This is the who we be podcast with me DJ sensex. Every alternate we can connect with the people that Define our culture. I'm talking to the producers DJ's do artists big artist legend legend revving hip-hop. You came back Grime Apple spring. I'm doing all of that all of that all of that. This is our culture. This is who we are. This is who we decided we'd be yo, I do hip-hop. All right. I'm A hip-hop DJ I vote book. Look on HipHop. I live it and I believe it. I know it sounds cliché, but I do I live it and believe it when I'm not checking that hip hop when I'm not listening to rap Grime. You came up for you K drill or any of that. I'm listening to Applebee's. All right, that's my vibe right now. Like all my playlist consumed with a full piece. At first we got full basement and one of the most important artists that you need to know is not as by the name of mr. Easy. This guy is incredible breaking down barriers between consonants culture and music. Because our next guest on the who we be podcast. This is mr. Easy. Welcome, mr. Easy to the Hui be podcast. Then I'd be happy to be here. I remember actually listening to the one with Dave. Yeah. Yeah, that's tight. Listen to actually on Twitter, you know? Okay. I saw a lot of my food was just talking hooby hooby hooby. I'm like, what's this? And then I said, I thought it was cool. So it's a vibe to be. Yeah my cat but working I have to speak to you because I feel your story is Crazy and and let's take it to the beginning know like when did miss the easy become mystery easy? Man, I'd say somewhere around the ends of 2015, you know somewhere around like if I want to just pinpoint it. I'll see 29th December 2015. I had my first concert. It was called 69 with easy. It just had the idea behind it was were thinking about like we should at least have 69 people who listen to mysteries in Accra and my friend had his family owns a hotel and they made us use like Actually, that's true. He switch he gave us so he gave us a room and he said I'll perform at his brother's wedding for free and that time there was no real performance fee. So he was just doing us a favor boy, you know that just ended up being the beginning of everything and he it was more than sixty nine people cuz I remember putting out the link and in like two minutes, it was gone people had booked and then we had to invite the industry. So It up being almost 200 People acoustic session and every song I performed there. I went on to release till the still some records from that session that haven't even come out. So that's a quick Ghana. Yeah people some people who may not know. Oh, yeah, you're going to learn a lot. You're gonna learn a lot in this episode. Yeah. It's like, you know for those who are not familiar with certain areas in Africa, you're going to get sore right now. This is this. Yeah lovely to say that so that was in Accra Ghana. And then from then on I dropped one of those records were skin tight and I dropped the skin type video and by March I was in the UK and the UK was actually my first store a lot of people don't know the UK was my first thought was it the people over here embraced you earlier than everywhere else. I'd say like it was funny is like Africans in the diaspora started to embrace me and majorly starting from the UK and you know, that was it. At about the time of like the assumed to craze and Oliver Twist and I think feeding of that there was an appetite for like Africa music in the UK amongst the African diaspora and even extending, you know, things were just trying to pop off and so that was when the band stopped Oliver. Yeah. So assign that I know you do I knew it. I was like, I don't mention it. That's right. Yeah, they never paid me the full money for - oh, shut up to them guys. And I remember telling them I was like you guys you guys didn't pay me my money, but this is the only time you'd ever be able to afford me and I was just saying it like but it's true. They can't they can't afford this anymore with ain't good. So, you know, but basically I did a lot of that and then after the thought I just did the love was It's just so much. I think that was around the first time I met you as well. I start I got a few label offers and it was all so new to me and so quick to me because I hadn't hundred percent decided. I wanted to do music full-time. I still had my company running in Nigeria that I was like, I will see you off. So I was still kind of saying okay. Is this real or this is just the I remember my mom thinking. You know, what just go to London. Do these shoes. Take the money. And you know put it back into your business, you know, we never that was the tour and then I go back. I did one more show and the in Leicester Square and acoustic Vibe just like the one I did in Ghana this time he had maybe the same 200 people as well. And then from there I came back. So I do that I go back to Nigeria continue my business and then All of the money I made here from Tauranga short videos for records, like whole up records like anointing records like sample you and when I went back to Nigeria, I just started dropping them back to back to back and I came back here in July did the O2 can teach down before you two. Can t stand I did like, that's the for yet form as a big venue that's gonna happen. Yeah, you know that this