17th April, 2015
Funsho Arogundade
Dris, EM2 and Skinnie Twid are three young and gifted artistes from the stable of Koga Entertainment who have since been unveiled to the Nigerian music community and beyond.
The trio in a chat with P.M.NEWS Entertainment Cafe, bared their minds on their musical dreams and how much Koga has changed their lives
Dris: As the son of a soldier who was in active service, it would be easy to believe Dris was grilled and groom under the ever-fierce gaze of his military father but the reverse was the case, he says.
“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 says “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 plans to release his singles soon as fans keep their fingers crossed as they await verses from Nigeria’s first Fulani rapper.
E2M: E2M is quite the mellow one but don’t get it twisted. He plans to engrave his musical imprint upon millions of hearts.
Reminiscing on his hustling days, E2M 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 N18,000 and that was three years ago.”
The singer also noted that some Nigerian 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. 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 relationship with Koga Entertainment was God ordained in a way as he did not participate in its reality show.
“It was someone who knew someone who actually linked me with Koga. I was always going there and would have participated in the reality show but I was very busy at work but 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,” he said.
Skinnie Twid: A fusion of weird personality and creative complexities. Those are the words that best describe budding rapper, Skinnie Twid.
The singer, born Oluwatobiloba Onabanjo, was gifted enough to overcome healthy rivalry from hundreds of contestants at the ‘Koga Open House’ contest. He believes his success is not accidental.
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 still a lot more in the pipeline. Koga is a platform that makes dreams come true,” he said.
The singer is widely perceived 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,” he says.
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 advised.
He looks forward to working with Wizkid, Shina Peters (or Pasuma) and Davido.