The death of Chief Emeka Morocco Maduka on Thursday, October 29, 2020, was a tiding that will resonate beyond the course of a century.
By his music he evangelized more than some clergies in their pulpits, and influenced didactic thought-lines more than many lecturers in their professorial stools.
Few may ask, who is this Morocco that his death is sweeping the terrains of social discourses this much. Is he not just a musician.?
Well, whoever holds this view is not far from the truth. He has nothing more in his CV aside being an Igbo musician.
But his was music with a difference. It was not easy inventing and redefining a new and unique music genre that will earn the admiration of people as diverse as southern Nigeria. But that was what Morocco Maduka did.
He came to limelight when high life music Lords like Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and Chief Oliver De Coque were still active on stage.
So it was hard to give the people anything new in guitarist songs that these then living legends have not given over and better before.
And going for the choreographic music styles, the likes of Queen Theresa Onuora of Egedege label, Afam Ogbotobo and Ozoemena Nwa Nsugbe have dominated it.
The ballad-tale style of songs has also been perfectly taken by Gentleman Mike Ejeagha. So it was difficult to fit in without imitating these legends or accused of copyright infringement.
But that was where his excellence shone. He opted for his own signature music style. He evolved a novel genre of his own origin. He patented a new line of songs.
He sat back, designed and gifted our age a unique and new class of music tagged Egwu Ekpili mensurals.
In it, he was able to combine the guitarists, traditional instruments and choreographers’ genres into one.
He birthed it and heavily won as many laurels of honour as Chief Oliver and Osadebe, at a time the industry was at its competitive haven in Igbo land.
He became a comet amidst stars; pioneering Ekpili music mensural. Instead of following the path created by others in the industry, he took the unwalked terrain and left a wide track. A trailblazer of Ekpili genre.
He taught morality, preached social justice, promoted sanctity of life, eulogized industry, campaigned for social development, praised integrity, condemned mental laxity, discrimination and societal inequality etc.
He used his music to sell the lofty culture of Ndigbo to the world. By his songs he sued for virtuous lifestyle among his contemporaries.
No doubt, he had his low at some points. It came when he was convicted in the court of public opinion of joining the bandwagon of musicians who sycophantly use their songs to praise rich men in the society who were alleged ritualists, thereby, indirectly fueling the spate of vices in the land.
Heaviest public backlash against him came after the execution of Prophet Edward Okeke of Nawgu by Bakassi boys, for alleged ritual killings; a man he had been eulogizing as a great man for his wealth.
But the passage of time helped in healing off the scars and fleshing up the skeleton suspectedly hidden in his cupboard.
He traveled widely, entertaining and educating Igbos and acquaintances across the globe. The only figure that matched his innovative ideas was Egedege Theresa Onuora.
That Unubi born cultural artist was also a legend with unique touch of originality.
Suffice it to say that Morocco innovatively combined Oliver, Osadebe, Afam, Ozoemena and Ejeagha together to bring Egwu Ekpili of the new era.
High life and cultural music labels intertwined. He was talented!
Now as he passed on, it was as if a generation of music has just ended.
What is the fate of Igbo music of the future as he bowed off the stage?
Who is there again to give the next generation such variety to spice up their age, considering that Oliver and co were gone.
The nostalgia many people feel about his departure, is in the theory of the uniqueness of man which holds that no man can perfectly replace another.
And that was why Prof. Achebe could not be replaced by Cyprain Ekwensi, nor could Chidozie Ogbalu be interchangeable with Flora Nwapa. So Morocco is irreplaceable in the strict sense of the word.
Anambra state truly deserved that title “Light of the Nation.” She gave Nigeria matchless figures in virtually every field of human endeavour.
In music, she produced Oliver, Ozoemena, Osadebe, Morocco, Theresa Onuora, Ifeanyi Agwuedu, Mgbajala Ifite Awka, Tony One week (who pioneered the waxing into records of Kegaites-styled Gyration music) Chijioke Onye Atani, etc.
Today, most, if not all of them are dead, retired or out of the industry. The natural mechanism of wear and tear is telling on them.
They invented their own special music pattern with the exception of Chijioke who picked up the Osadebe style.
Chief Morocco is from Ukwulu, in Anambra state. He died at the age of 76 as the oldest musician, east of the Niger.
He had over 120 albums to his name. He married in 1971, and had eight children.
Igbo nation will mourn and miss him for a long time, but we are consoled by the lessons and legacies he left in songs for us and generations unborn.
May his soul find rest in his Maker and may more musicians of his pedigree rise from among us again.
Ka mkpuru obi ya zuru ike n’ ndokwa!
Iseeeeee!
Ogechukwu writes via [email protected]
+2348062494912.