like real quick and before that. Shoo, five days before the show. I did an event called gonna Party in the Park. So a lot of the African Community there and then five days. I remember a lot of people telling me you can't fix your shoe five days after you just played like an African Festival doesn't make sense. So I was scared a lot of people calling me. You know, what just cancel balls like well, what going to do even the venue told me they could cancel and postponed so that you know boy, I don't know what happened like the day before the show people just die about buying tickets and by time I'll step out on the night and look out. I was like jeez, this is I'm an artist now full-time no going back. So that was that was that think July 23rd 2016. How would you describe your music? I feel my music is, you know I call you back. Cool music because like on the bed is is on the course African on the core of my music is African in the end of I bit lot of the lyrics but there's a lot of influences from everywhere. So and it's everywhere I go and everywhere. I'm interested in and I feel like that's that's the reason why I love people who are not you know, who are not African or who didn't grow up in Ghana or in Nigeria. You know and Pawtucket, that's why they can get it cuz it just sounds it sounds very familiar. So you can find something that you relate to in the record and it's probably because there's something you relate to that I relate to and I've put into the music. I love people over here with referred to as afrobeat there. Is that correct incorrect? I think that's incorrect, you know, but is it didn't start as being like African pop music, but right. I can see I think I'll be right to see it's it can be classified as African pop music like afro-pop, but it's just really a blend because on some records you could hear a lot of bashment influence heavy like heavy bass right like on a record like sample you or on two people on my mix tape and unlike only slower record that bank will eyes or skin tags. You could hear a lot of R&B singing. So I just feel like it's everywhere like on for me. You what that is the part where I'm trying to wrap maybe not but that the good T-Bones you it's in you do know you can grab my advice. Yeah them ones, but I want to try and get this right because you know, Burna Boy was over recently. He referred to it as a for Fusion. Yeah. Whiz kid would refer to as something else. Yeah, like can we just get one title that we all agree on like let's just call it that timer. I think you call it. Do you know to be honest? I'm You know what? Just call you whatever you want to call it. Whatever you whatever you want to call you at the end of the day's music. That's what it is is music. So if you want to call it pop music Out of Africa, feel free if you want to call it down. So music feel free. If you want to call it after a bit too afro, swing or afro bashment. Anybody who's listening to this view if you work on playlist Don't Be Afraid put it in pop put it in hip-hop put it in dance. Put it in everywhere. Okay, so I was with J 5 episode 5 we be podcast and he was saying that did you see was actually influence by yourself? You said you'd heard you use animal member sound and he was experimenting with it. And basically that's how did you see came about can you say that again? Okay, so shouts J5 you should use the guest on episode 5 of them. We be podcast. So I was talking to him about a making the did you see? And he was saying that did you see came about because he was experimenting with the movember sound and said he heard you use a soyuz influence by yourself. So yeah, so I wanted you to say that again. I don't know kind of thing I would do but basically, I mean you're influencing what's going on over here and from your perspective. How does it look or feel those and African art is to see, you know, UK rappers and placement sound. Like you could almost call it a phobia that what's going on out here something for swing whatever but you know, we've what people like grams of done and you know, get cold, you know, Bianca noticeable. Why is this new artist be popping up with this kind of sound like at what was your take on that? You know for me? I feel like it's if people can come out and see like you influence them. I feel like it's a blessing because the people who have also influenced me and If I've ever mentioned, you might be like you how you understand. So I feel like it's a blessing to be able to be part of the creative process for something that might even get bigger because I feel like this is not even the end of it like this is where we all just scratching the surface and I remember G5 actually telling me that so shout out to J5, you know, and I see like it's my producers because a lot of times it's not just me. I can't just come and say yeah, it's the easiest like because there's like Jews there Z Kelly, there's guilty beats like and all these guys they kind of push me because sometimes when they send when I walk on the sketches of Records or demos and sent them and they send it back to me and he's very laid-back was very empty and just highlights on drums. So xylophones another that sometimes I'm like, are you sure this this work because it might not be as Vs. The next the next record. I'm listening to a radio but