[August 22, 2011] Kentro World Adjusts to Life Without Olu Maintain Tweet Aug 22, 2011 (Daily Independent/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Kentro World, the group that reportedly cut its teeth under Yahoozee crooner, Olu Maintain, has finally decided to walk out of the shadow of their mentor. The group, which was initially made up of Flo (Folarin Jackson), Dafols (Folusho Borbitey), Dj Freaky T aka Oluibadan (Olabode Omolaja) and Nathaniel Bondo (Bondo Krazy) as members before the latter pulled out of to launch his solo career. The team, now led by Flo, has since opened a new chapter totally deleting Olu Maintain's name as a partaker to build a brand that will stand the test of time when it comes to music in Nigeria and they are seriously working in the background to make their voices heard. "We are not relaxing at all, we are working day in day out and very soon the whole world will definitely know what we're capable of in terms of music. We're not a fluke," Flo stated. The team has gone on to reveal that there is no love lost between the two parties since their separation years back but laying emphasis that Kentro World and Olu Maintain are now two separate brands. Shedding more light on their separation tales, Flo revealed that there is a proper understanding between the group and Olu before they separated. "The only constant thing in life is change. Leaving Olu is a new chapter in our lives, though Olu introduced us to the industry and we can't stop thanking him for all he has done during our stay with him. "Kentro World needs to step up because a book always has the next chapter and this is the new chapter of Kentro World, tomorrow it may be the turn of the newly signed ones and to set the record straight, Olu is not the founder of Kentro World, the group is just fortunate to be introduced to the mainstream by Olu; the group is a collective effort of all of us. "Olu can't come out to say the group is his brainchild, he's well informed that this group was made up of four members before Bondo opted out. The group name was also registered with the Copyright Affairs Commission (CAC) to avoid such future occurrence. Kentro is a brand we all built together, though Olu was our mentor and he will forever remain so." Flo continues, "We all have the right to that name just like the old Maintain group. Wasn't Big Bamo in charge then? Even when we made our intention known, he (Olu Maintain) just told us 'nice one' and we have since moved on." However, the group revealed that their major intention right now is to sign a publishing right with an international label and other areas of entertainment. It has been widely reported that Olu Maintain whose hit album, Yahoozee made unprecedented success about three years ago, formed the group and totally ignored those who started out with him like LKT, Puffy Tee and Eddie Kim. These 'neglected people' though might not have made the kind of success Olu made within a short space of time, they are said to be doing well in the showbiz world without the support of Olu and they are said to be seriously pushing to be on top of their game in the entertainment industry. The crew also stated that they decided to bring in Puffy Tee to join them because he's not signed or committed to any particular person or label as against the claims from some quarters that they are staging a rebellion against Olu. "All our songs are produced by Puffy Tee, he's an independent producer but he has also been of help to the group since we decided to leave. "Puffy T is 100 percent with the group and we also believe everyone that has worked hard should be rewarded, that is why Puffy Tee was brought back," Flo, continued. The group has since recorded over 30 songs but only 12 will make it to their yet-to-be-titled debut album which is scheduled to be released into the Nigeria market before the year runs out. Talking about any possible collaboration with Olu Maintain in their debut album, the group stated categorically that nothing can bring the two parties together again musically but jokingly divulged that a reunion can only materialise if there is a million dollar contract that stipulates that they need to perform together. The group, which evolved around 2007 is now working on its first album with ace producer, Puffy Tee who has produced hit songs for artistes like Olu Maintain ('Yahoozee'), X-project ('Lorile') and VIP Ghana ('Away'). With its debut single 'Gbemu', which video was 100 percent shot in Ikoyi, Lagos, it's obvious that the group has introduced a new concept into music video directing in Nigeria, with the number of exotic cars, wines, beautiful models on parade. The video has been tagged as one of the most expensive ever to be shot in Lagos because of the props used. Its other singles 'Beri' and 'Aiye Crossover', describe the extravagant lifestyle of big spenders, going all over the world to party and having fun on expensive yacht with helipads and women. Flo, who is also an aspiring pilot, found music was the best way to express himself. As a kid, he took on the name Hurricane and he began writing rhymes, combining a strong work ethic with aggressive self-promotion, he created a group as a teenager called Hy-profile with his long time friends, Sexy Steel and Kayzeal. He is a biochemistry graduate from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom while Dj Freaky has being deejaying for over a decade before he decided to join the group in 2007. Flo also asserted that, Sexy Steel, the handsome fashionista who was also signed on to Yes records introduced him to Olu Maintain before they formed the group together with other members. They immediately started recording and had hits like 'Kamikaze' and 'Takarewa'. They dropped videos of both songs in 2007 and 2008 respectively. 'Kamikaze' won many awards including Soundcity Video Of The Year in 2009. Later that year, Olu Maintain released another album, which serves as an introduction of the group to the world titled, Kentro World: With All Due Respect. The group continued to enjoy widespread popularity and have since performed in several important events, including THISDAY's Africa Rising concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, an event made famous by former US Secretary of State, Colin Powell dancing to 'Yahoozee' on stage. Flo and other members of Kentro World embarked on tours in Nigeria, United Kingdom, USA and Canada reaching out to their numerous fans in Africa and in the Diaspora. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]