Project unipod 16 (enhanced)

Enzo Delight interviews rapper Joey, who recently passed an audition for a talent competition. Joey discusses his love for drill music despite its limited popularity in Nigeria. He is determined to stay true to his own style and not be influenced by current trends. Joey believes that being unique and authentic is the key to success in the industry. He also talks about his experience performing drill music in the Uniport region and how people have responded positively to his sound. What's up world it's your boy Enzo Delight and I'm back with another episode of Unipod and this time around it's actually an interview you know so um I was actually with my guy and he was blasting music you know so this particular um track came on board and I started vibing to it you understand so I I asked him oh guy who has this song who who made it you understand I actually thought it was an should I say already blown rapper but he told me it's actually someone staying next door to my rooster you understand so wow the music awesome the flow and everything guys very awesome so I really had I feel like it would be bad if I don't sit down with this awesome and talented person and talk about his craft you know so on this show I have the amazing Joey yeah so Joey welcome on board guy it's such a pleasure to have you here you understand so Joey what's up man how far I'm good bro I'm just I'm just here I'm good okay so um you know you actually make good music right yeah I guess yeah yeah okay so um Joey tell us about yourself okay gee well my real name is Joey yeah you guys can figure out how I got the name so that's my name Joey so I'm actually a rapper I'm based in Unipot yeah I make music that's why I do I've been doing it for about two years now and it has been an awesome I'm also on the other one or someone so on the show yeah I'm here with Enzo so I really appreciate being on this show I appreciate being on this show thank you such a pleasure having you here bro so um yesterday I can remember you um you came back and I heard the guys talking about the audition you went for so can you tell us more of that how did it go okay yeah I went for an audition yesterday at the MTP Nigeria most talented person in Nigeria at Nigeria Icon so um the audition went well by God's grace I passed it's a very big win for me my first audition and you should also have the feeling is for me to get through to the next stage so yes the audition went well I performed and the judges enjoyed my performance so that is that's that okay nice one nice one bro how was how was the um how was the feeling like before going on stage to audition were you kind of nervous or tell us how it felt oh well I won't lie I was I was nervous yeah no hearing people ask people are coming out like people are not getting it some people are getting it I was like please let me not fumble because my first time so I was like oh please I don't want to fuck this up I don't want to mess this up so I just that's how I was feeling but when I got there I just did my thing surprising to me the the energy was was everything for them they loved the energy I used so that's all what I did okay okay that that was nice bro um considering the genre of music you do drill right yeah it's actually drill considering it did you not have um tough time performing that today because I know drill is is not something that is very popular in this place we find well yes now you say it yes um one of the judges actually advised me because although my performance was nice but um the genre the genre is limited as we all know in Nigeria basically hip-hop consequence of drill is actually it's not it's not a genre that ever comes out with your son especially in my nation in Nigeria so he advised me that I should actually try and you know try other genres of music you know what people can actually relate to relate to but that's what make my music stand out why but all I did was my I don't be myself I'm a drill artist it's what I do it's my craft I really love the general I really want it to be standard engineering and there has to be blown I want to blow with drill you understand but also I'm more scared to show my versatility in other genres too oh that that's so that's guy that that is so brilliant guy I must say you know this is one of the challenges um artists like yourself facing this part of the in this part of the um the world you know but that doesn't mean you should give up or you should back down you know I can give you an instance um this rapper you know Udmu the black you know his style the style of music was so so different and and not like the normal kind of music in fact I won't I won't I won't even lie when I first heard this music back then I did not like it at first you understand because I felt like what kind of music is this you understand but bro come to think of this guy my opinion doesn't count at all to someone that has a dream and is chasing it my opinion does not count you understand so imagine if I told Udmu the black that his music was uh and he actually stopped you know wouldn't be hearing that big color kind of vibe we get now so bro do not give up just find um much more better way to spice that genre up you understand well yeah now you think I say about it Udmu the black very good example you see like I said I'm just being myself what I know is that dreams dreams chasing dream is not easy you know