even the audacity to push me and say you easy. This is what we think it is, you know is it's good. So I'd say I'll take it back to like the producers I work with they're the real magicians. I'm just the one fronting it. How does it feel though to hey like, you know because you gave up to vote, you know, we have people like Jay Haas man notes. I mean Jay Haas he's inspired like a A generational guys, like like you you've got kids from different demographics different racial backgrounds. Like we've kind of like African accent when I sing now is like really really crazy waiter. Like it's just being absorbed and popping out there from your perspective. What do you think of like when you see these MCS right are like has a connecting. Do you know to be honest with you? I feel like it gives me hope you know because Does it time when you you would think that maybe two to have music that could be truly worldwide you might have to sound a way or you might have to be singing in plain English. So I had a way, you know, and I'm trying to be careful in another way, but he's the first Nature Boy to Kung Fu right? Yeah, so you might you might you might feel like Well, this is how you should but I always thought like growing up at least into dr. Alban and adhere. Dr. Alban. See he was saying stuff like it's my life. Stop bothering me. Stop bugging me. Stop bugging me and like in the thickest even thicker than my man dies. We mean in worried or in Pawtucket like the tickets nige accent and he will get away with that. Last time I checked he's so like 16 million records like stocks album came out today his streams of Be full of youthful I'm telling you so like I always looked at that as an inspiration thinking that if dr. Alban could do it. So perhaps I can do it if the Taliban could do it and when I'm driving and I turn on the radio, I'm on Spotify and I play this playlist and I see I see the likes of Jai Ho so notes or whoever and I see this he just makes me feel like yes, this is not just something that was a fluke back in the day. It's Still relevant and if Jay Haas can have such an album and sell all those records and sell out toys. I can do the same like not just in Africa. I can you know, if J5 can tell me that you I was listening to Hole up and then they inspired me to make a record as huge as did. You see then it makes me feel like whole of should have been as huge as did. You see perhaps I just need to keep doing what I'm doing and keep trying to find a way to get my music as heard by as many people as possible and I can do it because G because G five is listening to listen to me and finding inspiration to make the UC record and if notes can do the same thing and all these new people can can do the same thing. It just makes me feel like this is possible and I don't need to change anything. I just have to keep being me and just show different sides of me. Does that work both ways mean, you know Spotify is definitely made the game a Level Playing Field for a lot of artists worldwide. And in the same way that you can navigate Advocate us UK and other countries is that the same for ukrs is a UK is popping up in Nigeria and Ghana the same way thanks to like Spotify. Now, you know the internet in general, you know, I always say I said the somewhere that my radio station my TV station is Instagram and that's like DF. African music MTV is Instagram because like I just saw Rihanna and now Meek humble posted we skied record what they posted was it dance with you that some kids out in Nigeria at that sick Dance videos here. They were dancing and then the pussy so one person poses another person posted. What are they posted it cause of the dancers or the kids. So whatever the fact Still Remains that That only go to them via the Internet if there was no Instagram, they won't have seen it. I've been in places where somebody said. Oh, I heard your music here or there and it's all the internet or social media. So I feel like the invention of the Internet is just making the world very small and it's the same thing. Like I've been somewhere deep in Nigeria Hinterland and being with people who listen to country music. These are people who I'm talking like my Village. I mean my Village and I see some guy who has never left my Village who doesn't have cable TV asking me about some country music. I don't even know about and how did he find out it was online. He was searching for something and he landed it. So I feel the internet streaming services have just made the world a smaller place and there's there's so much more that can be done. You know, so even like when I look at the playlist the other day I saw I said some of my records in a heap up playlist in America called get turns, you know, and I went to look up get on that. So the amount of like subscribers get toned hard and then I see I see my records in UK playlist as well. And I just see how that translates and you'll be interesting to even tell you that that's how I've been through our last year. That's how we navigated my touring just off insights. Wow. That's how we navigate that my touring so I knew that okay, I have funds in 20 places in diaspora. If I have two hundred thousand listeners in a city. There's no there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to do it mm capacity show and then I go ahead