The secret desire of the average Nigerian music artiste,
especially those who have been working hard these past years without achieving
anything worthwhile, is to record that one ‘lucky’ hit song that will finally
fetch him or her a much-needed breakthrough.
Strangely enough, it was not until singer, Oritse Femi recorded his
wave-making hit song, Double Wahala for
Dead Body, than members of the public began to acknowledge the fact that he
was indeed the brain behind his previous popular songs.
Choosing not to dwell too much on his previous challenges, Oritsefemi who seems to look a lot
better than ever admits that his luckiest moment came when he chose to record
the remix of the song originally recorded by Fela Ankulapo- Kuti
He tells E-Punch,” I
was almost frustrated because my career had over the years failed to generate
the desired response from music fans. I prayed to God first for inspiration and
basically retraced my steps. It was then it occurred to me that my fans
actually want something dynamic for a change. Consequently, because the music
we are doing is Afro hip-hop and since Fela was the king of Afro hip hop, I
decided to begin by paying homage to him.”
A man of few words, the story of the singer, who insists
that he is still an exponent of the original Ajegunle/Konto music, is as
emotional as it is inspiring. Although he was born into a polygamous home, the
self styled ‘true ghetto ambassador’ says he has tasted both sides of the
divide.
“I attended Mayday
Nursery School in Ikoyi, Lagos when my dad’s business was still thriving. But
things took a turn for the worse and he had to take me back to Tolu Primary
School in Ajegunle. Later, he enrolled me in Army Children’s School and
afterwards, I proceeded to Randle Secondary School. My singing career actually
started in secondary school. By the time I entered the Delta State University,
Abraka, I had recorded and released my first album. I decided to withdraw from
DELSU and face my music career. I was studying law then,” he recalls.
The artiste claims that he was taught how to play Reggae
music by a Jamaican in Ajegunle. Sharing what he describes as his trying
moments, he says, “There were times when
I had no money to pay studio fees and I would ask my friends for a loan. After
paying the studio fee, I would be left without the fare for my transport back
home. When I eventually trekked home, there would be no food to eat.
“At that time, the fee
was N2, 500. I could remember that August Studio in Apapa charged N5, 000 per
session. That was where the Plantashun Boys produced all their albums. But I
could not afford to go there. So I used Mighty Mouse studio in Ajegunle where
the fee was N2, 500 per session.”
The former member of the band known as the Jingolist says
the turning point in his career came in 2006 when a marketer paid him N5m for
his first single entitled Flop Politician.
“Things have
definitely changed. Nowadays, I don’t charge less than N3m to perform at a
concert. Sometimes the concerts are funded by multinational companies and we
have to tour 20 states. Multiply N3m by 20 states and you will understand what
I am saying. The situation has indeed improved,” he says.
The Delta State-born artiste, who was bred in Ajegunle,
wants upcoming artistes to work harder than they have ever done.
He says, “They must
learn to discover their unique selling point because failure to do so can mar
their careers in the near future. In the Nigerian music industry luck is all
that matters. Sometimes you may be very talented yet poor, while some others
who have little or no talent end up successful. At the end of the day na God
hand everybody dey.”
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