African China became famous for his attacks on the government through his music. But things have not been the same for the artiste lately. ORUKPE NELSON recently caught up with him, where he spoke on music, fashion, marriage and sundry issues…

What is the latest about you?

I am working on an album. The latest song I just dropped now is titled Amen. It is a political song, centered on the whole crises during the just concluded elections. I cannot contest with mediocrity, the kinds of music people listen to nowadays (are mediocre) because I lecture people with my music. I don’t just go to the studio and turn anything into a song. I am not that type. Since I cannot compete with them, I had to take a break. I am ready to come back now.

Do you mean that most songs out there are below standard?

I don’t want you to quote me wrong, but we all know that the contents of the music we listen to these days are questionable. You need to listen to the lyrics of the song before you could say it is a good music. Tuface do good music; we have some other artistes who do good music.

Should we expect the video of your new single soon?

The video is already out; we dropped it last week.

You’ve done some hit songs in the past; when should we be expecting another?

My style of music is not the kind where one wakes up in the morning and goes into the studio to make. You have to be very careful about what you say. If you say rubbish you know where you will end up. I studied the late Fela Kuti for a long time. Fela backed his music with facts and I sing facts too.

So, I have to do my research very well and I have to take things easy. If I rush things like many artistes do, I could miss the purpose of my music. You must not rush into music because of the fear that you might not be relevant anymore. It is not about you; it is about what you are giving out to the people.

But I still thank God I have been able to establish myself as a brand.

How was your growing up like?

It wasn’t rosy at all. I really struggled to get to where I am today; that is why today I have to stand up and defend my people and beloved country. If this country gets scattered today I don’t have anywhere else to go to. Life was very rough and tough as a kid and I didn’t grow up like a normal kid. I can proudly say I had a quality education in school. But on the other side, my rough background has contributed to who I am today. I am a stronger person.

When did you realise you wanted to do music?

I got into music when I was seven years old. My father was a music lover, so he had this turn table set that I inherited from him. Though my father never supported my decision to do music, my brothers and sisters were behind me. Whenever anyone referred to my dad as Papa China he would warn such person seriously. But things changed when my music was becoming popular. He became proud of the name and he was very popular too.

What does it take to do good music?

It takes patience, consistency and you must be truthful to yourself. If you are not truthful to yourself, you are going to take a wrong turn. And once you are firm on the ground people will start to push you around. Producers will tell you that this is not trending and before you know it, you would deviate from what you know how to do best.

How do you get inspiration?

I get inspired by the street and the people. I am more concerned about the people and I get myself informed on a daily basis. If you look at my phone, I am on almost all the social media networks and I have media applications for platforms like CNN, AIT, Channels among others too.

Do you have plans to collaborate with younger artistes who are making waves at the moment?

I am not ready to start begging anyone to do music with me. It is not a bad idea and I had made attempts to reach some of them because I realize that my fans want it, but I don’t get to hear from them. I’ve been shunned many times by artistes for collaboration. I don’t want to mention names, but they do it a lot.

How long have you been in marriage?

I have been in marriage for seven years and blessed with two kids.

How do you describe the experience?

It could be rough and sweet at the same time. If anyone says marriage is sweet all the time such person is lying.

If you are married you would have an idea of what I am saying. But that is life and you have chosen your partner. It is not easy to bond with someone from different background and family.

You don’t know someone from anywhere and the next minutes you get married and start having children. If you pay attention well, couples hardly have problems with the kids; they have problems with each other because they are from different backgrounds. The only thing we could do is to embrace God when issues come up.

Are your children into music too?

I would feel bad if my kids don’t take after me, but such is life. They are already in a music school. I just want them to have the basic knowledge of music and take their decision.

How did you handle scandals, especially relating with women?

I did nothing but to stay away as much as I can from women.

What is your concept about life?

We should respect people around us. I take respect so serious and respect is reciprocal.

What does fashion mean to you?

I love to look good and my choice of dress depends on the occasion. I do formal dress if I know it is a corporate event.

How do you manage your dreads?

It is really a big task. I go to saloon almost every time to make sure it is in a good shape.