Basketmouth says he quit rapping
after he was booed off stage during a performance on campus.
The comedian spoke of his outset
in the entertainment industry during a chat with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, TV host.
Basketmouth, whose real name is
Bright Okpocha, said he came to terms with his failed rap career after being
booed while performing during a campus show at the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
“Those guys are wicked. They came
at us. My guys walked off. I came back, told DJ to stop the music,” he said.
“That was when the loud criticism started.
They were hitting me and I was getting back at them, using their bodily
features as diss material. It was rowdy at first but the hall became quiet. All
of a sudden, people started laughing.
“When I was done, some guy walked
up to me and said, ‘man, you get basket mouth o’ and walked away. I told my
guys my name would be just that if I were to do comedy. My colleague advised me
to leave the rap thing.
“My brother felt bad since I was
in a music group with him. But he didn’t tell me. He supported me instead. Now
that I think of it, I feel bad too. Bayo Adekeye became my manager. That was when
I decided to quit rap.
“I was popular in UNIBEN as the only comedian
that was kicking it. When I left, they started seeing me on TV.”
Basketmouth released an album
titled ‘Yabasi‘ as a soundtrack for ‘Papa Benji’, his comedy series, last
November.
The album featured artistes like
Ladipoe, BOJ, The Cavemen, Bez, Waje, Duncan Mighty, Flavour, and Phyno.
Basketmouth said he had worked on
projects with top acts like Wizkid but didn’t release them for fear of
criticism.
“I decided to create ‘Papa Benji’, a sitcom. I
needed music for the beer palour [scenes]. I didn’t want to start asking people
for their songs. I used the opportunity to create ‘Yabasi’, a blend of highlife
and hip hop,” he added.
“We had three weeks to create the
album and one to mix. We pulled it off and everything was done in one month.
“I’m a failed rapper. Yes, I
failed as a rapper. But I didn’t fail because it was a case of [not
delivering]. On stage, I was funny, but all my friends were funny so I didn’t
know it was a gift. I thought it was a normal thing,” he said.
On why his rap career failed,
Basketmouth noted that he delivered a sound that was futuristic.
“I was pushing rap; trying to make music but
what I was doing then was blending Afrobeat with hip hop vibe. It was a bit too
ahead of my time. People didn’t get it. We struggled, so I’ll say we failed at
doing something new,” he said.
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