The fearless lyricist, in an exclusive interview with YES INTERNATIONAL!
Magazine's GBENGA SHABA, disclosed what led him out of the country and
how hard it is to stand and survive in a strange land, his Reggae
franchise, Africa Meets Reggae, etc. Enjoy…
Who is a good Reggae artist?
A
good Reggae artist is the one that puts the masses, the down trodden
people first and tries to defend the truth and just. He also believes in
Jah, Most High God as the beginning, the end and the one that was and
the one that will forever be.
Why do you think artistes start very well only to later fail?
Well,
things are different to people. While some people are extremely gifted,
some people buy time before time and some people are like a flash; they
don't have much to offer, but they do what they have to do and fail;
not being able to survive for long. So, it's like that.
What is the best way to remain relevant?
I
think the best way to sustain success is to remain the same person you
were before whatever state you are presently, because there is nothing
we can do that is of our power. It is that of Most High God who has the
power or the purpose of every man and woman. So, it is now left for you
to find your purpose and know where you are standing, where you are
coming from and where you are going and why you are doing what you are
doing and continuously be consulting the pioneers so that you can be
directed.
What really happened that made you leave Nigeria?
It
was during the June 12 crisis because we were not only singing then,
but we were supporting our people physically, musically, spiritually and
otherwise. We tried to figure out what we can do after that chaos,
whether to key into it or stay back because no one knew what would have
happened. So, I left and I came back because I realized that we are
going to be in a long haul of some serious problem that might affect us.
So, that was why we decided to run away to fight another day.
How would you describe your sojourn outside the country?
Life
outside the country is not easy. It's very difficult. Most people, when
you leave this country, your career is over. Although, most people
won't tell you the truth and that is why they come back, they are
different people because in America, you need to show what you've got
because there is no godfatherism, no favouritism, nepotism and all these
things you have here. You have got to do things that are attractive to
people, things that people can look up to and marvel at; they want to
know you and see you do them always. So, it is hard because everything
is in order, everything is in line. America is not like here. If you
work on a tight rope and you don't miss your steps, you are gonna make
it. You don't cut corners and that is why a lot of people are imprisoned
because if you try it, they might let you do it, but they are watching
you and they would surely get you at some point. So, we have a name and
something to protect: our country, our families, fans and when we are
there, we have to live up to the expectations of our people. So, it is
not easy in America. It is a great struggle; you need to be a good
musician to survive. It is not easy at all. People have to work hard and
play good music day in day out, all the weekends and that is not really
too good for a professional, because that is not what I want. I would
have probably died because the thought of not being able to get out to
go and perform when I want and do what I love to do could have given me
heart attack. So, I had to fight with everything I had to be able to
continue. So, it wasn't easy, but thank God I also found help from Roger
Skelpson, Bob Marley's biographer who has international Reggae archives
and other Reggae artistes in Los Angeles who helped me to North America
as well as American press, both print and electronic and that was how I
survived in the mainstream till now.
Is it true you came back as a result of hardship?
My
story is that I'm worried about my country and my people that supported
me and supported us. When I said us, I mean us at that time. When I
came out, Blackky came out, Ras Kimono came out, Danny Wilson and a
whole lot of other great Reggae artists in Nigeria. Nigerians supported
us, so when I left the country I remembered that anything I got over
there had to be all the documentation of what happened in Nigeria. They
wanted to see how much your people valued your creativity and what kind
of content you have. Do you have anything that is quite different that
could attract people? So, when I checked, I saw that my people
contributed a whole lot for me. The suffering people, the down trodden
people, are the people who appreciate us the most. They are the people
who buy our records and not the millionaires. Back in that time, the
country was hard and we were scared that the country was getting so hard
that things were going to be really tough and bad for our people. So,
we kind of put a lot of effort to speak louder and louder through our
songs and records to try and scare the people who were bent on doing the
wrong thing to our people. I was in the midst of great people in
America, great road network, energy, patronage, great government and
great governance, but when you think about people back home, you think
there is something going on in your country, which is not very
favourable to your people and so you have the duty to come and pay your
dues. To tell your people where they need to go, because I have a
purpose and that is why I decided to come back. I would not have come,
but this country is the best country in the world. If we have a good
government, people who are conscious of what is happening to our people.
If you are truly patriotic, you will leave whatever you are doing to
say what else can I do to help further the growth of our country and
that is the reason why I'm here. As I am now, my foundation is in
America and I'm very grateful to that country. But first, I'm very
grateful to my people because without them who lifted me up, nobody
would have seen me.
What exactly is the project that brought you back home?
It
wasn't really the project that brought me back. I came back in 2006 to
say to my people that you are not alone in whatever they are going
through and to say thank you for loving me and for making me who I am.
