MC Loph And Nigga Raw’s Music, Inpired My Sound – Phyno

Brilliant rapper, Phyno , in a new interview
with TheSun Newspaper, opened up on the
struggles he faced while starting out in
the music business years back, amongst
several other topics.
Read excerpts from the interview:
Some years ago, when you started as a producer,
did it ever occur to you that you would get to this
point where a national newspaper will honour
you with an award?
The only thing I can say is that I have never
looked down on myself for one day. So,
maybe I didn’t see myself in that light but I
am the kind of person that will say ‘oh yes, I
can achieve and get to this point one day’. I
know when I stay back and produce songs for
people or when I try to record sometimes, and
probably it doesn’t sound right or it doesn’t
come out the way I want, I always have a way
of keeping myself going. And I will probably
tell myself ‘this is not the right time, when the
right time comes, I am going to get there’. So,
that is exactly the way I see it right now. I
guess this is the right time (for the award),
and that is why it is happening right now.
A few days ago, Majek Fashek was at the
corporate headquarters of The Sun and he gave us
an insight into how he got inspiration for his
hits. If I may ask you, how do you get inspiration
for your hits?
Big shout out to the legend, Majek Fashek. I
think every artiste has different ways of
getting inspirations. I do street music and I do
it from the lowest part of the street, to the
mainstream. I interact with people a lot.
There are people you won’t even believe I
hang out with, but I chill with them to actually
know what’s new out there and make it into
music. So, when such music comes out, people
get along with it as well. It’s something
different. Doing the kind of music that I do is
actually what I chose to do. I keep on telling
people that it’s a choice; it is not just because I
decided on doing indigenous music. No, it was
actually a choice. I know I can rap and sing in
English, I know I can rap in Igbo but it is like
which one gives me exactly what I want; the
fans, the communication and the love I want
out there? It’s singing in my native language
and I stick to it.
And this has to do with a lot of interaction.
For seven years, I have been based in Lagos
and what they speak around me mostly is
Pidgin English and Yoruba. So, you have to
keep on with that interaction to actually know
what’s new. I have a lot of friends in the
street whom I call and we interact. I can be
sleeping and at 3a.m get particular vibes, I
would just enter the studio and start making
music. So, it’s a different ball game from what
it used to be, to what it is right now.
What were the challenges of growing up in the
ghetto of Enugu?
The challenges I faced as a producer and-up-
and coming musician were totally different.
In 2000/2001 before I started learning about
production, the challenges were totally
different. Then, the people in the East were
stuck to a particular kind of music, which was
like highlife or gyration sound. At the time, if
you were playing music, it was like, you were
not doing anything reasonable with your life.
But now, all that has changed. Today, I may
be working in the studio and wealthy parents
would call on me to mentor their kids. That’s
something that would not have happened in
those days. You’re either a doctor or a lawyer
before you can be called upon to mentor a
kid. But right now, parents have grown from
what they used to be. They now allow their
kids to follow their dreams and heart desires.
And this makes the industry to grow more.
Those were the challenges I faced. I
remember my dad never wanted me to be a
musician. But you just have to prove and
show that you can actually do it for yourself. I
am not sure if I practice what I read in school,
I will be happy with myself. So, at the end of
the day, I am happy doing what I am doing. I
love what I am doing, that is why I am putting
in a hundred percent effort.
Where do you see yourself in another five years?
I want to keep on what I am doing in the next
five years. But not like it is right now. In 2012,
if I had told anybody that in 2017, indigenous
rap music, whether from my language or
Yoruba, which Olamide is doing or from the
northern part, which Ice Prince and MI are
doing, will be something that people will
appreciate or associate with in Nigeria, I am
not sure that people would believe me. At that
particular time, If you didn’t rap in English
then you would not be making sense. I wish to
say that the Igbo language or the indigenous
rap music has now gone global. It is
happening already. Wizkid’s Ojuelegba has
gone global. And Ojuelegba is a Yoruba word.
So, whether we like it or not, this thing will
happen. It is growth. It is development. As
long as we are dedicated to the industry and
to our art, all these things would happen.
Who actually inspired you? Did you hear about
Junior and Pretty who rapped in Igbo and pidgin
back then or you just woke up one day and
started rapping in Igbo?
I listened to Junior and Pretty, no doubt about
that. But to be honest, as I was listening to
them, I was so deep into English music.
Talking about mentorship, I may say yes. But
inspiration, I will say no. No hard feelings
about that because I wasn’t into what they
were doing back then. When I was a
producer, I produced for Nigga Raw. So,
talking about inspiration, yes, he did inspire
me because at a particular point it was only
Nigga Raw and I that were being invited to
the studio. Also, the late MC Loph and Slow
Dog inspired me. It was like they carried the
Igbo rap music on their heads. I equally got
inspiration from people like Lord of Ajasa. He
was rapping in Yoruba but he was different.

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