10 best and top music directors in Africa 2020
Who are the best video directors in Africa 2020? Video directing is a form of art that magically changes a basic song into a better version. Nevertheless, music directors in Africa remain unsung heroes, while artists get all the limelight upon the release of a fantastic song video.
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Have you ever stopped and wondered what if your favourite music video had no visual? Just think about it. Will it still make sense to you? Will you love it the same? Since music directors deserve all the credit for well-done videos, here are ten top music video directors in Africa.
10 best music directors in Africa 2020
Music directors are in charge of the performance, production, or organization of a song. The focus will be on music video directors who ensure artists release great, creative, relevant, and engaging videos that will boost sales by making the song more appealing. With an increased demand for perfectly executed song videos, here are the most sought-after music video gurus in Africa.
1. Clarence Peters
Source: Instagram
Clarence Abiodun Peters is a renowned Nigerian music video director, cinematographer, and filmmaker. Being the brain behind Capital Dream Pictures and Capital Hill Records, he is one of the biggest names in the music industry.
Over the course of his 25 years of career, Clarence Peter has directed hundreds of song videos, all of which have done exceptionally well on YouTube. To add, Clarence has received numerous local and international accolades owing to his prowess working behind the camera. He has also worked with celebrated musicians like P Square, Davido, Sauti Sol, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, and Chidinma.
2. Olaleke Buari
Source: Twitter
Olaleke Buari Oluwasegun, popularly known as Unlimited LA, is a highly productive Nigerian video director and filmmaker. With a background in computer science, Olaleke began his career in 2009, and over time, his work has shown immense growth, getting him massive recognition and airplay. He has worked with top artists like Olamide, Tillaman, and Praize. Besides, he won Music Video Director of The Year by City People Award and the 2015 Best Director at the Nigerian Entertainment Award.
3. Moe Musa
Source: Instagram
Mohammed Musa is a famous music video director from Nigeria even though he is based in the United Kingdom. Moe manages a video production company dubbed Online Video Broadcasting and Afrobeat Music Culture in the UK. Skelewu by Davido, Bobo by Olamide, and Antenna and Azonto by Fuse ODG are among the popular music videos directed by Moe Musa.
4. Mike Ogoke
Source: Twitter
Mike Ogoke, commonly referred to as Godfather, is one of the best music video directors in East Africa. He demonstrates impeccable skills and professionalism making top video gurus like Clarence Peters and Moe Musa run for their money. Godfather has made music videos for top musicians in East Africa like Diamond Platinumz and Sauti Sol.
5. Sammy Dee
Source: Instagram
Sammy Dee, a Kenyan music video director, was a former lead singer in the gospel music group BMF. He later discovered a passion for video directing, making a switch in career. He is also the CEO of a video production firm, True-D Pictures. Njiwa by Willy Paul featuring Nandi, Afadhali Yesu by Size 8 Reborn, and Narudi by Makena are among the best works of Sammy Dee.
6. J Blessing
Source: Instagram
Jibril Blessing, known as J Blessing professionally, is another prolific video director master from Kenya. He has vast experience as a music video director, TV producer, and cinematographer.
J Blessing is considered among the best music directors in East Africa for directing amazing music videos for local and international artists. Besides, he has received several coveted national awards in the music industry. Some of the notable celebrities he has produced music videos for include Koffi Olomide, Willy Paul, Prezzo, Ferre Gola, Cindy Sanyu, Joyce Omondi, Eko Dyda, and Gloria Muliro.
7. Justin Campos
Source: Instagram
Justin Campos is a South African video director and cinematographer. He is among the best music directors in Africa, having shot more than 500 music videos. He is also the founder and managing director of Gorilla Film, a fully pledged media production house that specialises in producing music videos for top known artists. Some of the notable celebrities in his music video portfolio include Davido, Navy Kenzo, Vanessa Mdee, Sauti Sol, Sarkodie, Wizkid, AKA, and Ace Hood.
8. Tebogo Malope
Source: Instagram
Tebogo Malope is a South African award-winning creative director, commercial director, and filmmaker who has made a name for himself through his art of storytelling. His career began as a childhood pastime hobby developing into a lifelong profession. Tebogo Malope is the brain behind one of the best music videos produced in SA, Spirit by Kwesta ft Wale.
9. Sesan Ogunro
Source: Instagram
Sesan Ogunro is a well-known name within the music video production industry. Though from Nigeria, Sesan is based in the United Kingdom and is brother to Gbemi. He is one of the best music directors in Africa known for his talents in doing 3D animation music videos.
Sesan Ogunro is the chief executive officer of two video production companies, Film Factory Nigeria and Film Factory South Africa. Mr Ogunro has shot and directed music videos for famous stars like Tiwa Savage, D’Banj, Davido, and Wizkid.
10. Motion Billy
Source: Instagram
Mpendulo Mabindisa, professionally known as Motion Billy, is one of the youngest and most promising music video directors in Africa. He is from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, and completed a course in sound engineering and motion picture at Damelin College. Throughout his career, Mpendulo Mabindisa has worked with famed Cape Town celebrities like Phoenix, Andy Mkosi, Amilca Mezarati, and Driemanskap.
Other video directors worth mentioning include Adriaan Louw, Annette James (Aje), Paul Obata, Laurenzo ‘YeahLenzo’ Dlamini, Kyle Lewis, Don Picasso, Andrew Macharia, Enos Olik, J. Hill, and Annor Ebenezer.
It is said behind every successful music video is a very talented and ambitious director. As such, music directors in Africa deserve better recognition for their excellent storytelling abilities. Who is your favourite one? Share with us in the comment section below.
READ ALSO: African songs with 100 million views on YouTube
Briefly.co.za shared the list of artists behind African songs with more than 100 million views on YouTube. Recently, African music has received great reception globally, with several songs enjoying multi-million views. Also, more African singers collaborate among themselves and with international musicians to increase their audience.
Mali's Djadja by Aya Nakamura has more than 686 million. South Africa's Jerusalema by Master KG ft Nomcebo has over 186 million views, and over 253 million people have watched Baby On Fire by Die Antwoord. Nigeria's On the Low by Burna Boy has over 159 million views. Others include Magic In The Air by Magic System (Ivory Coast) and Bella by Maître Gims (DRC).
Source: Briefly News
