭😭
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Full biography....nice work
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