Top Music Video Directors from Nigeria

This week at Dtimes we will be looking at some of the most talented music video directors who use their visual storytelling ideas to redefine the music industry.

When it comes to making great music there are different aspects to look out for and one of them is having a video to complement the music.

Below are 8 top music video directors who breathe life into chart-topping hit tracks for renowned artists like Davido, Wizkid, Rema, Chike, Tiwa Savage, and more.

Meji Alabi for Jm Film Production

Renowned creative director, skilled photographer, and conceptual genius Meji Alabi has used his cinematic flair and dynamic storytelling to bridge the gap between Africa and the Western music industry. Born to Nigerian parents Meji Alabi has been crafted by a variety of cultures due to growing up in different parts of the world. The artistic visionary has been involved in some stunning music videos for a range of talented artists such as Wizkid, Maleek Berry, Tiwa Savage, Rema, Seyi Shay, and Runtown among many others. Part of his most recent projects is the tiwa savage’s movie ‘Water and Garri’ which premiered exclusively on Prime Video and went on to be the biggest weekend opener ever for Prime Video Nigeria, achieving the highest number of streams amongst all titles on the platform.

TG OMORI A.K.A BOY DIRECTOR

Boy director also known as TG Omori is known for his aesthetic appeal and ability to use his innovative techniques when shooting his videos. Boy director has been the brain behind the lens for many of our favorite artists music videos across all genres from the likes of Asake, Burna Boy, Davido Seyi Vibez, and many more. Known for creatively using a lot of people in his videos he rose into prominence with his directorial brilliance of most of the chart-topping singles such as Naira Marley’s viral hits, Soapy and Am I A Yahoo Boy, Teni’s Billionaire, Wizkid and Blaq Jersey’s Blow, Fireboy DML’s vibration, Rema’s, Are You There, among several others. The breakout of viral sensation Asake in 2022 also made it a crazy run for TG Omori as the duo seemed to be inseparable with asake dropping the bangers and TG Omori there to conceptualize.

DAMMY TWITCH

Responsible for Davido’s recent viral hit singles Unavailable and Kante Dammy Twitch initially started his career as a photographer and a video editor. He covered events before he got a job as a video editor for Director Q in 2017. Known for constantly pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling Dammy Twitch’s works are often at the cutting edge of both creativity and incorporating captivating ideas for his videos. He shot his first music video for Davido and DMW hit song titled Aje which was released in 2017 and ever since then, the sky has been Dammy Twitch’s limit. From shooting videos for hit songs like Damn by Omah Lay, Alcohol by Joeboy, Majesty by Peruzzi and Big baller by Flavour we can’t wait to see more magic from the visionary creator.

JYDE AJALA

Jyde Ajala has mastered the art of evocative imagery thereby cementing his prowess in video directing. He has shown that sometimes, you just need to be more practical when making decisions. Formerly an artist himself, his diversification into the video directing world has earned him the reputation he never got as an artist. With more than 20 videos in his portfolio, He is undoubtedly one of the very successful directors in the Nigerian music scene. Some of his notable work includes Amapiano by viral sensation Asake featuring Ybnl boss Olamide, Trumpet by Olamide featuring Ckay, Soweto by Victony & Tempoe, and his most recent work Stubborn by Victony & Asake. 

Dir. K for PriorGold Pictures

With a career spanning almost a decade, Dir. K has set himself on the pace of legendary status with his eclectic style of music video production. Known as a creative maestro dir. k ranks amongst directors curating visual interpretation of African music. He has worked with a good amount of our Favorite musical acts across all genres including Grammy-nominated smash hit Essence by Wizkid featuring multitalented singer and songwriter Tems. Other videos in his portfolio include Case by Teni which skyrocketed him to the music video industry scene and also a follow-up video that same year with Skibii’s Sensima which featured Reekado Banks. He is also The Brain Behind 1milli by Davido, Wonderful by Burna Boy, Calm Down by Rema, and many more trailblazing projects.

PERLIKS DEFINITION

The number of high-profile videos that Perliks has worked on in the space of 2 years is a testament to his stylistic signature with his works topping charts and resonating with audiences far and wide. With an impressive portfolio under his belt, Perliks has shown that it isn’t how far but how well. His collaborative synergy with Blaqbonez on their project Back in Uni music video shows his unparalleled brilliance when it comes to visual creation. Other works he has been involved in were Zinoleesky’s hit song Personal, BNXN fka Buju’s Gwagwalada featuring Seyi vibez & Kizz Daniel, and Rema’s Charm amongst others.

 Director Pink for Pinkline Films

In an industry that has been male-dominated for as long as we can remember, Director Pink has carved a niche for herself and proven that she can compete with the men and still stand out in producing the best music videos. Known as the brain behind Pinkline Films, director Pink’s narrative ingenuity has positioned her as one of the best directors behind some of the major hits we see across the continent. According to The Guardian Life, director Pink officially started shooting properly in 2020 and ever since then her portfolio has grown exceptionally. Some of her noteworthy works include the 2022 smash hit Running by Chike & simi and she didn’t stop there she also went on to direct hit songs like Abracadabra by Rexxie featuring Naira Marley, skibii, and Wizkid, ole by Qing Madi & Bnxn, and her most recent viral hits Egwu by chike featuring Mohbad and Do I by Phyno & Burna Boy. It is safe to say that Director Pink has broken the barrier in a male-dominated industry and stamped her name as one of the few female directors who make great music videos.

KEMZ

Bringing vibrancy and polish to music videos, kemz has been responsible for a couple of trending music videos by well-known Nigerian artists. Best known for his epic score for Shallipopi’s Cast featuring Odumodublack and Baddest Boy by Skibii featuring Davido, Kemz‘s craftsmanship in the music video industry is not talked about enough as it should be. Other hit songs that he has worked on include Obapluto by Shallipopi, Nyem Ego by Blaqbonez, and his most recent video by Seyi vibez artist Muyeez Instagram which debuted at number 1 on Apple Music.