The Dark Side of Being Afrobeats’ Most Wanted Director — TG Omori
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For six months he lay in a hospital bed while the internet decided he had fallen off. "He doesn't shoot no more." "Nobody rocks with him anymore." "He has outpriced himself out of the market." He was fighting for his life. The first kidney came from his brother. After a seven-hour surgery, the doctors came back with the news: no flow, his body wouldn't take it, and it had to come out. Before they wheeled him back into theatre he posted online and said what he believed was his last prayer. "God, let your will be done." TG Omori is the Headies-winning director behind some of the defining videos of modern Afrobeats, from the Marlian era with Naira Marley to Asake's run of Terminator, Bandana and Organise. He started out making whole videos on ₦2 million budgets. Today a single video can run past $100,000. In this episode we get into why a director can take a big budget and still go home with nothing, the year he and Asake worked like "two people in one body" with no treatments and no revisions, why he dropped his public fight for 10% of music video streams, what dialysis really costs in Nigeria (about ₦31 million a year), the "pull me on" texts from friends still in the hood, and why every day is a good day for greatness. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Hisa is an all-investments platform that lets you invest in Nigerian stocks, US stocks and ETFs from one app. https://invite.hisa.co/7fkf/AFROPOLITAN BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get your first two trades commission-free. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND TG OMORI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boy_director X/Twitter: https://x.com/boy_director Website: https://tgomori.com AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 "I said my last prayer" 1:52 The biggest myth about music video directors 2:52 Why directors go home with nothing 4:22 Why a $100,000 video pays more in Lagos than LA 5:59 The hidden cost of shooting in Lagos 6:52 Area boys at 3 a.m. on a private set 10:44 The video that made him feel he'd arrived 12:58 "It was a cult": first taste of real fame 14:25 Organise and the poetry of Parajanov 15:04 The backlash he got for shooting to the emotion 16:57 "I want to create madness" 19:00 Let directors have a system 21:34 When fans started following the director 22:25 He was supposed to be an actor 24:19 No new videos in 3 years, and the love stayed 26:17 The Room on Patreon 27:06 Sponsor: Zobo Money 27:51 Sponsor: Hisa 29:47 Why artists leave the director who made them 33:46 Why stars stop jumping for the camera 35:35 "I had the best of Asake's years" 37:43 The Asake run, video after video 38:36 "Two people in one body" 42:52 The first cut that went straight to YouTube 44:54 The video where he couldn't read Asake anymore 46:28 When artists outgrow the people who got them out 48:20 Nothing is permanent. Build your own ecosystem 51:40 The chapter of his life he couldn't direct 54:47 The diagnosis 56:33 "You don't have insurance. Go back to Nigeria" 57:43 In hospital while people said he fell off 59:09 His brother's kidney 59:47 "My body is not accepting it" 1:01:47 Why he couldn't call his mum 1:02:47 A second transplant 1:03:36 200,000 messages and a deactivated Instagram 1:08:57 Shoot every video like it's your last 1:10:20 What dialysis really costs in Nigeria 1:12:01 A $2.5 million transplant insurance wouldn't cover 1:14:22 His dad's ₦50K salary 1:18:47 The business of music videos for young directors 1:22:58 "When you're in demand, they'll pay" 1:26:03 The lesson that cost him the most 1:28:06 "Every day is a good day for greatness" 1:30:48 Why he fought for 10% of video streams 1:33:24 Why he dropped the royalty fight 1:36:02 Before your body sends you the bill 1:38:22 Rapid fire 1:39:05 The people Afrobeats doesn't credit enough 1:41:07 The Asake song he wishes he shot 1:42:49 Survivor's guilt 1:44:42 He didn't know directing existed until 16 1:45:57 "Put you on to my pain?" 1:48:03 Who should be in this chair next