trying to be different my move in the industry is a pioneering move I won't lie I'm all coming back I'm probably saying it's a pioneering move I'm not I'm not the hunger for the fame is there but it's not I'm not tensed up by that I just want to blow people know me as you understand many rappers actually switch up in Nigeria because of the way our nation doesn't commend rap is very very bad let me just say I'm actually on a mission to save hip-hop in Nigeria by God's grace because the way rap is really underrated I don't like it you understand it is there but it's not really rated above you know other genres so I don't want to be myself what I know it's a pioneering move I know that people like good things that's what I've discovered especially my music hip-hop on the fact that I'm not doing Afro people actually like it so what I know is that one day it's surely coming for me I just need to be consistent but the more you said it to he was consistent he didn't stop doing what he was doing it was even when people said that he sounds different that is not what he's doing cannot make it in he can make a big show but surprisingly it happened that I just hide it in the industry so that's where I am okay okay that's actually um that's actually true so as an upcoming artist how do you stay true to your to your style of music to your artistry while don't forget don't forget um should I say carried away by the by the change you understand by the um what what is actually on board don't you get distracted or kind of carried away um actually um let me I would say I would say I don't but I don't actually let it get to me because um I've seen many as I said I've seen many rappers that switch up because of the way because now you know they are every every general has his own ring now it should be I'm a piano that's Nigeria right now yeah so to be an English rapper in this kind of time is not actually easy especially in Nigeria people are telling me to try and get out of the country go to UK or US that's what you are doing you cannot it will not be of any use but actually I don't listen to all those things because I know that all these things are stages consistency is all I believe in that's what I believe in and grace consistency so what I know is that yeah there are trends right now the in thing is what is what helps because now if you follow the trend actually you actually it will give you a bigger opportunity like give you you have better chances at blowing up in industry someone that starts afro now someone starts rap rap now the afro singer will actually get more applause than the rapper it's just how you understand but one thing like I said it's a pioneering move you understand I want to make the trends I go around to make the dress like I want to be I want to I don't want to be like I just want to interview by him one of the rappers I follow central sea you know being being doing music for me being unique is everything because if you want to sound like other people you just be a different version of them you understand imagine sounding like if I just start copying the modu style they will only see me as a modu junior copy whiskey you be whiskey junior because people have heard them before they need something fresh windows you need something fresh you don't need them they don't need to even if you blow up eventually they will always be limited limited as someone that just copied the style of another person take remi in the industry now remi brought his own sound his own uniqueness he did not he did not he did not copy anybody you know you don't copy grace you learn from them so in the industry it means you to be unique just be unique be yourself don't try and add other people's don't I don't try and be like other people because you want to you know because you want to maybe make it sound you understand be yourself yeah that's why she wow wow that's actually I I cannot I should take note of what he said you do not copy grace which is which is true you do not copy so um Julie what um what does it feel like doing drills in this region of Port Harcourt this Chuba axis Uniport especially how is that feeling like oh it's feeling good actually yeah because I feel like education doesn't matter anyway you understand like I said people like good things so what I did was my experience in certain music when I started I wasn't that good I was as good as I am now but right now what I what I believe is that anybody that has my song for the first time the reaction is always the best one because they actually love the song you know you can't deny something that is good I'm still working on myself but I can say that with the little that I've learned and how far I've come I can say that my sounds are actually what people really like to hear you understand you know it's like being it's just I'm just different you understand there are many rappers many many rappers in Uniport so you know many people that are interested in rap too but when they hear that I do drill I'm not just any kind of drill it's my style of drill they'd say that I'm unique in other kind of stuff it's actually what you can actually focus on so that's that's how it is for me okay okay I that's actually that's good so um bro concerning the supports you know we've talked about the kind of support you're receiving in this place you find yourself your family how well do they take this journey of yours okay at first