and booked the venue and do all the most of the work of my social media and boom I get there so that you know, so definitely definitely it can work both ways is if we could work. Africa to the world he could work that's has been working. Anyway, I don't know if it's a deliberate strategy but your approach to working and collaborating is very different to a lot of artists like you work with a lot of people your features are stacked like, you know, and I always say to people like there's a lot of artists that are pop in. Yeah and you can't get near them that loan to a future with them, you know kind of get an interview but it's like we've self your approach to collaborate in I feel that's one of your main strengths. I feel that helped you build audiences because I see like from your work with a rapper. Yeah, but then you'll do a track with Ray and yo you use I was hearing you in daytime radio and I was like, whoa, he's he's he's he's clock this game, you know, like I wouldn't on any given day. I wouldn't be listening to pop music like that. Yeah, and he won't like certain daytime pop. This is like it's not at the expense of your creative married. Like it works like you you're making her credible, you know, if your feature. Yeah, but you're in every lane. That's why I'm trying to go and everything. Yeah, is that deliberate strategy or you just like collaborating now is I think is very very deliberate. Shout out to everybody. I've worked with including rape very I feel like everybody have worked with amazing. First of if like I do if I'm not feeling you as a person Oh, I'm not feeling your music. I won't know work with you if I'm feeling your music and I get to meet you and I'm not feeling you I'm I get out of that studio with our recording something about not catching it back. Oh gosh, should I said that because the next time I miss ya like I'm not catching the vibe. They'll be like, okay. I see you at the end of the day for me. I just feel collaborations. Like if you look up what the color Reason is is like you and somebody coming together to do something. There's a mutually beneficial to both parties. So that's that's one of the thing I look at in collaborations and I'm like, okay, this re-record is It's the pop record. Okay, first off. Can I listen to the record? Because I got to be true to myself. So I listened to the record if I can listen to the record then at there's no point doing it because at the end of the day, my core fan is not going to Be able to listen to the record and the going to see was mr. Is he doing like what is this? You know, so if I can listen to the record, then I can do the record and I always think that she's like for instance on the record called bad with notes you're young and you know, I almost didn't do that record because it was so far away from me in terms of sonically. So I found it hard to connect. If not for my team. My team just kept saying you easy got to give this week. You know a sit-down. Yeah, I listen to I one day I was just in a good mood recording and they just played the record for me and boom. I have a verse and I recorded I think I went back and forth on Direct like maybe seven times or more, you know, by the end of the day is being very deliberate and I feel like you have an audience and if I can reach your audience where the collaborations I'm going to give the best side of mr. Easy on that my interpretation on that and it's the same thing you're bringing so my people get to know. About you and your people get to know about me though. A lot of people in the UK or in the world that in the space safe or maybe for an artist in Brazil who has like maybe on a record has 200 million streams. My people in Nigeria might not even mess with a record like they don't care because they listen to their whiskey their DVD would have won a boy, you know, the yemi alade, you know, so they might not care because they loved Music like it's part of them. They understand Bob that doesn't make the artist less valid and how I look at it is if I can get on a record with you and your people can listen to me though. If they love me, they could follow the breadcrumbs, you know, and it's the same thing when you working with me. So nobody's doing anybody a favor you working with me. I'd like to think I have at least 1 million people in Africa who are listening to mr. Easy. So I'm opening you to my own. Audience so it's a win-win and that's how I just look at it is I've looked at it a lot of times also as alternative markets in, you know get you to do if you're ever available and the putting some money in there. That's okay. He shot to steal Bangles. And what was it like working with missed cause use on his recent EP? Yeah. I was that I love that. You know, I go into the studio. I think I've got it who put me in that session. But basically I Into the studio and I see Miss that thing Civic was there. Yeah still Bangles the loads of people that notes was around Dave does the first timers meeting Dave everybody was there and what can we missed that day was it was just a Vibe. We went through like three records and that was the one we just got a Vibe. It was like I almost thought he was to be honest. I thought he was Nigerian. Because he was he was telling me about P Square by I'm telling me about some classic P Square