Cecil Hammond: Why I created Rhythm Unplugged music concert

Cecil Hammond, the music executive, has revealed why he created the one-night concert ‘Rhythm Unplugged’.

In a chat with CNN to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his firm Flytime Promotions, Cecil said he launched the concert after realising Nigerian artistes lacked a platform to perform live and connect with their fans.

He recalled how the first show, which featured over 40 artistes and sold out completely, proved that Nigerians have a strong demand for such events.

He also argued that his firm pioneered individual headline concerts for many of today’s biggest Nigerian artistes.

“Rhythm Unplugged came about 20 years ago when I realised there were no concerts for mainstream artistes,” he said.

‘We had to find a platform for them to come perform and for the audience to come see their favourite artistes basically. Back then comedy was way bigger than music.

“The first show we had over 30, 40 artistes and comedians literally on the first show. And it was sold out.

“We had our next show three months later, and the next show four to six months later because it kept on being a success, a success, a success. And it just shows that this is what people, Nigerians wanted to see.

“Most of the big artistes you have today, Flytime actually started their first individual shows. Nobody ever used to do that, and it was a big risk we were taking.”

Keke Hammond, the chief operating officer of Flytime and wife of Cecil, said she had long admired Rhythm Unplugged as a platform for Nigerian talents before joining the brand.

She highlighted the concert’s role in the growth of Nigerian music and artistes, citing Davido as an example of those who benefited from its impact.

“I’d heard about the franchise, about Rhythm Unplugged and how it was this platform for comedians and Nigerians to perform and how there’s been nothing like it in the Nigerian scene,” she said.

“And most importantly, he didn’t have international artistes on the bill deliberately, and I loved that.

“There are so many different things that Rhythm Unplugged and Flytime Fest has contributed to, where Afrobeats is now from a global standpoint.

“…If we think about someone like Davido, he started when he was very young, but didn’t have the platform.

“Thankfully there was a place like Rhythm Unplugged, which was his first stage. So, we want to continue to be a part of those stories because they are so beautiful.”

The music executives also expressed their commitment to maintaining global production standards in Nigeria while aiming to expand beyond the country.

“Our artistes are global, right? And they’re performing at like Madison Square Garden, the O2 and things like that,” they added.

“So, when they come here, they don’t want to reduce their production quality. So, the onus on us to make sure that we get the equipment from wherever to be able to deliver that same quality.

“I would say that our evolution is evolving, right? Beyond just the curation of festivals. There are other ecosystems that will be integrated into the creation or curation of events.”

The first edition of Rhythm Unplugged was organised in 2004. It held at Fantasyland in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Since then, there have been numerous editions of the concert in various cities across Nigeria, including Benin, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Jos, and Ibadan.