Groupies and the bad-boys of showbiz

The line can be blurry at times between groupies and genuine fans. But in the end, it is the celebs that are branded bad boys writes, STEVENS MUENDO

It was dubbed the Swaggerific concert and hyped as one of the biggest dancehall gigs hosted in Kenyan soil in the recent past.

And with top Jamaican dancehall singers Busy Signal, Ding Dong and RDX all paraded to share the stage that Saturday night, Nairobi was no doubt marked for a dancehall Easter blast.

But then, what had begun as a decent show was transformed into a raunchy show as skimpily dressed female fans, too eager to impress the Jamaicans, exposed more flesh than anticipated, almost marring the event.

At the height of the concert at KICC, fans were treated to disgusting scenes as scores of half naked girls went sexually explicit with RDX and Ding Dong on stage, crooning to the vulgar laced Bend Over hit among others.

The scene was horrific as obscenity ruled the dimly lit stage with girls, one of whom said to have been a minor, got raunchy with the singers infront of hundreds of fans who had thronged the venue.

One after the other, the girls took to the stage and did the popular Bend Over dance move with their backside and front explicitly exposed to the revellers.

The musicians danced, urging the girls on with sexual strokes, caressing them to lovemaking positions in complete disregard of morality. It looked like a scene cut from an X-rated adult movie.

Hedonism

Half the pictures our paparazzi shot make an uncomfortable view even for an adult viewer.

And the murky acts were not only taking place on the stage but also among the crowd, all over KICC grounds and down to the VIP arena where groupies had found their way to cash on celebrities.

After the concert, the Jamaican singers were literally hunted down by groupies who stalked them down to their hotel rooms.

The Kenyan girls were theirs for the taking and needless to say, besides wild partying other things were on the agenda with the Comfort Zone, One More Night, Night Shift, Bend Over and Holiday singers getting challenged to the real action (forget the strictly censored raunchy videos they shoot with skimpy dressed girls in Jamaica).

History was just repeating itself as three years ago during a P Square concert held in Nairobi, local groupies some of them big names in the entertainment world entertained the Nigerian brothers and their entourage in a Nairobi hotel offering themselves — like prized heifers— to the Nigerian contingent for two consecutive days leaving behind a bill of over Sh700,000 to the grief of the concert organiser.

Another lot of popular names even camped at the controversial Arthur Brothers temporary residence where they entertained them for months before their forceful deportation.

American singer Shaggy and his men had the same treat during their visit here with his producer even getting into a fling with a celebrated radio presenter.

Throwing caution to the wind, the ‘ravens’ join celebrities entourage during town-to-town concerts, appear in their private bashes and even frequent hang out joints where they are sure to bump into them. They stalk them, inundate their mobile phones with calls and pose as choice girlfriends, bragging to their friends how they are indeed dating the big boys in town.

"The first thing in the mind of a groupie is to seek emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or any other celebrity. We have enough of such girls in major towns and artistes should be on the look out," says Shaffie Weru, a popular radio presenter and showbiz guru.

"For a celebrity to distinguish between real fans and groupies seeking brief sexual encounters is not easy just as is the thin like between a player and a bad boy," he notes.

And it’s not only for the sex; fame and fortune do groupies stalk celebrities. Psychology has proved it that girls tend to get attracted to the so-called bad boys of showbiz whose unpredictable and dominance traits lure them into their lives.

They end up travelling with musicians for extended periods of time, acting as chaperones that take care of the musician’s valuables, wardrobe, and social desires.

"Sometimes people brand us as the bad boys of entertainment because girls chase us wherever we go. But I don’t think male celebrities should be blamed for this as there is little they can do about groupies chasing after them," says Solomon Koko of Ghetto Radio — who has girls following him wherever he goes.

Showbiz bad boys

"There is a difference between a bad boy and a player and I think the latter is what you get in Kenya. When you have some cash and a name to ride on like I do, you constantly get these people following you and the problem is that you may not get to know who is genuine or who is not," he notes.

Even though Solo says that for a celeb to have girls around him is not necessarily a negative thing, in the long run, the image created around such scenarios may sometime make some to question his character hence affecting his private life.

"Girls will come and hang out with you, take photos with you and even post them on Facebook. At the end of the day, they assume they are the bona fide girlfriends and tell the whole world. Eventually, you get reports that girls are fighting over you with each claiming to be your lover to your utter shock," Solo remarks.

In several occasions, the dreadlocked presenter has had his female friends lock horns during outings a matter he says he has learned to live with.

"These people want to hang around you and ride on your fame. Others want to be genuine friends. I think it’s all but a natural process in the showbiz world," he concludes.

Handshakes and hugs

Comedian-cum-radio presenter Jalang’o is yet another celebrity whose fame has had groupies and stalkers following him even to a point of being branded a bad boy.

At one point, he was rumoured to have been caught up in crossfire between two girls both of whom were claiming to be his girlfriends.

One of the two contacted the media insinuating that Jalang’o had cheated on him.

"Being a celebrity and having groupies chasing you comes like a package. Groupies don’t care whatever else goes on in your private life. But there comes a time when one should separate fans and groupies from his girlfriend. That is when you decide that a handshake should not go beyond the shoulder," says Jalang’o.

"When groupies and fans try to get too personal with you, the best thing to do is to let them know you are dating or committed elsewhere. That is how you maintain your respect with them as a celebrity and they get to appreciate your talent," he adds.

Singing star Jaguar, top emcee Shaffie Weru and football star Dennis Oliech are among other celebs that have been branded players out of the pull they have on female fans.

attitude magnet

Even fast rising actors OJ of Tahidi High and his fellow actor Ainea Ojiambo, Ian Mugoya, MTV VJ Emukule Ekirapa have been branded ‘bad’ boys whom girls chase everywhere they go. Their fame and feel-good attitude is said to be the fragrance that attracts girls to them.

"I never get to care who is a groupie or a genuine fan as long as they don’t cross the line," says Jaguar.

"The fact that female fans mill around me during concerts and in clubs does not make me a bad boy. I just show my love to people who appreciate me," he adds.

Ojiambo feels that there is only a thin line between groupies and devout fans as talent and fame of a star usually attract both.

"It is an open secret that celebs end up being victims of circumstances when they fall prey in the hands of groupies. A groupie basically likes to cash on the moment. When artistes also take up sexual intimacy during such situations, I don’t think it’s right for the celeb to be blamed. Besides, he has been chips fungwad, right there," he notes.