records Lima. So I assumed he was of Nigerian origin right? It's just recently I was arguing with somebody and I'll seen mrs. Nigerian fucking is this not you, you know, sad yesterday's music and you know, you just get to regardless of the sound. Okay. I was fortunate enough to see recently work in the studio with lately. Shh. And it was fascinating to see the way you approach the track because leashes like on the mic she goes in like she's one of the dopest female and seized period and she's also one of the dopest MC right she can hold her own against anyone. Yeah. So for some people that might be a bit intimidating because you know when she does the flow and then she just like the double time mapping and everything. She makes it effortless. Yeah for you what was going for you? In mind when you was approaching that track because you as rapid as Iraq is dope. It's not see you just like because I'd never seen you do that before. Yeah, so long see you doing the studios. That was crazy. Like first of all, I'm a musician regardless of what kind of music I'm making. I'm a musician. So for me, I feel like as long as there's some music elements to any record. I'll be able to do something. I might not be my best at maybe singing opera. But if I were to make an opera record, I'm sure I'll be able to pull it up in the phone is gonna ring like in 10 minutes time, right, you know them was but for me A lot of times when I'm getting into session and I feel like you have got to bring my A-game what I just do is I just zero my mind I say, you know, I'm just gonna go have fun and I've learned that most of the times when I'm just having fun on the record he gets to the audience. Because like they can feel it. There's just some you know music is spiritual. That's why sometimes people might say you could you can go to language gang and you might be like, oh, he's just saying good chicken boy. Like we don't really care that he's just repeating good chicken. It's a Vibe. It's a Vibe and we could hear from the way he seem good together and we could hear that Israel is like it's real. Yeah, you know, so is the honesty in your vocals no matter what you're doing and that's why I just do Get into the session. I'm like, okay, you know what this an opportunity to have fun on a new sound. Let's go sparring and and that's why when I'm in such sessions, I like to be in the session with the artist because the artist is the master of that lane. So if they listen to it and they feel like yo, that's that's good. That means I've done well cuz I've pitched right in front of the master of that lean. So maybe if the more famous he's who want to like put me all records. I could go go on saying Walk you the lady Leisure record, so bring it on, you know demons with your music and you know tracks my burner boy with kid. I'm going to say attributes like like it's got a classic feel to it is is you know, some hip-hop tracks the dated after a month or three months or whatever because the turnover so quick and the demand people just want more and more so people get bored very quickly. Yeah, but I find I find with your music burners whiskey it's it's kind of Timeless like it doesn't you know, whether six months later a year later two years later. You play and it drops like it's brand new. It's the same thing you play like, you know with leg over from the very very beginning. You heard the girl scream when it was so good. So it's like I don't know. What is that? You know love African music is very very, I don't know. I'm trying to find the right words. There's there's soul in everything. That's so even even if his own 830 BPM there so, So and you know everything my grow bored. First of all, you're so has just one identity. Your soul is not English. Your soul is not Nigerian your soul is just your soul. There's no identity. Like there's a common identity to also solely so you understand I when you make music that comes out of your soul, it's just there. It's just like you're so it doesn't you're so don't die. Your body would die before your amoment. Come pass to understand board. I feel like music like some of Whiskey's music like a drill about or Bona boys records like preemie or Miss Stacy record, like like skin-tight, you know is maybe on that record we happen to bring out a part of our soul. So that's just an extension. That's why when you listen to it you relate to because there's no time stamp on also music and I feel like it's like that and I love Africa record. You know because in Africa were very musical or very very musical. We like we like it to be sweet. We like it to connect if it doesn't connect with my just party to it enough, like people people bring out songs. Like you think he pop artist put up music it. So people see me goes to put out music. There's a guy in Ghana shatta wale Shadow Valley must have maybe 300 records out this year. I don't think Migos have up to 300 records out this year, you know, so in Africa We also put out music so much and the attention span you have you have a monster Banger three months later and nobody wants to hear it. So you have to put out as you have to bring as much Soul as possible on a record to give it that that extra shelf life and that's why I find it hard to call it afropop because I think that's like anything could pop music like