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| Akinsola Olumide |
Now this is a new write up in the Yes Boss Series and when I was first asked to write this, I didn't know how to start ‘cos I thought hey, I am not even an established musician myself so how am I supposed to write on something I myself have not perfected?! But then I decided to share the little knowledge I have gathered in that aspect of the entertainment industry with others like me who will be willing to read this while hoping that it might be of some help to them as we all try to make ways for ourselves with our God-given talents and abilities.
Music is a gift from God and anyone that has it is in my opinion, very lucky. Some people are born with special abilities such that they can recognise good music when they hear one. Some others like yours truly, have to learn and that can really take a while. However, I think every human being is born with one kind of musical talent or the other.
Some people learn the art of playing instruments very early in life and therefore have an advantage over others who have to learn with grey hairs. About every established musician you can readily think of started when they were young! That however is not to say one is too old to learn. It just means they have an advantage.
Personally, I think I have an ear for good music and when I listen to any song, I can readily tell if the production is alright or if the artist is talented. The genre that I do is rap and I think it is the easiest of all the genres of music that we have. I stand to be proved wrong! That isn't to say that rap music is easy as there is no such thing as easy in the music world. I play the drum set, the talking drum, a little of lead guitar, a little of piano and the bass guitar. I am not a guru or a maestro at playing any of these musical instruments but I am still learning and hopefully I can get better by the day. I started learning to play the guitar only about eight months ago so I cannot say I have learnt it all but I can imagine how well at playing these instruments I would be if I'd been playing since I was a kid!
I have recorded some rap songs in the studio and I have many more that I have written and are waiting to be recorded but that is not why I am writing this article. I am writing in light of the Yes Boss! Concept and I want to say that when it comes to music, you have to believe in yourself and prepare for when your chance will come as a musician in order for your chance not to pass you by. I once heard from a very reliable source that the wande coal that we all know now would never have been known if he hadn't been prepared for his chance when it came along. The story says that don jazzy and D'banj had gone for a concert at Unilag and after their performance, wande found his way backstage and waited for them to come out. On sighting them,he introduced himself and asked that he be given a chance to work for them. Don jazzy looked at the small but determined young man and asked him what he would like them to do for him and wande replied that he wanted to be signed on to their record label. Don jazzy then asked him to show him what he had to offer and right there and then, without any beats or any instrument, wande reeled out song after song that he had composed and memorized. It is said that he sang like seven or eight songs before don jazzy was impressed and gave him his complimentary card and an appointment. The rest as they say is history!
What I am trying to say is that as a talented youth, you have to take charge of your life. Nobody is encouraging you so you gotta encourage yourself. You have to realize that you are the architect and boss in your life and your life will become whatever you desire it to be. It really is that simple. It isn't rocket science! Music is a gift that needs to be nurtured and tended so as for it to grow and in this twenty first century that we are in, music can be a way out of poverty and a full time occupation that can help pass time and at the same time bring some money into your pocket if well nurtured and managed. It isn't alright to just have the talent, you have to nurture the talent and work hard to make it work! Fame, popularity and the good life that being a musician brings won't just be handed to you on a platter of gold, you have to put in your sweat and burn the midnight oil (both literally and figuratively) to make it blossom!
As a rap artiste you have to be sensitive to know what your source of inspiration is. You have to be vast in the use of whatever language you want to sing in and you have to be able to “metaphorise” words, phrases and clauses to make the song pleasing to the ear! You have to be knowledgeable and be a very good observer. There are a few key elements in rap music and one of these is rhyme! You have to be able to rhyme well and this is made easier if you are familiar with the language you are rapping in. You have to be smooth, articulate and eloquent in the use of that language.
You sit still, take some time and decide what you want to be the theme of your song. You then start to write the song out using your knowledge of the language and your understanding of the words, clauses and phrases! Metaphors, similes and other stuff also come in handy at this time. Then comes the simpler yet more difficult part of the whole package and that is actually looking for a producer to give you some instrumentals and beat to sing to and you actually recording the song in the studio. Then comes the part where you try to get the public to listen to your song and that is achieved using radio DJs amongst other things. You could also upload you songs to the internet and make use of social networking sites, blog spots etc to publicise your songs and ask people to download for free. You go around radio stations, grease the right palms if you have to just to make sure you get the desired airplay. There are also record labels who are willing to sign artistes who show flashes of talent. Do all these and before you know it, you are on your way to stardom! Then as a start, you now have the responsibility of rediscovering and redefining yourself in order to stay relevant. This in my opinion is the difficult stage as there are many so called stars who have one hit song and have found it impossible to stay relevant in the industry.
Also, there is the kind of performing music where the artiste actually performs with a live band! That also requires talent and hard work in the form of many hours of rehearsal, search for a promoter and other stuff!.
Yes boss! Implies that you can be who you wanna be. You can be your own boss and you can control your own life and destiny. You can be responsible for your decisions and indecisions as well as your actions and inactions! Life is a simple yet very complex procedure! Experience helps sometimes and at other times, experience limits you. Saying Yes Boss! And taking the risk is what makes life interesting and enjoyable! Get out of your comfort zone, say Yes Boss! to your talent and with hardwork and dilligence, you can be who you want to be!
Akinsola Olumide aka GBOUKZI is a Biochemistry student at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho. He is an aspiring Rap Artiste, Plays the guitar, drum and talking drum.
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