My journey to the top was never easy— Reminisce

Remilekun Kafaru, aka Reminisce,[musician] talks about his life as a musician
What inspired your recent album titled Baba Hafusa?
Baba Hafusasimply means Hafusa's father and Hafusa is the name of my
first child.
Is the album about you?
There have been some misconceptions about me. The album cover, which
shows me holding a baby carrier and teddy bear, depicts a man who has
responsibilities he is shouldering. This is very different from my
previous album,Alaga Ibile, which had more rap tunes. My current album
has a lot of groovy songs, mature sounds and some stories. There is
the need to let people know I have moved beyond being just a rapper to
a musician.
How many children do you have?
I have two kids.
Your recent album topped the iTunes chart for seven days
consecutively, what measure did you take to come up with quality
songs?
I did not do anything special. I just want people to accept me for who
I am, what I do and accept my music for what it is. What I did was to
inform the people about what I do and what to expect. A lot of people
trust my music and believe in me. Pirates downloaded the music before
my lawyer got them to shut down the sites. Still, it topped the chart
in the World Music category on iTunes World. It also topped the
soundtracks from the popular movie series, 'Empire', and Bob Marley's
All Time Hits. It is quite an achievement on my part; some people
might think it is nothing, but it means a lot because I did not get
all these on the last one. It definitely means I am bigger, I have
improved and it is not an easy feat for anyone to achieve.
Which of your songs or album has given you the most fame?
That will beAlaga Ibile, but the recent album is just 10 days old and
we do not know what the future holds. We have had good sales from the
first week and we are already on the third batch of sales at Alaba
International Market. We sold about 600,000 copies in 10 days. It took
me over a year to sell a million copies ofAlaga Ibile.
Alaga Ibile is fast taking over your name from Reminisce…
It does not matter; it is the name of my album and I am alsoAlaga
Ibile. The good thing is that people recognise my works and buy more
CDs. I try to centre my album titles around me.Alaga Ibileis my
nickname and Hafusa is my daughter's name.
What genre of music do you sing?
Before now, I considered myself to be a Hip Hop artiste, but I now
regard myself as a world musician.
Some people say your music is designed for the streets…
TIME Magazineand iTunes have the answer to that. I topped the chart in
the World Music category and it did not say street music. It could be
street-themed music, but not all the songs have street-related lyrics.
I understand my core fan base is definitely on the streets, but I love
music and I am trying to improve on myself as a total musician.
How does it feel to be featured in TIME Magazine?
It feels good and means I am doing something right, regardless of what
anybody thinks. I do not know anybody and I did not bribe my way
through. I just uploaded my songs. The rate of purchase determines if
you will become the number one, so I did not campaign for it.
Are there people who think otherwise?
Yes, there are. Not everyone supported Jesus Christ or Prophet
Mohammed. There will always be people who do not believe in you and it
is normal. My job is to turn them down and give them more reasons to
believe in me. I do not condemn anyone.
Why did you feature other artistes in your songs?
I feature people to expand my fan base. I feature whoever I think is
best for the song, because they are good at what they do and not for
commercial reasons.
What was it like starting music?
It was rough and music then was not as easy it is now. Most times, we
trekked to radio stations to beg them to take my CDs. There were no
promo CDs or CD covers. We always listened to the radio to know when
the CD would be played. It was difficult. Now, there a lot of people
to encourage you. Also, radio stations can now download the songs and
play them.
What habits did you develop that saw you through?
I was persistent; it looked like I was not going to be successful, but
I told myself that I am better than a lot of people. If other people
could make it, then mine would not be different. I chose to wait for
my time rather than hate on other people. It eventually worked out.
How did you go into music?
I was influenced by Michael Jackson from childhood, but it took a
while for me to start music because I had to go to school.
Do you think you could have done better outside the country?
I do not think so. I like to work with what I have and say what I
know. People come back home to do music and it is alright. It is a
game of people and numbers. If you travel and you are not accepted,
you have to come back home where you will be accepted.
You recorded some songs at Coded Tunes Studio that were never
released. What happened to them?
They are still at ID Cabasa's studio. They are gone and pretty old
school. I have a new voice and new songs now.
Would you do a remix of the songs?
I do not intend to do that. Those songs were recorded eight or nine
years ago. I tried to do things my own way and I did not understand
the marketing angle as I do now. I have different lyrics and audience
now. I prefer to do what works and it would not be worth it.
Are you threatened by younger artistes?
Life itself is a competition. The only way to avoid the competition is
to do your thing and let people know you are there. You cannot stop
your competitors from making music, but the only thing is to make sure
you are at the top.
What are your thoughts on love and relationship?
Love cannot be bought, although it involves money and finance these
days. It is a thing of the mind. Unfortunately, relationships these
days are guided by that and ladies want to secure their future and
they stay away if you do not have any prospects. The most important
thing is to follow your heart.
How did you coin the name, Reminisce?
I just wanted a name that is close to my first name. Reminisce popped
up and since I used to listen to a lot of songs by Nas, I was
inspired.
At what age would you stop making music?
When people are tired and tell me to quit, I will.
How do you like to unwind?
I like to hang for a drink while waiting for an interview; I like to
gist and watch football.
How would you like to describe your style?
I like to look simple and wear what makes me comfortable. I do not
follow trends or wear clothes because I want to show off.
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