disposable. Yeah, but I think that's why you know, Wouldn't call it ignorance or laziness, but I just think over here. Everyone says yes, I feel peace but hateful Africa's F of U. So, yeah, let's go. So but regardless of what people call it is don't yeah, he's stoked to see something different happening, you know recently was announced that hip hop has surpassed local role and yeah popularity. Yeah, and you know, some of us always knew that was going to happen. A lot of people didn't want to see it happen, but it happened. Do you think that could be the same? In this, you know with African music given what we talked about restream and is it going to come to that point? Where is that Level Playing Field with every vagina? Yeah, I think so, you know the like sometimes when I picture the future I see what's going to happen is this data is going to be cheap is going to become cheap in Africa at some point. I went data becomes cheap dated penetration in Africa is going to rise and wet that when that happens you're talking of almost a billion people now. Not just a billion people who are always in Africa a billion people who travel is in our culture to travel. So you have a billion people who travel around the world either for school or for whatever and everybody has access to data and everybody has access to streaming that's just going to change everything. So I feel like that there will come a time when that would happen. I don't know how close or how far that is, but I feel like We keep on putting out the quality and I know it's only going to get higher and we keep inspiring people like I brought us for like second third generation immigrants in the UK in the u.s. You know, start doing their own Visions their own interpretations of of African music and everything is just gonna it's just going to merge and one day maybe maybe he might still be called afrobeat. I don't care for me. I don't really care for music, you know, but this might become the the sound of the world this might become the new hip-hop the more I'd like to see like forgive me there might be more possible consumers of this sound than even he pop to limit is almost insane if people in I was checking the other day might seem to me like, my number five best streaming location in the world right now is Japan and never been to Japan and don't know one Japanese person. And so how did music even get to Japan to do Point where it's number 5 like how's that possible that just shows you that there's really no limits. No limits to this is fascinating. Yeah, it's crazy. How did you end up getting Diplo and French Montana on leg over because I mean, I know that was a crazy combination. I like ovals already popping. Yeah already big. He's already going off in the clothes, right? So, how do you get the remix to that? How did that come about? I've always been A huge fan of deploy, even before I start making music, you know and then one day a couple of fans just start tagging me and they're like, oh the clothes playing your music on his Snapchat like the placement and then yeah that happened and he kept on happening like the third time. It happened. I think I went to Twitter. He had already followed me. So I follow him back and IDM him. I'm like you bro. Thanks for you know playing my music and he Is me is like you music is dope cool. And then last year I was on tour in the US and I happened to be in a lie, and I hit him up and I'm like, oh, I'm in LA and but I was going to leave the following day. So I just went out to see him just can't revive my left and he hit me back up his like you when is your toe and then I'm like, I have one month to go. It's like IU fre for like five days in between. I'm like, yes, so he flies me and my team back to early when New York at the time. We had some you to breaking out. So we ended up recording like 12 records. And then I just thought to myself I'm like you I think leg over needs to I need a lot more people to listen to leg over and I'd seen him stop putting out a lot of stuff. We like Brazilian artists and love artists from the world. So I just told him I need it let go by remix and he's like nah, I think like it was perfect and I explained to him and like you I want this record to reach More people that won't get it right now and it's like, okay, so he sent me versus from French Montana Tory Lanez. Wanted to get Nicky on it and then Ty Dolla Sign and at the end of the day the French verse came first and that's something I always do if I send records to people the first verse is always going to get there. So if it's going to be one verse whatever verse comes in that's always been my rule and it's worked so So French's vest was there and then we had to decide between Ty Dolla sign's verse and Tory Lanez verse and all the girls on my team were feeling they were gravitating towards the title assigns first and I never spoke to him. But Diplo just told me he's excited very excited about the record. I'm like, okay, so let's do it and boom we did it and it was I was also happy to see like the support when the sun came out like I'm friends. Is Paige and on Ty Dolla sign's page as well social? So I'd like to think I was a successful one. Tell me about The Joint pull me water. Like what was the name of that was that about so for a while? I've been I've been working like