Award winning Nigerian singer Majekodunmi Fasheke aka Majek Fashek has joined the ancestors after years of battling for his life. The death occured in a hospital in New York on Monday, June 1.
Majek Fashek came to the limelight in the mid-eighties as a member of the iconic Nigerian reggae group Jastix along with colleagues Black Rice among others. The group was the in-house band for the National Television Authority (NTA) Benin, Nigeria in his home state.
Majek embarked on a solo career in 1988 after signing with Tabansi Records and released his greatest work till date, the Prisoner of Conscience album. The album featured his smash hit song “Send Down the Rain“.
“He was a very wonderful person during his stay here with us in Ghana for the show. He was demanding beyond what we had agreed upon for the show. Even before he arrived in Ghana, he kept calling me to ensure that I was definitely bringing him to Ghana. He would call and say ‘If you trick me, I will shoot you.’
Blakk Rasta
He went on to win Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Reggae Artist of the Year in 1989 at the PMAN awards.
The “rainmaker” as he was known relocated to the United States of America and when it was expected that his career would blossom from there, his demons appeared.
After leaving Tabansi Records, he was signed to CBS Nigeria in the early 1990s and released his album “So Long Too Long.” In 1990 he joined Interscope Records and released the eclectic album, “Spirit Of Love”.
Although he has worked with stars like Beyonce, Jimmy Cliff, Snoop Dog and Michael Jackson, Majek’s career failed to climax as expected.
He has battled addiction challenges and undergone rehabilitation a number of times.
In 2016, Majek Fashek featured on Blakk Rasta’s Kuchoko Roots Festival at the La Pleasure Beach along with Ras Kimono and other acts.
According to musician and radio presenter Blakk Rasta, “He was a very wonderful person during his stay here with us in Ghana for the show. He was demanding beyond what we had agreed upon for the show. Even before he arrived in Ghana, he kept calling me to ensure that I was definitely bringing him to Ghana. He would call and say ‘If you trick me, I will shoot you.’ And when I met him in Nigeria after the concert, when I went to Nigeria, he told everyone we met that I was the one who brought him to Ghana and that I am a good guy….He will be missed. May he rest in peace.”
Majek is survived buy four children.
Ahuma Bosco Ocansey
