After Series Of Romance: I’m Still Searching For My African Queen - Tu Face

By Tope Olukole

Tu Face IdibiaAwards-winning music star, Tu face Idibia is no doubt a household name in the music industry, an artiste who within a short period has carved a niche for himself. He recently spoke with TOPE OLUKOLE. Excerpts:

What are the positive and negative effects of being a super star?
I thank God for His blessings over me. From the very beginning, so many things have been on my shoulder; all in all, I still have the privilege to glorify Him. I have lost my privacy; everybody wants to be in my company. That is the hardest part of being a star!

Do you think your fans may not accept you as Tu Face like they did to other members of Plantashun Boiz?
Yes, but not too badly, because I knew fans were feeling plantashun Boiz. I wanted to venture and see what it would be like as a solo artiste and I wanted to see how people would accept me as one. I wanted to introduce myself to the public and see their reactions.

Were you born with this talent?
I was definitely born with the talent; it’s all natural, no formal training or musical education.

Some say you have reached the peak of your career. What do you have to say?
Everyone should watch and see! I want to sell records all over the world; get more international awards and all other things that come with being an international artiste.

Can we know your secret ingredient?
Oh boy, I don’t have the secret you are talking about. It’s just a God-given talent. I just do my thing; I can’t even explain it. I write most of my songs myself. So there is nothing spectacular in what I’ m doing.

Let’s digress a bit. Is Tu Face married?
Single and free! I ‘m still looking for a true love who will be my African queen.

Lots of girls and women flock around you , what is the secret?
Well, I don’t know. But let’s leave that in God’s hands. Only God can answer that. I don’t know. I can’t describe that situation. I have plenty of ladies who rally round me day and night.

How do you avoid getting into the arms of a wrong lady?
Facially , you cannot know the type of person somebody is unless that person moves closer. Before one can find true love he or she must first be deceived because the duo cannot know each other inside -out until they move together. A fake person may want to show you true love, you may not know. So if you try to judge by saying, this or that one is fake, you might end up with somebody that actually loves you and think the person is pretending. In order to find a true love you have to give the person a chance. That is my stand right now and at the end of the day I’m sure my spirit will guide me.

Any plan of getting married some day?
Yes. By the Grace of God, I will get married one day. There have been controversies about how many children you have.

Can you please tell the world the exact number?
Eh! Wahala dey o! Well I have never stopped having children.

How do you feel being a father and how is your relationship with their mother?
It’s a wonderful feeling, knowing that there is this tiny human being that you are responsible to. It gives you a whole new outlook and expression of life.

Is Fela your role model and what is the correlation?
He is my role model; nothing more.

What are your phobias as a star?
There are many times that I tell myself I can’t afford to fail. The fear of failure is always in me. My fear is that I don’t want to let my fans, family and God down. The fear keeps me in check. It makes me know that no condition and situation is permanent.

What is your day like when you wake up in the morning?
Listen to track 2 of my first album! It all depends on where I am. My days are not the same all the time. I travel a lot. Sometimes, I wake up early to catch a flight. I usually have so many calls. Some days I come back early in the morning from shows and sleep till 1 or 2pm. It’s not a 9-5 job, so my days are not programmed.

Did you ever dream to be as big as you are today?
I have always dreamt to be a big as this. I have always wished to be known and respected everywhere for my music and all. Somehow, my dreams are coming true, though I am not exactly where I want to be. But, I am definitely heading in the right direction.

Who would you love to collaborate with internationally as well as in Nigeria?
Hmm! Dem plenty! Jay Z, NAS, R. Kelly, Akon, name it. I would love to collaborate with Sunny Nneji and Chris Okotie.

You once produced a movie, are you venturing into Hollywood?
Right now, I want to concentrate on my music for a while, but later I will develop my acting skills; I definitely intend to do more movies later.

The buzz is out, everyone everywhere is ranting and waiting with bated breath, plantashun Boiz are back together!

People want to know, is it for real?
Yeah! We are recording our album soon. I am very excited!

What is the relationship between you and Faze?
I don’t have any beef with Faze; people are just yearning, they love yearning.
Faze is doing very well with his second album, Independent.

How would you describe Faze and Black Face’s personalities from the years you have known them?
We are all serious in our different aspects and everyone got some craziness. Faze is gentle; Black is mad! That is as good as I can get.

Pasuma Unveils Secret Behind Success

Pasuma Alabi Pasuma Wonder is a Fuji musician that needs no introduction. From a humble beginning in Mushin area of Lagos State. Pasuma, who many see as just one of them, has over the years carved a niche for himself in the industry. With deft and strategic alliances, he seems to be moving away from the fixated picture most Nigerians see of Fuji musicians. He has repeatedly worked with Hip-Hop artistes to create what may as well be defined as Hip-Hop Fuji. At an encounter, he spoke with TOPE OLUKOLE on his infusion of Hip-Hop into Fuji Music, his meteoric rise from ‘Mushin boy’ to a mega star and the controversy in the Fuji music genre. Excerpts:

How would you describe your growth and evolution as a musician?
It has been nice and a major transformation. A Mushin boy becoming a superstar! It’s like a dream come through, though I am still looking forward to the best because I am still very far from my peak. I am still waiting for my time to come. But I must confess that I really thank God for what he has done for me, that little boy from Mushin becoming this today is God’s doing.

You talk and sing a lot about your mother but you are always too silent about your father, why?
I love my mother so much and I sing and talk about her all the time because she singlehandedly brought me up from the age of six. I talk about my father at times but he does not like that because he’s highly educated. He was the General Manager of NCR, Apapa before he retired. He hates publicity. But for my mother, I will sing and talk about her. She is the golden mother of the world. No one compares to her.

Pasuma does not look like a trouble maker, but there is always violence at your shows, why is this so?
It is not just at my shows alone, it is applicable to every other Fuji musician. It happens like that. We have to change this and we are already working towards that. We are getting it right and we are trying to educate our fans that you don’t need to break bottles before you can be somebody in life. If you come to my shows now, you will see big boys and big babes, intellectuals, university students and respectable professionals having fun. Things are indeed changing.

You seem to have taken Fuji music to a level where Hip-Hop artistes have accepted it and infusing it into their music. How were you able to do this?
I have always wanted to change the face of Fuji music. People see Fuji music as ‘gutter music’ that meant for only area boys and artisans but we are trying to let people know that Fuji music of today is different from what they used to know. That was why I decided to infuse Hip-Hop into Fuji. Now, it is common in most places to hear Hip-Hop artistes using Fuji to sing their songs. I thank God that I am the first Fuji musician to do that while others are following.

Why do people call you African Puff Daddy?
I love P. Daddy so much and I enjoy his songs. That’s why I adopted the name African Puff Daddy.

What would you say influenced your kind of music?
If you can recall, we people like Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Alhaji Kollington Ayinla, KI de Ultimate and Adewale Ayuba singing Fuji music. We discovered that they were doing well with Fuji music and we decided to join them .

Choosing Fuji music as a career is something I have not regretted in any way. If you are going to mention the names of Fuji musicians in Nigeria today, you cannot mention five before you call that of Alabi Pasuma Wonder. So, I thank God for the decision I made several years back, it has been so great.