behind the scenes to kind of put that is structure to take the music even further and and I was storing a lot last year and in meetings and I realized that after my post my mixtape I hadn't dropped this. Single so we're like yo, he's you need to drop it is single and it's December December is like a summertime back home. So you needed the same bus think we need a song your fans can be singing back to you in December and I flew out to Ghana for my managers wedding Andy Kelly Kelly flew in from Nigeria and he came in and we ended up no recording because we're busy were partying and and drinking and everybody was just gone and he dragged me to the room. He's like you easy. I can't Live from Nigeria to can even do is just 45 minutes. It's like I can fly here and just chill. We need to make a record. Yeah, just I'm making the records and the be and I was sleeping and he just goes yo easy wake up and somebody said, oh maybe we have to pour him water. And then I woke up and I was there for me was and I was just joking and he's like, yeah, that's not sit there and he he didn't even tell me he had started recording. He just made me continue. So Paul me what I was It won't take freestyle and he just cut cut out the nice ones and it's like you there you go. The record is ready. And before we put out the record, we just said, you know what the year before in 2016. I gave ten percent of my profits. I give them percent to a community maiduguri, which was plagued by Boko Haram. So what I did was I went there the real of displaced people I give out like food. and what and all of that, you know, but we wanted to do something that stays that's that's more tangible and we just thought upon me with that presented an opportunity to do that, you know and rather than just go give people a bag of rice if you could plant rice and get them to to earn from eating to eat the rice and also sell the rice that's better, but we've not gotten to that stage yet if we could just go to communities and give up what Water and they could like, you know, they could pump it and drink every day continuously and get my fans involved in it. Then it's good. So what we've been doing is every million stream on Spotify. We pick a community and we do it well and now we don't about to do for Wells. There's even a bigger plan to that. Ultimately when we do ten wheels, we would then pick a community again and do like a big water plants there and supports what the and give back so in the end of the day, hopefully my mind's eye by the time this is all over the should be a community in Africa the community that never used to have water will now have jobs because the produce water for the rest of the world and part of the revenue from the water sales will be used to do more wells in other parts of Africa so and other water plants in other parts of Africa, so it's going to be in u.s. God willing, you know, so it's beautiful when I see people sing the song Back To Me the heat to the smash, you know, it straight is the last song I performed. I want my set but more importantly is also it also makes me happy when I see that everybody's a part of this so it's not a mistake easy project is is everyone's project. Jay-Z once said, how can I be poor if I'm one of them and he was using that as a way to explain why He's got to go hard to make it before he can start helping more people. I think the argument he was saying it's like he's not made it yet. I was at the time and now it's doing a lot more things but for yourself how important is it to give back? You know, I feel like it's just like something my dad used to see my dad says if you're if you're from if you're from a village of your from a family and you're the only one successful in the family, then you're poor because is the boss starts and ends with you and then you it won't it won't be able to pass. But if you're if you're not the only one successful in your family or in your neighborhood, then there's more chances of things caring father. So now for instance, I'm not the only one whose music is like doing well in diaspora. So now I can call him Al experience a you Malik. I see I see you just done a you wrote or how was that and he Tell me or this part was great this but was not great. So you need to look out for this and you need to look out for that. When I do my unit my Euro tour. I'm just going to learn from Malik Barry and have it a better thought than him not necessarily because I'm better than Malik will because I've learned because he's successful. So it's very important for there to be like Collective success. How far do you want to take this because you're doing it worldwide already at you're doing what a lot of artists which they could do. You mean in the same way that we talked about your popular in Japan, you know, you got Billboards in certain cities in Africa, you're on American TV shows and over here. You're selling out toes you did around house, which is like 400 400. Sorry. Okay man, The Roundhouse which is 4,000 people capacity and Festival there. Yeah. Wait, where's all this going? Like, where do you want to where do you want to take this? I want to take it as far as possible. Like I said, I feel like there's no limits, you know, so I want to take out as far as possible and every time I find new new heights to obsess about