US-based Reggae star, Victor Essiet, aka Mandators, is back! The fearless lyricist, in an exclusive interview with YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine’s GBENGA SHABA, disclosed what led him out of the country and how hard it is to stand and survive in a strange land, his Reggae franchise, Africa Meets Reggae, etc. Enjoy…
Who is a good Reggae artist?
A good Reggae artist is the one that puts the masses, the down trodden people first and tries to defend the truth and just. He also believes in Jah, Most High God as the beginning, the end and the one that was and the one that will forever be.
Why do you think artistes start very well only to later fail?
Well, things are different to people. While some people are extremely gifted, some people buy time before time and some people are like a flash; they don’t have much to offer, but they do what they have to do and fail; not being able to survive for long. So, it’s like that.
What is the best way to remain relevant?
I think the best way to sustain success is to remain the same person you were before whatever state you are presently, because there is nothing we can do that is of our power. It is that of Most High God who has the power or the purpose of every man and woman. So, it is now left for you to find your purpose and know where you are standing, where you are coming from and where you are going and why you are doing what you are doing and continuously be consulting the pioneers so that you can be directed.
What really happened that made you leave Nigeria?
It was during the June 12 crisis because we were not only singing then, but we were supporting our people physically, musically, spiritually and otherwise. We tried to figure out what we can do after that chaos, whether to key into it or stay back because no one knew what would have happened. So, I left and I came back because I realized that we are going to be in a long haul of some serious problem that might affect us. So, that was why we decided to run away to fight another day.
How would you describe your sojourn outside the country?
Life outside the country is not easy. It’s very difficult. Most people, when you leave this country, your career is over. Although, most people won’t tell you the truth and that is why they come back, they are different people because in America, you need to show what you’ve got because there is no godfatherism, no favouritism, nepotism and all these things you have here. You have got to do things that are attractive to people, things that people can look up to and marvel at; they want to know you and see you do them always. So, it is hard because everything is in order, everything is in line. America is not like here. If you work on a tight rope and you don’t miss your steps, you are gonna make it. You don’t cut corners and that is why a lot of people are imprisoned because if you try it, they might let you do it, but they are watching you and they would surely get you at some point. So, we have a name and something to protect: our country, our families, fans and when we are there, we have to live up to the expectations of our people. So, it is not easy in America. It is a great struggle; you need to be a good musician to survive. It is not easy at all. People have to work hard and play good music day in day out, all the weekends and that is not really too good for a professional, because that is not what I want. I would have probably died because the thought of not being able to get out to go and perform when I want and do what I love to do could have given me heart attack. So, I had to fight with everything I had to be able to continue. So, it wasn’t easy, but thank God I also found help from Roger Skelpson, Bob Marley’s biographer who has international Reggae archives and other Reggae artistes in Los Angeles who helped me to North America as well as American press, both print and electronic and that was how I survived in the mainstream till now.
Is it true you came back as a result of hardship?
My story is that I’m worried about my country and my people that supported me and supported us. When I said us, I mean us at that time. When I came out, Blackky came out, Ras Kimono came out, Danny Wilson and a whole lot of other great Reggae artists in Nigeria. Nigerians supported us, so when I left the country I remembered that anything I got over there had to be all the documentation of what happened in Nigeria. They wanted to see how much your people valued your creativity and what kind of content you have. Do you have anything that is quite different that could attract people? So, when I checked, I saw that my people contributed a whole lot for me. The suffering people, the down trodden people, are the people who appreciate us the most. They are the people who buy our records and not the millionaires. Back in that time, the country was hard and we were scared that the country was getting so hard that things were going to be really tough and bad for our people. So, we kind of put a lot of effort to speak louder and louder through our songs and records to try and scare the people who were bent on doing the wrong thing to our people. I was in the midst of great people in America, great road network, energy, patronage, great government and great governance, but when you think about people back home, you think there is something going on in your country, which is not very favourable to your people and so you have the duty to come and pay your dues. To tell your people where they need to go, because I have a purpose and that is why I decided to come back. I would not have come, but this country is the best country in the world. If we have a good government, people who are conscious of what is happening to our people. If you are truly patriotic, you will leave whatever you are doing to say what else can I do to help further the growth of our country and that is the reason why I’m here. As I am now, my foundation is in America and I’m very grateful to that country. But first, I’m very grateful to my people because without them who lifted me up, nobody would have seen me.
What exactly is the project that brought you back home?
