Eric Obuh

Eric Obuh also known as Vocal Slender or Slender (born 1 December 1982 in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria) is an Afropop/reggae artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. He was featured on Part 1 of the BBC documentary "Welcome to Lagos" aired on BBC 2.[1][2]

They call me Slender, Vocal Slender, that's my music name. Because I'm very lean in the face, and because I'm always singing.

—Vocal Slender, Myspace.[3]

The documentary features Eric as a scavenger who works and lives in a dumpsite on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. He makes a living by collecting recyclable materials and selling them.[4] He then saves his earnings to enable him buy studio time to produce a music album. Although Eric acknowledges that the dump has been good to him because it helps him keep body and soul together and make music, he has kept the fact that he is a scavenger from his family and friends, as he wants them to believe that the only thing he does is music to gain their respect[5]

Since appearing in the documentary, his popularity has grown, with fans setting up a support group for him on Facebook [6] and other websites.[7] He has been featured in articles about Welcome to Lagos in The Observer,[8] The Independent,[9] and in London Metro.[10]

Tours

On 4 September 2010, he performed in front of over 30,000 guests at the Eddie Kadi’s Show that was held in London O2 Arena where fans and admirers of his thought-provoking story danced to his numerous tracks; including his hit track "Owo Yapa" (meaning Too-much money). Vocal Slender also did a club tour all around London and Manchester in 2010. He was also in London for the Nigeria Independent Carnival in October 2011 but the show was cancelled due to logistics problems.

Awards

Vocal Slender was the 2010 recipient of the Zeal to Succeed Award given to him by the union of All Afro-Caribbean Universities in UK.

Projects

His turbulent childhood in the crime-infested and gritty community of Ajegunle coupled with having to drop out of secondary school due to financial constraints provoked him to instituting community targeted projects majorly for Ajegunle children & youths and beyond. His projects include

1. Ghetto Love: where he draws the attention of the public (locally & internationally) to the plight and sufferings of the Ghetto children & youth in Ajegunle slum in Lagos. He uses his influence to appeal to the elites & "the well to do" to donate their children’s used clothes, bags, shoes, toys, books and other life-sustaining items that may be of benefit to the people living in the Ghetto. Up and coming Ajegunle artistes are given the platform to thrill the children. The first Ghetto Love event was held on 8 November 2011 during his Konto Video Shoot where loads of children came in their numbers to be part of the video and was blessed with free food, clothes, shoes, etc. The second was held during the 2012 Valentine Season (on 18 February 2012) and it was used to show love to the Ghetto children. The high point of the second edition was the giving of scholarship to Gloria Peters, a 15-year-old orphan who never went through primary school but was admitted into high school class 1(JSS1). On 27 May 2012, the Children’s day edition (3rd edition) was held at 21, Lawani Street, Ajegunle, Olodi-Apapa, Lagos. Ghetto Love partnered with REAL VISIONARIES INITIATIVE, NIGERIA, a Nongovernmental Organization that runs medical screening exercises in Nigeria. The group came with its team of medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists amongst other volunteers to offer free medical consultation, counseling and health talks to an average audience of 500 people (children, youth & adults). Free drugs were given to the participants. The impact of this edition was heartwarming as the people were full of praises as it was the period when all General hospitals in Lagos (including General Hospital, Ajeromi Ifelodun) were non-operational as the Lagos doctors were on strike. The next Ghetto Love(a community medical outreach) event is to hold on 8 December 2012 with special emphasis on marking the 2012 World Aids Day celebration to increase HIV awareness among the Ghetto people.

2.Vocal Slender Speaking Tours: Vocal Slender visits schools and gatherings to inspire people with his story and to encourage them never to hit the brakes on their life goals. He is fond of saying: "If I can, then YOU CAN." His touching story is enough to bring back the dead dreams of an average student. This avenue creates an informal setting for students to be educated and exposed to the challenges of the outside world. They get the opportunity to ask mind-bothering questions & form a new path for their lives. The first Vocal Slender Speaking Tour was held at the University of Lagos, Akoka at the Department of Social Works, Faculty of Arts, on 24 November 2012 where over 200 Social Works students were inspired by the story. He was also a guest speaker at the One Touch Foundation youth programme in May 2011 that had all secondary school students in Surulere in attendance. Recently, he was the guest at the Club Still Standing (a meeting point for Sickle Cell Sufferers).

A simple sentence that best summarizes the life of Vocal Slender is ‘Your Glory is tied to your Story.’

Welcome to the world of that voice crying earnestly for the liberation of Africa & everything that concerns Africa.

Vocal Slender is currently putting finishing touches to his new album which is expected to be released before the end of 2012.

On February 22, 2014, he was featured as the problem solver of the week on The Book of Solutions. [11]

More info is available on his Official website

Songs

Vocal Slender sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba. He released his debut album on 10 January 2010. Slender claims to have written so many ‘good songs’ that he still wants to record; "songs about divine love, peace and unity in Nigeria, and others which praise all the girls" He also admires the exploits of big Nigerian music stars like Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo, Mighty Mouse, African China, B'Clean, and Nico Gravity who started from the same Ajegunle ghetto.[12] The following songs are available on iTunes.[13]

1. Send Them Come
2. Send Them Come (Slow Version)
3. Owo Yapa
4. Text Message
5. Konto
6. Nigeria
7. Ajegunle
8. All the girls (That Know How to Wind)
9. Sugar Mama
10. Light

References

  1. ↑ Ohai, Chux (23 June 2012). "Vocal slender: A ghetto boy’s astonishing rise from poverty to fame". Punch. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "glam.com". glam.com. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  3. ↑ "MySpace". MySpace. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  4. ↑ "BBC". BBC News. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  5. ↑ Howden, Daniel (2010-04-15). "Eric aka Vocal Slender is one of the many people who live on the Olusosun rub". London: Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  6. ↑ "Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  7. ↑ "VocalSlender.com". VocalSlender.com. 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  8. ↑ Akin Ojumu (2010-04-04). "Welcome to Lagos: Nigeria's dirt poor | World news | The Observer". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  9. ↑ Howden, Daniel (2010-04-15). "The Independent". London: Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  10. ↑ "London Metro". Metro.co.uk. 2010-08-18. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  11. ↑ Adesoji Adegbulu (2014-02-22). "problem solver of the week". Nigeria: Adesoji Adegbulu. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  12. ↑ Akin Ojumu (2010-04-04). "The Guardian". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  13. ↑ "iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
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