Slim Feez is one of the latest voices on the street. Signed to the Gberatinrin label/GTS gang, the rapper, who utilises his mother tongue, Yoruba, mixed with English and pidgin to spit metaphors and hard core lyrics, always voices his intention to shock the world with his skills. Industry watchers have said he is ‘one to watch’. With his debut EP dropping soon, ROTIMI IGE caught up with him recently and presents the excerpts of their interaction.
How did you come by the name ‘Slim Feez’?
I started music when I was much younger and I was very skinny. People always referred to me as Slim Afeez because my first name is Afeez. I thought to add some swagger to it so I just removed the ‘A’ in my name and joined the two names. That was how i came about the name Slim Feez.
A bit about your music?
My genre of music is Hip Hop/Rap. I choose to do poetry in my mother tongue which is Yoruba with English language. Like most Nigerian children, I listened to a lot of rap music from the likes of Tupac and B.I.G while growing up and I would say they have really influenced my music.
The ‘street’ movement is what you preach. Why?
This is what I know. It is where I am from and I know the struggle people face everyday, where I come from. This inspires me to write and rap about daily situations. I also believe in reality and up to this point, this is my own reality and I can’t preach what I don’t practice, experience or understand.
I also use my music as a medium to motivate the younger generation who have similar background as mine. If I can make it from the hood through music, so can they.
You are signed to GTS. How were you discovered?
I started music long before I was signed to GTS, having won competitions like MTN Rap invasion and GTB Rap Bang during my OND days. However,I was discovered by GTS through a talent show called RepYourHood. There was an audition which I learnt about on social media for the fifth edition of the show.
I attended the audition and was lucky to be among those selected to perform at Koko Dome Ibadan. After the show, the owner of GTS, who happened the organiser of the talent show, approached me and asked me to stay in touch. Since then, I have been working with the label until 2016, when I got signed.
Your EP is about to drop. What should fans and the industry watch out for?
I believe my EP is what every Hip Hop fan and good music lover in Nigeria has been waiting for. With all due respect, we haven’t heard real Hip Hop/Rap for some years now because many of our rappers are now singers. Our industry is tough to crack and many people bow to the pressure of making commercial music.
My label has allowed me the freedom to make my kind of music which is defined as ‘Rhythm and Poetry’. I will say people should expect something they haven’t seen in a while. Good music full of content. An insight to my EP are the choice of songs that I have released so far; Omo Fedra, Awon Temi and Awon kan.
My fans should not expect anything below this standard. Watch out for every track and I trust that they won’t be disappointed.
As the front liner for the label, what is your relationship with other label mates?
I won’t say I am the front liner of my label because I am not the first artiste under the label. GTS is more like a family to me and such is our relationship.
Any major collaborations in the works?
Most of my collaborations for now are with GTS acts. This is a conscious decision because I want people to know what I am truly about before rushing to collaborations with external or established acts. You know how people are, they may attribute my God given talent to another man. This is not to say I will never have such collaborations but all at the right time.
What kind of music influenced you growing up?
Hip Hop, Afro beats and Fuji, because I grew up listening to the likes of Baba Fela, Barrister, 2Pac, Nas, Biggie e.t.c
Do you feel not being based in Lagos may affect your career?
I am from Osun State though I was born and bred in Ikorodu. I am a Lagos boy. I only schooled in Ibadan. Though Lagos is the entertainment capital of Africa, Ibadan has made major gains in the past few years. Most ‘A-list’ acts come to Ibadan for radio tours and the future is bright for the city.
What limitations have you faced as an up comer in the industry?
Some radio presenters/OAPs criticize my music because I use Yoruba as my main language of communication. I have heard feedbacks like, my music is too indigenous for their radio while others say my lyrics are too hardcore. Its is rather confusing as Olamide, Reminisce, 9ice, CDQ, Small Doctor and Tundey don’t make their music in French. This is a major problem in Nigeria as we like to represent foreign stuff.
Cassper Nyovest, Awilo, Sarkodie and Cabo Snoop sing in a languages we don’t even understand and their music is played in Nigeria by these same OAPs. Even the video that had about the most views on Youtube, PSY’s ‘Gangnam style’ with over two billion views isn’t in English. I guess these are challenges that I will overcome with time.
Critics say hardcore rap is not appreciated in Nigeria? Your take?
Yes and no. Yes, because my fans show me love and no, because many DJs and OAPs will rather play commercial music.
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