Why I took a break from music — Czl

Chionye Chukwuemeka Anene has spent close to a decade and half experience in the music industry. In this interview, the Lagos State-born, Port Harcourt rapper speaks about his artistry, his hiatus from music and his debut extended play slated for release in 2024.

Tell me who Czl is?

Czl is a music artist based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He calls his genre “Street Hop” which is like hip hop meets street. When I say street, I mean I make music that people who have a connection to the streets can relate to.

How did you discover your love for music?

I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I discovered my love for music. All I know is that I’ve always loved music. I remember I used to freestyle in class, back in secondary school. I think I was in JSS 2 or 3 at the time. A classmate would make a beat by hitting on the classroom desk, while the other classmates would cheer me on.

I learned you grew up in Port Harcourt, how did growing up in the oil city contribute to your love for music?

Actually, I didn’t grow up in Port Harcourt, I moved to Port Harcourt in 2018. I was born in Lagos, did my primary education in Lagos, spent most of my childhood in Lagos, until my family relocated to the South East in 2000.

Tell me about your academic background

I had my primary education at Command Children’s School, Ikeja, Lagos State. Then I proceeded to attend FGC, Nise, Anambra State. I also attended Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, where I studied Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. I graduated in 2015.

I learned you took a break from music, why did you do that?

Yes, I took a break from music. In fact, I almost dropped out of the university, because of music. I was always in the studio, hardly attending lectures. However, everything changed after I went for Industrial Training (IT) in Total E&P, Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt. I was exposed to a whole different world, the world of oil and gas. I saw how they were and wanted to be like them. So, after my IT, I went back to school and became serious with my studies. That was why I stopped doing music. I went on to graduate from the university, went for NYSC and finally got a job in an oil servicing company in Port Harcourt in 2018. This whole time, my family and some close friends kept asking me why I stopped doing music, that I should have continued, that I was good and that I would have gone very far if I hadn’t stopped. Eventually, I decided that now was actually the best time to go back to my first love; music. So last year, 2022, I recorded a song, my first song in over a decade. The song was “Listen Up”, I didn’t really promote it, I didn’t distribute it using DSPs, I was just testing the waters.

Tell me more about your debut EP, which is slated for release next year

The name of the EP is “czlin xperience”. The reason I chose that name is because since this is my debut, I wanted something that ties in with my name “czl” and also hints at what the EP is about. Sizzling means “exciting”, so the “czlin xperience” is a play on words, but the EP also promises to be exciting. Basically, it’s going to be an exciting experience for listeners. The EP contains five tracks, of which two tracks have been released as singles. The EP will be released January 19, 2024, which also happens to be my birthday. So double celebration for me.

What was the creation process like?

The creation process was crazy! I have a proper 9 to 5, which involves me being away for two weeks, and then being home for two weeks. So whenever I was on time off, I would go to the studio and try to make the best of the two weeks, before going back to work. One thing about me is, when I start writing a song, I already know how I want it to sound in my head. So, it’s easier when I go to the studio and I’m working with the producer. I’m very much involved in the beat making process. Big shout out to my producer Krave Beats, he did an amazing job. Not only did he produce all the tracks on the EP, he also did the mixing and mastering of all the tracks. He’s not just a producer, he’s also a sound engineer. So back to the creation process, I usually book the studio for a day, when I’m on time off. I try to make the most of the day whenever I’m in the studio. What usually takes most of the time is the beat making. Once the beat is ready, my recording doesn’t take time. I usually do everything in one take, chorus, verses, ad lib. The day we started making the EP, we started late, so we were only able to record “Banny” before I resumed work. My next time off, we were able to record “Cruise” and “Dynamite” before I went back to work. Our next studio session, we were able to make the beats for “Soft Life” and “RIB”, but we couldn’t record because it was late. I finally recorded the last two songs in November, then the producer went to work on the mixing and mastering.

Going through your discography on DSP, I noticed you rarely feature other artistes, is this deliberate?

Not really. I’ve worked with other artists before, in my early days, this was before the proliferation of streaming services. Now, I’m up-and-coming and relatively unknown, so I’ve not been able to feature any artist, or get featured on other artists’ songs. I’m definitely open to it.

What is your take on the state of music in Port-Harcourt?

There are a lot of talented artists in Port Harcourt. The problem is that there aren’t enough platforms for them to shine. The ones that eventually blow, relocate to Lagos. I think that more needs to be done in Port Harcourt, to support and encourage up-and-coming artists, like myself. Invite them more to perform at shows and events, give them a chance to make an appearance on air, create a segment on radio shows to promote their music, etc. I think this will go a long way to improve the state of music and also lead to the discovery of talented artists.