um I won't lie I didn't open up but somehow like I was just in my house one day you know my stunning couch my dad would talk to me I was like Duel come I want to talk to you when I came to the room I was like are you into music I was shocked I don't know how he found out but I was shocked and I was also trembling in that period because I was expecting I was expecting my dad to you know go out go out on me and and discourage me all of that but surprisingly he actually liked he embraced me told me that he actually likes what I'm doing he actually likes what I'm doing he said that he likes what I'm doing I said really say yes say very good actually something that I actually love doing and he said that he has seen the progress he has been seeing my songs he just hasn't been talking see I would have told him say if it's to find a way to get something for me to do I can do it I was like speechless because he was I was happy because you know there's a feeling when you are doing something that you love doing when you have support from family it just raises your spirits it made me want to perform more because I really wanted to make them proud the only thing my dad said is he must go to school he must go to school that's the only thing yeah that's the only thing so that's what that was the only condition and that's not a problem for me it's not yes so I just so I was just happy my mom has a new wife one time yes she knew it you're telling me that gee try and do gospel so I say yeah yeah go to the center of everything actually you can do you can do gospel drill if you do gospel drill guy you go blue do you doubt I don't doubt it yeah I don't doubt it no I'll stay open one thing that I won't come as I just I mean I love music I love music I don't center even when I listen I don't center I don't limit myself to at least don't leave his kids I don't listen to at least don't even go to artists you know at least everybody I love music I love making music that's one thing even sometimes I like because as I'm a hip-hop artist I don't really sometimes hope I'm not generous you can never say you can never say I'm a piano song on my discography but I would love to link up with that maybe I'm a piano artist or a R&B artist I like you know can I jump on your song you know let me just explore this generally a little bit here and that's just me for you I love music bro okay that's it bro I would love to know about your creative process how is it like how do you get into that writer's mood how do you just how do you get in your bag okay um I would like how I how I write actually I always look for someone that sometimes I don't really I'm normally my hustle is always quiet all right but sometimes I just stay wherever I am my earpiece on my ear I listen to the beat I listen to the beat I just like you know because my inspiration actually is based on life itself like I mean like what I go through what people like me go through you know the hustle is not easy the streets in the streets trying to make a name for yourself apart from music anything or trying to even do anything especially without the funds all the kind of stuff what I just used to when I used to consume myself when I'm rapping so anyhow the need will just come because it's something I've experienced it just flows you understand I live off of what we measure I hardly yes it's not something I like but I don't really um I'm not focused most of my focus on you know going through going through this process trying to get somewhere knowing that one day I'll get there you know my music is almost like exploring my upcoming because one day it's gonna be like this again you understand yeah yeah so um any musical influences who or what influence your sound or your style of music okay well honestly what influenced me to do music actually Central Sea Central Sea when I when I when I heard his songs for the first time I was like wow that was two years ago two years ago when I was listening to him I was like wow this guy's everything you know that means real artists Adi, T.R. Wayne, everybody but when I listened to Sench I was I was so caught up in his music and I was like wow this guy is good it was not enough for me to start anything until I heard his life story how he started what he went through how he was consistent how many years he spent his consistency I was dropping back to back I was like wow upon he didn't even have upon everything all the odds were against him he wasn't rich at first everything was after so I also it also helped me I was like wow this is not limited I can do this you know I can do this this is not something I can do this and I also worked on myself in Nigeria actually before so let me tell you even before like I started doing music I wanted to be an Afro artist I wanted to be do Afro music my inspiration at that time was Wizkid yeah Wizkid yes I like Oslafs after I realized Oslafs people that Wizkid was just a Nigerian person you know he was just a nobody nobody knew anything about him just one guy that had the dream that chased it till the end and look at how he is now 39 years ago you imagine that how Wizkid was and look at him now you know the all his grind was everything for me I was like guy if I want to be like anybody this guy like he's he's the way his consistency his his passion for the for it was everything for me that's how I this is stuff I just came I say you know I'm doing this to start