Dris, E2M and Skinnie Twid are three young artistes on the stable of Koga Entertainment. In a chat with the artistes, they bared their minds on their musical dreams, how much Koga has changed their lives and other critical issues within and beyond the music industry.
DRIS:
As the son of a soldier who was in active service, it would be easy to believe Dris was grilled and groomed by his militarised father, but the reverse proved to be the case. “My father made us feel like stars. It was strange because he was a soldier, but he never touched us and ensured we were protected from overbearing and violent people and things”. In his assessment of the Nigerian music industry, Dris said, “Piracy remains a very big problem, but we believe it can get better. Endorsements have also come to expand the business side of music and that is beautiful”. On his romance with Koga Entertainment, the rapper traced his first steps back to the audition known as Koga Open House, where he was one of the three winners. “To me, Koga Entertainment is the right platform for me to show the world what I’ve got. The moment I arrived at the venue of the audition, I knew I was at the right place to fulfil my dreams. Koga has put me on top sites and I have recorded songs with A-list artistes. I have recorded songs with Puffy T, DJ Klem and plans are on course to work with Don Jazzy”. The rapper is scheduled to release his singles soon and as fans await verses from Nigeria’s first Fulani rapper with a face pretty enough to make a girl go green with envy.
E2M:
Quite the mellow one, but don’t get it twisted. E2M wants to engrave his musical imprint upon millions of hearts. Reminiscing on his days hustling, he said, “I was that guy on the street hustling… I used to work in a bar; a club kind of bar. I worked there as a bar man. I was paid 18,000 and that was three years ago”. The singer also beat the drums of controversy when he noted that some Nigeria artistes have failed to evolve and have ended up being relegated to the background. “Things have really changed and a lot of those artistes whose rankings have dropped just couldn’t cope. Things have changed. This is the jet age. People like Daddy Showkey could not evolve. You just have to upgrade. You know there is always a difference between a J.S.S 3 student and an S.S.S 3 student”.
His entry into Koga Entertainment was ordained in a way as he did not participate in the reality show.
“It was someone who knew someone who knew someone who linked me with Koga. I was always going there and would have participated in the reality show, but I was very busy at work and was eventually signed as an artiste in 2013. Koga to me is like a family and it is the future. It is my dream. Koga has done a lot for young artistes. It is an open platform for young talents and I know this because I have been a beneficiary”.
SKINNIE TWID:
A fusion of a weird personality and creative complexities are some of the words that describe budding rapper, Skinnie Twid (born Oluwatobiloba Onabanjo). Gifted enough to overcome healthy rivalry from hundreds of contestants at the Koga Open House contest, Skinnie Twid believes his emergence is not accidental. He’s widely whispered to be gay, but he denounces the misconception, adding that he doesn’t swing that way. “I’m a guy and you can see the guy in me… My role models are Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, Tyga and Young Buck”. At the moment, he is signed as an artiste under Koga Entertainment, but things were not always that way. “I was informed about the audition and I attended. It was tough, but eventually I emerged one of the top three who were eventually picked. Koga has made a lot of things happen and there’s so much more planned that’s still in the pipeline. Koga is a platform that makes dreams come true”. Skinnie Twid believes the industry “is very competitive and everybody wants to get to the top. Envy glides around like a kite and sometimes, it goes to the extreme. However, the music side of business is very interesting and I think it is really important not to mix business with pleasure”. He looks forward to working with Wizkid, Shina Peters (or Pasuma) and Davido.