The AfroZons Dubai Soundoff, a convergence of global Afrobeat community took place in Dubai recently. The ‘Desert party’ put together by the Dubai Tourism and Economy department in conjunction with American Afrobeat promoters, AfroZons had on the bandstand, popular Afrobeat sensation, D’Banj, along with Afrobeat DJs and artistes from around the world. The list included DJ K Ceaser, DJ Nickie, Aya Ito, DJ Nosike, and Stonebwoy. Journalists across Africa who attended the AfroZonsDXB Desert Party had a session with D’Banj a day after the historic event. Nigerian Tribune’s TAIWO AMODU was there. Excerpts:
D’ banj, Dubai tourism is keen to see Afrobeats meet Africa. Do you think this is something that we can make a reality?
That is why I come to Dubai tourism. I am from Nigeria, crude oil was our biggest export but today just like crude oil, content of creativity is also natural resources but it depends on how you can refine it. When you refine crude oil you get kerosene, you get petrol. The same thing with us, we just needed to refine ourselves and have the right platform to showcase ourselves. Dubai tourism has done that. Dubai is a place where you come to relax. I think the vision is that, we wanted a situation whereby we have a Pan Africa platform, where everybody can come and appreciate.
We cannot preach enough to educate people about our culture. We have emulated foreign cultures enough. It is time for us to keep preaching and that is why we are here. Since yesterday, you could see the bond; everyone from across Africa bonded. Afrobeats is not there yet but it is getting better than when it started. I can say that in no time, this is going to be everything we will be doing. I see something like this happening twice a year. I even see collaborations between African artistes and Dubai.
What are you taking home from this wonderful experience in Dubai?
I would really like to thank the Dubai tourism because like I said, I am in Africa yet in Dubai. Why? Because it brings everybody that it would have taken me months to travel to see here. I have never been to Angola but I know they like my music. I saw Angola and Tanzania here. Dubai tourism has made it easier for everybody to be here. I understand that collaboration is the new competition, that’s what Dubai tourism just showed us.
Those from America came and in fact, I met an American here and I heard him saying, “your face shine, your shoes shine!”.
Twelve years ago, I met Kanye West in this same Dubai. I didn’t meet Kanye West in America before I got a deal with him. I came here for an event and on my way out, I met him and from that day we started a partnership. So, Dubai has always been a central place. I met him and he said, “come to America and I went to meet him”. This is the centre of excellence, that is what we say Lagos is.
Afrobeat or Afrobeats, what does each mean?
We need to educate people. We have Afrobeat but we also have Afrobeats. Afrobeat was made popular by the late Fela Kuti and I know when you are talking about Afrobeat, it is not just a song, but making a lifestyle. So, about 10 years ago, the first ever Afrobeats or Afropop record became one of the top 10 records around the world, my song titled ‘Oliver Twist’. I keep telling people that it is not Afrobeat, that was an Afropop record. So if you listen to Oliver Twist, it is Afropop. We have Afro Reggae. The reason we are saying this is because Afrobeat was Fela and he was the biggest so that’s what people know. It is time for us to educate them, let them know. They should be able to know Afro jazz too.
For example now, Amapiano is the rave currently and we know it originally came from South Africa before we made it our own and added the ‘Afro’ so it’s Afropiano. I think it’s our job and responsibility to keep educating especially people that are just coming in and the whole world thinks we all are doing Afrobeat. We are Afro musicians but we are bigger than Afrobeat, we have Afro this, Afro that, all together, it is African music.
How do you feel bringing Afro music into Dubai?
I am an entertainer and I will love to entertain. So, for me to have come here to perform, it means they have already accepted us. Dubai has, from time, open their cities to everybody to come in as long as you are serious minded.
Now let me tell you; when we started, we suffered but right now, the number one genre of music in the world is Afrobeats. That is why you will see Justin Bieber, one of the best musicians in the world, do a collaboration with Omay Lay. In 2009, I know how I suffered. Don Jazzy and I spent three weeks in New York after Kanye said we should come. We thought we were not going to see him. I remember we wrote the last email, “we don wait o, we dey go o!”, before someone responded that Kanye West would see us.
Now, it is getting sweet but we just need to maximise it. I believe the onus rests on us to do a good job because of the impression they have about Africa and Nigeria especially.
It is our time to change the perception people have of us. It’s time to let them know that we are the richest when it comes to culture. It is for us to stand as proper citizens of our country and the continent we represent anywhere we go, so that we can give opportunity to others.
As an African artiste, what will be your role in developing music in Africa?
We are already doing very well back home, we have been doing much when it comes to revenue. But I have a problem. Every time they have a show, they will go for the big artistes and call us local. That really gets to me! We make a lot of sacrifices, there is no difference between us. If you look me and Kanye West, you go even fear say I big pass.
I hear many of my younger colleagues tell me that they were inspired to push more because of my collaboration with Kanye. So, today, when I see them with Justin Bieber, I know my vision is fulfilled and it’s going to get better and bigger.
That’s why I’m doing this partnership, so that we know that beyond this, we can move up. I am in partnership with the Dubai tourism. We just launched my new perfume. If you look at Kanye West or Rihanna, they’re worth $1billion; only about 20 per cent of that comes from music. The remaining is from business. So, I am always a pacesetter to show our people the way to do it. I will keep doing my best.
People feel the bottlenecks are too tedious for them to break through to make music videos and music abroad. How do they break that?
Information and knowledge is power. Before, people believed that you can’t get into Dubai tourism. They didn’t know whether there was office where one can go and show them a proposal. Like I told you something about Africa, what you cannot do, don’t show them. Only propose what you can achieve well.
It was constant before people started believing. I remember my mother asked me how I was going to take care of myself here. With time, I believe that everybody is going to see that these bottlenecks you are saying is just about the proper structure put in place here.
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