The Rise of Queen Victoria

The Rise of Queen Victoria

Production: Reel E TV; 2014

Weekly/Bi-Weekly Webisodes

A lot is going on for Chocolate-City signed artist Victoria Kimani who has bee shuffling between West and East Africa on various projects such as her recent collabo with AY and Prezzo on Whoa and getting to be part of the line-up of the Konshens led Guiness Evolution Party over the weekend. She now has some extra visual treats for us coming in the form of her very own web series called The Rise of Queen Victoria. The assumption is that the series is meant to give fans a closer look at what it means to be a pan-African artist signed to a major label.

The series’ premiere is a rather slow start to things, three-quarters of the episode dedicated to Victoria Kimani and her Chocolate City manager, Tosin, preparing for and getting down to an interview by City People magazine and then later dropping by the HQ of Sideview Magazine. There really is not a lot going on in this episode. In fact, there are moments which, if it were not for Victoria’s bubbly and talkative personality, the average viewer would totally zone out. The interview session however provides some interesting insights into her back story and such as growing up in Benin City to preacher parents and her overall view of her musical process.

The Rise of Queen Victoria

There is nothing to smile about when it comes to the production. Just like the content, the production values are two shades away from being completely un-serious. Huge portions of the audio are wanting and that the episodes are only available in 480p and not HD is not only disappointing but completely unacceptable in this day and age! Perhaps there is a reason for this, I don’t know. Judging by the first episode, The Rise of Queen Victoria looks like it is made exclusively for the die-hard fans who cannot get enough of Queen V, never mind how the content is packaged.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The series is a rather good idea and has lots of potential because it’s an interesting thing getting a flavor of Kenya from out West but the production must be stepped up and the next episodes made a bit busier than the premiere, especially that it hints to Victoria being part of a Mary J. Blige concert.