When fame and fortune fades

Celebrity-hood comes with all the enviable trappings and like a deposed president, many celebs have no clue how to cope with the loss of the status, write DAVID ODONGO and CAROLINE NYANGA

Limo rides, crowds cheering, excessive media coverage, staying in the best hotels during tours, having everyone bend to your whims, no matter how outrageous…aaah the coveted life of a celebrity!

But when it all gone, no one recognises you anymore, no music promoter picks your call, and not even an intern in a media house wants to do your ‘great comeback story’. This is the sad life of a has -been- celebrity.

If some- has -been celebrities were to be brutally honest, we would learn of a startling account of the pain, heartbreak, regret, and euphoria involved in withdrawing from celebrity life–and the petrifying dangers of waning from the spotlight.

What happens to those music and movie people when the headlight beam of recognition veers inescapably towards the new charming young things in the industry?

A balloned up Tyson

Flip flop

Since then Prezzo has been on the low – making little if any headlines. If his latest track Unataka Nini featuring Madtraxx was set to boost his music career, it succeeded in failure. We wait to see if his latest release, Sema Nao, featuring Redsan and Nazizi will work the magic that his first single, Naleta Action did.

The once unofficial de facto fashion role model during his heydays has been on few occasions spotted looking ‘shabby’ having lost his swagger, expensive jewellery and designer outfits.

The last time we caught up with Prezzo, it was during Wines and Blankets in Karen in December, and the (former?) King of bling was out with a plastic cup moving from ‘table to table’. His groupies and the Range Rover Sports car that had every seat customised with his name is long gone. This is the man who at one time rapped, Chapaa za show, ndio me hubuy nayo credo ya phone.

Lately, Prezzo seems to have developed an appetite for other things but jewellery is none of it. He has lost his shine and artistes like Charles Njagua aka Jaguar have taken shots at him, declaring him overthrown. We ask ourselves, was Prezzo only propped at the top by his money? Is Kenyan showbiz an industry that anybody with money can climb and stay at the top? Life after fame is not always easy.

A few years back, Mike Tyson was quoted saying: "My whole life has been a waste – I’ve been a failure." He continued: "I just want to escape. I’m really embarrassed with my life and myself. I want to get this part of my life over as soon as possible. People put me so high; I wanted to tear that image down."

Financial tko

This, coming from a man who during his divorce, reportedly paid Sh 700m ($9m) in legal fees. The famous boxer reportedly earned Sh 25Billion ($300 m) in his career, but it wasn’t enough to support a lavish lifestyle that famously includes pet tigers. He filed for bankruptcy in 2003, owing $27 million.

At the age of 20, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing. In 2005, he left the ring for good and now spends much of his time tending to his 350 pigeons in his home.

Child celebrities in particular appear to have trouble making financial or social change once the fame and money goes. Think of Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and Garry Coleman from Diff’rent Strokes. Another sad example is Lindsay Lohan, whose life now rotates around alcohol, drugs and drunk driving arrests that generates fodder for the press and gossip blogs.

Mr Lenny

"We are working on some projects that will shock our fans in Kenya, some good music," said Lovi when contacted. Time will tell whether the twins will warm their way back into the hearts of music lovers.

Very few teen and child actors make better choices about their post-fame lives. Some stay in the business, like ‘The Wonder Years’ big brother Jason Hervey, who has made a career producing shows about youthful stars that have passed their prime. 

Common malaise

Other actors managed to avoid material temptation for a religious path. Lisa Welchel, who starred in The Facts of Life, has achieved success as a Christian author while Kirk Cameron the ‘Growing Pains’ star turned away from Hollywood near the height of his fame, preferring a more modest Christian lifestyle. But what all these actors have in general is an aptitude to see their transitory fame in the context of the bigger picture of their lives.

Locally, one of the easily recognised faces in the local music industry, fans nowadays can pass Mr Lenny in the streets without a second glance. Up to 2006, Mr Lenny was christened the dubious title, King of Collabo. Every song he featured in went on to be a great hit.

Some of his biggest hits include Baby Don’t Go and African Woman by Kunguru, Kamata – featuring the late E-Sir, MOU where he featured Indiginas, Juju a song he was featured by Nameless, and Githurai which he did alongside Mr Googz and Vinny Banton. The latter earned him Kora award nominations.

Moneyed brother

In 2003 he released his first single, Cash Money with Ogopa Deejays that equally turned out big. But it was at the time when multiple award-winning singer Pilipili emerged into the scene as the new kid on the block challenging Lenny.

Even with the release of his debut album Kwa Nini in 2006, his popularity slowly waned. But Lenny is quick to insist that he is still popular saying he is currently busy working on his second album.

"I am working with various producers like The Herbalist, Mwakio and Homeboyz just to name a few. For me music is a long journey hence the need for me to take time and come out with the right product."

Food for thought

Let’s not kid ourselves; there really is a lot of pressure that comes with being in the public eye. Every move you make is watched by fans and the paparazzi, every decision you make from who you date to where you shop to what you eat is put in every magazine, and if you ever glance at someone the wrong way you’re suddenly, and very publicly, labelled an arrogant snob. Fame and fortune aside, it’s got to be pretty tough to handle.

Every career has its ups and downs, but it’s how you deal with the low points that really determine how far you’ll go. Some celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Busta Rhymes and P Diddy were able to make big career comebacks and showed both the lessons that failure has to offer and that success is often worth the wait.

"It’s important to keep evolving as a person and keep experiencing things that come my way in life, they’re all of equal merit," says psychologist Ms Odonde. 

"Many people, once they hit that presumed pinnacle of fame, think everything else is less-than," continues the psychologist. "But I think it’s important for quality of life and growth — for anybody, regardless of whether they’re involved in entertainment — to recognise that different experiences are all equally important." She maintains.