Rap gospel singer and songwriter, DOPE, is coming out with another rap album that preaches love and seeks to ` propel teens to move close to God to maximise their potential. In this interview by SEGUN ADEBAYO, the soft-spoken singer speaks on his music career and new projects.
What do you intend to achieve with Rap gospel album?
This rap gospel music album is entitled “Moment of Silence by D.O.P.E” and contains 15 tracks. We intend to use it to propel and compel teens and young adults to know God, love God and Serve God. This is my second album and I am happy that we are moving in the right direction.
How long have you been making music and why did you choose gospel?
I have been making music for as long as I can remember. But I started recording in 2012, and I have put out over 50 songs online, radio and television. I chose gospel music because I realised the meaning of secular, which is gotten from the Latin word “Seclorium” which stands for “a place without God”. There and then I made up my mind that if it is not gospel, it is not me.
For somebody who is based in the South-South, how do you intend to push your song to other parts of the country?
I didn’t branch out into music to become a super star. I saw an imbalance in the hip-hop/rap industry and I am trying to create more rap option for Christians and lover of the gospel. For promotions and penetration I work according to my budget. And I have friends as bloggers, OAPs television presenters and print columnists. They support me a lot and I am grateful for all the kindness. Looking at where we started and where we are now, I think we have covered a lot of miles.
This is not your first project, but the previous ones didn’t seem to have had any remarkable success. What is responsible for this?
For me, I believe that success varies; to me, we did good with the last project. We won four prestigious awards, released 10 music videos, appeared on major newspapers in the country, and received massive airplay both on local and international radio stations. I became a voice in South-South music community.
How has DOPE been coping with music and business?
Music needs a huge budget. Music and business have to go hand in hand. I am first of all a businessman. I consult for the Power/Energy sector; music is part-time for me. Maybe in the future, I might work something out, but now I am coping just fine.
What brought about the idea of making this project different from the previous ones?
This project is different, because I want to step up my game a little bit, involve a lot of media hype, because my fan base has multiplied over the years and reaching them with my materials is a big priority. I introduced some new project to reach my local fans entitled “Church on the Street” and Jesus Aloud for my international fans. I will break them down in due course.
What next after this album?
The next big thing for me after this album, is reaching over 5 million teens and young adults with the gospel through hip-hop/rap music.
With the competition in the music industry now, how are you sure you can cope?
Coping won’t be a problem for me, because I am not seeing music as a means to survive, but a tool to reach the world. The world is bastardised and many people are confused, so this is one the ways I can correct some of the anomalies embedded in the society. So, for me, I am not moved by the competition, because the sky is big enough for all birds to fly.
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