When I came I saw that a lot of stuff still needs to change and I went
back. But again, I still saw that we need to do that which will be in
form of a festival. We have a lot of festivals in America, Europe and
Asia, like Reggae On The River, Califonia Roots Festival and a whole lot
of others in America. But I've decided to come down to Nigeria to
franchise Africa Meets Reggae. When you hear that name, you ask why
won't I go and take franchise of Reggae On The River. I did not because
it was the white people who sat down to form this and actually did
something about it. So, I felt compelled to try to get the franchise and
bring it here because this is the root and that is why the motto of the
festival is 'Back To The Root'. This is the root of all music and we
are the owner of the original, real music. When we perform in different
cities, they must see the Africaness. So, we have to bring it back and
create a platform for people in Europe and other places to come back to
the root where it all started because Reggae music is our music and made
perfect by the Jamaicans who are Africans in diaspora. So, we are
coming together right now so that we can bring all African great
musicians back here every year and try to form a coalition to also
charge our people to start improving on the platform so as to place more
of our people on the international scene. We need more of our people to
get to international stage, but how do you do it? Are you going to wait
for somebody to do it for you even when you have the right music to
push you international? So, the need to place our people on this global
stage brought about the idea and also to expand tourism, support it and
to bring people that we see in other places too. We also want to return
music to great people who are looking to have it. People like General
Pype, Rhymzo, Felix Duke and a whole lot of people need to be seen on
the global stage. Ras Kimono has been around for a while, but how much
of his record is being played on air? These guys are being ambushed in
Nigeria whereas it is not the same in other countries.
What are your plans for the success of this great project?
The
plan is to put everything in place as we progress. We are also trying
to get sponsors because we are doing all the spending right now and to
build up the awareness. But we need sponsorship, because like we are
saying, Reggae music is the greatest music of all time and most
evergreen music and we are brands that have been tested and trusted. We
still get royalties from records we have released in more than 25 years.
So, this music is one that has a very, very long life and that can
address the problems and issues of this country.
Why do you think people perceive Reggae artists to be drug addicts?
I
don't know. Who did you see that became a drug addict that you know?
Stories flying around are just flying around. Where did the story get
wings from? Where did they get the wings? I don't know any Reggae artist
who is a drug addict unless you tell me one. We are highly conscious
people. We know that this world is a slippery ground, because when you
are walking or treading, you could slip and fall; anything could happen.
So, it's not because some people might have problem and someone would
say he is on drugs or she's on drugs and stuff like that. Unless such
facts are established, I won't make any comment about that.
How much of a family man are you?
Five
much (General laughter). I have four children and they are all boys. I
have one in America and the other three are in this country and they are
always with me, so I'm very particular about them because that is all
I've got.
At what point did you choose to do Reggae?
I
never chose to do anything. This is the way I am. Reggae music is my
everyday life and it's my life. I used to live in a village and never
knew about Reggae until I ran into problems where my parents were
incapacitated by the army. And having become somebody who no one could
take care of anymore, I tried and left my father's village to survive.
My tragedy, my pains, my sorrows, Reggae has been a way of relieving
them, when I heard it. The first one I heard was Fela talking about the
things that I knew were affecting me. The things that I and my family
suffered and he spoke to me directly. So, when I heard the music from
Afrobeat that Fela was playing, confronting the government and what they
have done to us as a people and then I heard about Bob Marley, Peter
Tosh and Jimmy Cliff, all these people were speaking as if they were
talking to us. I decided to look for a vehicle to convey my messages and
relieve my pains and that became a platform for me.
How difficult was it when you first started?
There
were challenges. I had nowhere to live. I had no one to take care of me
and I was a house-boy where I managed to go to school and I kept
developing. I will trek to school and back home in order to save money
and buy a guitar, because I already knew what I wanted. I was an
independent person who was trying to build his own house, but I didn't
have enough money to buy guitar. So, when my boss travelled, I started
looking for jobs around the street to go to school. One day, I was in
Marina and I saw the Nigerian Port Authority building and I walked into
it and knocked on the door and then I saw a girl who was trying to bully
me out of the place, but her boss heard from the inner office and came
out to ask what was the problem. The lady said this kid came in here
saying he was looking for job and the boss said is that the reason you
yelled at him as if he's a criminal? So, he said I should come in and I
told him what had happened to me and he was very emotional and he called
somebody, informing him to look for a job for me and that was how I got
a job at NPA to continue my education and also purchase a guitar.
How soon are you going to release an album?
My
album is something that was supposed to be done this year, but in the
course of one doing a whole lot of things now and having so many
companies to be part of what I'm doing, I have to hold on for everything
to be re-arranged because of the project, Africa Meets Reggae and other
commitments. So, we have to hold on, but the album has gone through 95%
completion. So many other things are still needed on it. It's going to
be a very powerful album and thought-provoking. It's going to be for
most people who need a voice and someone to stand up for them. So, we
are looking at releasing the album in 2015.
What do you think will be the effect of Africa Meets Reggae in our present society?
It
is the message. The music of the struggling people. It is not for me
anymore, because I can eat and do what I want to do now, but there are
too many suffering people who need someone to stand up for them because
our government is like a cow, you have to flog them before they move and
so I strongly believe that now is the time, because the nation is 100
years and division won't be to anyone's benefit. All we need to do is to
go after the things that make us cry and cut them off instead of
cleaning your tears. It is better to cut the things that make you to cry
so that your eyes would remain dry. Reggae is highly spiritual; it's
healing for the nation, the truth and only saviour of the defenseless.
So, great artistes like 2Face, Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, Savage, Phyno,
Flavour, KSA, Femi Kuti and a host of others will be there to move this
country forward.
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