I stop stressing about like Brazilian music and I found myself in studio with Anita to on the record, you know, and right now I've been obsessing about about Jay-Z more about the business side of JZ + GD, you know, and For me, that's that's where I want to take this that's the next level. I want to take this and I know it's not going to be done by me alone. And that's why I like every collaboration is an opportunity to get that position, you know, and I feel like even when that happens like I was telling I was telling somebody in my team I walked into I worked in the Sunni building and then I saw labels and then I'm like you there's no call it a freebie, right? That's not for be labeled on here on this wall. So You Sunni you guys need wonderful be labeled a fast easy records. So that's your records or something. You know, so there's no limits. Yeah, there's no little time. I'm thankful to everybody like that's been supporting people. It's just like black panther. You see how black panthers doing. I had done over a billion. Yeah already and that's like that just even shows you like if people can watch Black Panther and enjoy black pant and I had like babes do more from South Africa. I had a take their skin tighter almost made it to Black Panther, you know, if people can watch that movie and like it it just shows me that perhaps African music can only do a billion a billion in revenue and I think it will I think you know, you know, it's crazy to see that this call it the Black Panther effect. Yeah where I never thought Disney would get film. So right, you know, and they got it, right but the impact that it's had with American audiences. Yeah black hole right man. But the cultural impact is had I mean, I know people are trying to book holidays to work on the right. Yeah do people really do think that's a real thing. You know, you know when I went to when I was at the Oscar - Oscar Vanity Fair Haven Diplo came up to me and he's like, yo you go the girls walking up to you to talk to you I think is the what kinda affect the think you're from what kind of because of your accent, you know, so I just feel like Fest off like the power of the African diaspora is so strong. Like you have people of African descent or directly from Africa doing well in every field you could think of from education to meds into acting to directing like look at get out for instance. So you have the power of the African diaspora is getting stronger and stronger and the more this happens the more you start seeing things like get out. The more is nothing things like Black Panther and I saw this it chimamanda my book that's getting at That's of film. Chimamanda is energy. I right you see it's already getting adapted to book and that just shows you that you know, this there's no limits again and there's no reason why I shouldn't be part of part of this, you know, and the African continent is getting stronger. This information is coming is is coming in and is everything is just getting better and the more this happens, you know, the more everything is going to be better and I think Is even good for the world, you know in this age of like everybody wants to be inclusive and you know, just think about yourself things like this and it's good that what is what is bringing people together as coming from Africa? It's so good. It's so so good. Yeah, that was mad inspiring. She had to miss the easy Nikita the whole team, which outfit easiest forthcoming EP is gonna be tearing up the summer with that one. Now. If you feeling these Vibes you feeling what it's talking about a music or anything like that. Make sure you follow the asshole passionate playlist to who would be playlist. Let me know who you want to hear next on the Replied cast DJ sensex on everything Twitter Instagram Facebook all of that. You can catch me live on one extra BBC Radio 1 x 2 every Friday from nine. Make sure you join us for the next episode of the Hui be podcast. It's gonna be a big one, but the queen herself talking about Steph London.
2018 is shaping up to be the year that sounds from the African diaspora are finally welcomed as a mainstay in the popular music landscape of the UK and Europe. But this success didn't come overnight - artists such as D'banj, Fuse ODG, Davido and Wizkid have all been integral in breaking down barriers and laying the foundations for what is now a flourishing international movement with support across the globe. Since dropping his debut mixtape 'About To Blow' in 2013, Nigerian native Mr Eazi has been a leading figure on the Afro-pop circuit, creating his own blend of Afro-inspired sounds he calls Banku Music, a fusion sound he describes as the mixture of "Ghanaian bounces, Ghanaian highlife, Nigerian chord progressions, and Nigerian patterns", and has seen him gain wide praise from the likes of The Guardian, Noisey, OkayAfrica and more. In the eighth episode of the Who We Be podcast, DJ Semtex explores the rise of one of Nigeria's most exciting young musical talents, from recalling his first booking at a friend's wedding, to later selling out London's prestigious O2 Forum Kentish Town. The pair discuss everything from the difficult task to defining the various sounds within contemporary African music, to his early influences, the importance of collaborations and much, much more. 