Innocent Onyebuchi Onyemuwa, popularly known as Daddy Fresh has said that education killed reggae music in the country.
According to the veteran singer, lack of education caused the Reggae blend of music in Nigeria which originated from Ajegunle to fizzle out because because the singers could not defend it and Hip Hop saw the loopholes and overtook them.
“You see, education is very paramount. I think it is because the Ajegunle musicians couldn’t defend their music. So, the hip-hop artists saw the loophole and capitalized on it. I remember one Ajegunle artist told me he couldn’t attend interview because “I no fit speak the kind grama dem wan hear oo’.” Till now Ajegunle music is still fantastic but about 60%-70% can’t defend themselves. It limits their exposure. How can you compare reggae music and hip-hop music in terms of acceptance in Nigeria? Believe you me, you can’t compare them. Reggae music dominates any day, any time, because of the lyrical content. I play both, but till tomorrow, I still prefer reggae music.”
On whether the reggae genre of music is dead in Nigeria, he said, ”You are wrong. Reggae music is coming back. Sure, it once faded. It’s only in Nigeria you find out that a particular genre of music reigns and fades away then another comes. It is unlike the contemporary world where everything goes at the same time. For me, reggae music is coming back. At the moment, it is reggae artist the people are really clamouring for. To me, hip-hop is repetition. I am a crossover artist. I play both hip-hop and reggae. Most people then had to sell their properties to sponsor themselves unlike the hip-hop artists who now have sponsors.”
The singer also revealed that he had to do menial jobs and sell most of his stuffs just before his breakthrough, ”Yes, I am a living example. I put my school fees into music. I sold my shoes, trekked from Ajegunle to the National Stadium before breakthrough came.”
Daddy Fresh was one of the forerunners of reggae music in Nigeria from the Ajegunle area of Lagos and he reigned alongside the likes of Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo, Father U-Turn and a few others back in the early 90s. Daddy Fresh became popular for his hit ‘Eleru gbe eru e’ and reggae was all that was heard until hip hop came and turned the whole industry around.
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