Rap music star and songwriter, Bada Ibukun Mayowa otherwise known as Nessy Bee has created a unique brand of music and style for himself. Within a short period of time, the rapper who is signed to Boiz Music Group (BBMG) has established himself on the music scene after collaborating with some top Nigerian artistes. In this interview by Segun Adebayo, the rap artiste speaks about his new EP, Gidi to Jozi and shares story of his career.
You have featured top music acts on your songs, do you think that you can’t do this on your own?
I like that you asked me this question. If you look around you, the average kid is not taught to collaborate. From being kids, we are raised to compete, and that is not fair. Especially with music, no matter what you think of it, there is always beauty in collaboration. Having a different producer, a different sound engineer, all bring some juice into the song. Collaboration is a thing we all should encourage more instead of competition, and back to your question, I sure can do it alone. It is even more hard work trying to fuse with other sounds.
From that ghetto life to gracing the big stage on the music scene, what do you make of your career at the moment?
I would say that in life generally, I am in a place of contentment, and that has given me more energy to make music. I would say my career is in that leap moment. That stage where you go from relatively unknown to being everywhere. It has been such a journey, but I believe it all plays a part in who I am as a person and how I make music.
As a rap artist, what’s your perception of the music industry now and are people still in love with rap today?
I think music, especially afrobeats, has transcended any particular genre. If it’s good music, it’s good music. Not all the songs will be banging at the clubs, and as an artiste, we understand that. I want to believe I speak for most artistes when I say we make music we love and hope our fans love it and share in our moments.
Those are the best songs.
Don’t you think your choice of music may be contributing to the slow pace your career is witnessing?
Looking back now, I feel blessed with my career path. It has come with a lot of experiences and lessons money cannot buy. It gets you ready for the big stage, one you never know when. I have come from where I was to being featured on international collaborations that are forthcoming. I want to believe all of that’s happening because I stayed true to my sound. I let my sound build its own fan-base, one that I am most grateful for.
You have been playing music from childhood and you seemed to have finally put a name to your face. Tell us about the growth you have experienced?
As a human being, every 24 hours has been a chance to learn or unlearn. Everyday has been a chance to grow as a person and a musician. There have been happy days, and I have used the energy on sad days to propel myself forward. I understand that life is what you make of it, so no matter what I am going through, it’s either a lesson or an experience.
How hard has it been pushing your music to this level and what do you think is happening to your career at this point?
Honestly, it has been difficult. From the days when music business used to be labour intensive to 2021 that it is a cash cow, it has been one tough road. You find out that it only gets easier the longer it gets. I am grateful for how far I have come, and I am grateful for this bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Tell us about your new EP and what brought about this new project?
For a short while, I lost my love for music. That was a period that gave me the time to work on myself and I came out better for it. The EP Gidi to Jozi is that project that I started working on as soon as I was flooded with that love again. This is one project I was really happy working on. I like to call it beautiful hard work.
How long did it take you to put this together?
In total it must have taken not less than one year. I know that for sure. There were times I had to record all over again. There are a lot of songs that did not make the EP because my team and I just kept recording. We never started recording any song thinking it would make the EP, everytime in the studio, we just wanted to make music, which we did.
You seem to have a style that is quite unique, but the industry is filled with talented acts. How do you want to make a mark for yourself?
I am sitting in front of you; that tells me a mark is being made already. I believe that being unique sells, it is always a matter of when. People know when you stay true to your sound and eventually, they connect with it. I am one of those artistes reaping the fruits of staying true to their sound.
Do you fear any competition?
That goes back to how we started this interview. We need to learn to understand that the sky is big enough for all of us to fly. Music is one of those things that will never be enough. People will always want more music. There will always be new artistes and new fan-bases. We need to preach collaboration, because this will strengthen our Afrobeats sound. Instead of competing, I will rather collaborate.
What influenced your music career?
There is nothing I ever wanted more than to make music for the world to listen to. My love for music itself has influenced my music career. Everything else about life are also additions, but it all comes from that deep love for music.
and then