It wasn’t really the project that brought me back. I came back in 2006 to say to my people that you are not alone in whatever they are going through and to say thank you for loving me and for making me who I am. When I came I saw that a lot of stuff still needs to change and I went back. But again, I still saw that we need to do that which will be in form of a festival. We have a lot of festivals in America, Europe and Asia, like Reggae On The River, Califonia Roots Festival and a whole lot of others in America. But I’ve decided to come down to Nigeria to franchise Africa Meets Reggae. When you hear that name, you ask why won’t I go and take franchise of Reggae On The River. I did not because it was the white people who sat down to form this and actually did something about it. So, I felt compelled to try to get the franchise and bring it here because this is the root and that is why the motto of the festival is ‘Back To The Root’. This is the root of all music and we are the owner of the original, real music. When we perform in different cities, they must see the Africaness. So, we have to bring it back and create a platform for people in Europe and other places to come back to the root where it all started because Reggae music is our music and made perfect by the Jamaicans who are Africans in diaspora. So, we are coming together right now so that we can bring all African great musicians back here every year and try to form a coalition to also charge our people to start improving on the platform so as to place more of our people on the international scene. We need more of our people to get to international stage, but how do you do it? Are you going to wait for somebody to do it for you even when you have the right music to push you international? So, the need to place our people on this global stage brought about the idea and also to expand tourism, support it and to bring people that we see in other places too. We also want to return music to great people who are looking to have it. People like General Pype, Rhymzo, Felix Duke and a whole lot of people need to be seen on the global stage. Ras Kimono has been around for a while, but how much of his record is being played on air? These guys are being ambushed in Nigeria whereas it is not the same in other countries.
What are your plans for the success of this great project?
The plan is to put everything in place as we progress. We are also trying to get sponsors because we are doing all the spending right now and to build up the awareness. But we need sponsorship, because like we are saying, Reggae music is the greatest music of all time and most evergreen music and we are brands that have been tested and trusted. We still get royalties from records we have released in more than 25 years. So, this music is one that has a very, very long life and that can address the problems and issues of this country.
Why do you think people perceive Reggae artists to be drug addicts?
I don’t know. Who did you see that became a drug addict that you know? Stories flying around are just flying around. Where did the story get wings from? Where did they get the wings? I don’t know any Reggae artist who is a drug addict unless you tell me one. We are highly conscious people. We know that this world is a slippery ground, because when you are walking or treading, you could slip and fall; anything could happen. So, it’s not because some people might have problem and someone would say he is on drugs or she’s on drugs and stuff like that. Unless such facts are established, I won’t make any comment about that.
How much of a family man are you?
Five much (General laughter). I have four children and they are all boys. I have one in America and the other three are in this country and they are always with me, so I’m very particular about them because that is all I’ve got.
At what point did you choose to do Reggae?
I never chose to do anything. This is the way I am. Reggae music is my everyday life and it’s my life. I used to live in a village and never knew about Reggae until I ran into problems where my parents were incapacitated by the army. And having become somebody who no one could take care of anymore, I tried and left my father’s village to survive. My tragedy, my pains, my sorrows, Reggae has been a way of relieving them, when I heard it. The first one I heard was Fela talking about the things that I knew were affecting me. The things that I and my family suffered and he spoke to me directly. So, when I heard the music from Afrobeat that Fela was playing, confronting the government and what they have done to us as a people and then I heard about Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff, all these people were speaking as if they were talking to us. I decided to look for a vehicle to convey my messages and relieve my pains and that became a platform for me.
How difficult was it when you first started?
There were challenges. I had nowhere to live. I had no one to take care of me and I was a house-boy where I managed to go to school and I kept developing. I will trek to school and back home in order to save money and buy a guitar, because I already knew what I wanted. I was an independent person who was trying to build his own house, but I didn’t have enough money to buy guitar. So, when my boss travelled, I started looking for jobs around the street to go to school. One day, I was in Marina and I saw the Nigerian Port Authority building and I walked into it and knocked on the door and then I saw a girl who was trying to bully me out of the place, but her boss heard from the inner office and came out to ask what was the problem. The lady said this kid came in here saying he was looking for job and the boss said is that the reason you yelled at him as if he’s a criminal? So, he said I should come in and I told him what had happened to me and he was very emotional and he called somebody, informing him to look for a job for me and that was how I got a job at NPA to continue my education and also purchase a guitar.
How soon are you going to release an album?
My album is something that was supposed to be done this year, but in the course of one doing a whole lot of things now and having so many companies to be part of what I’m doing, I have to hold on for everything to be re-arranged because of the project, Africa Meets Reggae and other commitments. So, we have to hold on, but the album has gone through 95% completion. So many other things are still needed on it. It’s going to be a very powerful album and thought-provoking. It’s going to be for most people who need a voice and someone to stand up for them. So, we are looking at releasing the album in 2015.
What do you think will be the effect of Africa Meets Reggae in our present society?
It is the message. The music of the struggling people. It is not for me anymore, because I can eat and do what I want to do now, but there are too many suffering people who need someone to stand up for them because our government is like a cow, you have to flog them before they move and so I strongly believe that now is the time, because the nation is 100 years and division won’t be to anyone’s benefit. All we need to do is to go after the things that make us cry and cut them off instead of cleaning your tears. It is better to cut the things that make you to cry so that your eyes would remain dry. Reggae is highly spiritual; it’s healing for the nation, the truth and only saviour of the defenseless. So, great artistes like 2Face, Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, Savage, Phyno, Flavour, KSA, Femi Kuti and a host of others will be there to move this country forward.