rap music yeah that's that's what that's my inspiration okay okay so Sench and Starboy those are your two icons nice now you know Wizkid actually started off as a rapper you know yeah yeah many that's maybe that's the right answer for me because many artists started as yeah Lil Prince I think he started as a rapper even Boner started as a rapper you know many rapper got enough fans that they could do Afro that's why I said rap music is is magical you know rapping is is wonderful I love rap like rap music is is when I listen to many artists too like J.Cole you know J.Cole yeah definitely definitely J.Cole, Lamar, Sant and Dave the poetry what they do with lyrics telling stories telling expressing themselves in words you understand it's it's lovely yeah it's nice good music is music he use yeah so that's why I mean good music is very important to understand so that's just how it is for me all right all right bro so um Joey where do you see yourself in the next five years where do you see yourself and your music where do you see yourself honestly with the pace I'm going now by God's grace see myself shutting down shows see myself shouting at me getting up to a million streams I see myself no no joke like sure yeah it's a dream but I'm seeing like I'm a witness of consistency at the year I'm I just but I don't really I've not really experienced this you know I did not believe easy to me two three years ago that I will improve like this because I was like even me would not like to listen to me of two years ago that's how bad I was so to tell you that today that this is not this what you are hearing I was not even the genesis that's not the beginning that's just the end it's just you know a caterpillar that I've entered the cocoon now you know she's a butterfly that's just me I worked on myself I was in the same place where I was whack I hate to say but I was whack but I did not let that I didn't let it because even people I think that's why I thank God for my brother he actually good people to my story he helped me he encouraged me I started learning continuous writing you know kept working on myself and I saw myself improving I was like wow how will this happen effortlessly I was improving improving improving I kept on doing it and every day until now I'm improving so when I see that I was like if this can happen in space of how many years imagine if I continue this for like three I mean three next three four years I believe in consistency like see my audition I ran for this is my first audition when I got it I was like wow I knew that if I start if a year ago I did this I won't have got this audition so I was like wow so I just know that consistency is everything so I see my that's why I see myself I see myself great better than now ten times better than now that's how I believe in myself and go to love the energy love the energy and the confidence bro it's actually you actually you go knee down you understand you go knee down have you ever performed apart from the audition have you ever performed in the show before how was your first experience like honestly I haven't performed before let me just say I wouldn't know I mean issue I talk about issues I mean you know in the large number of people that's the place actually meant for you know entertainment purpose where I performed I performed somewhere but wasn't really a show it was um a gathering of um delta delta association they were having you know a get together so I was just there and they were like I was like can I perform you know everyone was just dull I only I was like said I asked them if maybe I perform the energy so okay no problem so I gave DJ a beat I performed and everybody was loving it that was my first performance you know it was a small crowd of people but I don't call it a small crowd because it was every I love every process I love everyone so so three they all make it cloud yes I'm telling you so when I performed and I saw them jumping and vibing to me I was like wow I was surprised and it really gave me confidence you know so yes I'm looking forward to just to like performing at more shows that's what I actually this period that no results are finished I'm actually scouting now for shows that can actually go out perform yes and yeah okay so bro what state are you from edu state edu state edu state edu that's the state otherwise for wise so you're related to whoever by oh yeah I've actually had um contact with edu people and for your facts bro edu people are so relentless guy you know what it means to be relentless guy they are so relentless they don't they don't I don't know any any edu person I I meet there is always something I'm I get to learn from the person do you understand so and you see giving up is not something that they're always known for uh it does it doesn't happen that much maybe any person that give up that's claims he or she's from edu state and person give gives up so soon then the person choice he's or her he's original so you said something about um organizing the show in uniport um I believe that that can work that can happen with the right contact or connection do you understand so what kind of connection have you been making to make this work okay um you see shows like what I've been let me not lie now connection if it's about connections I don't have them so I just go out I know I make moves and God directs me to the right people like for example now there's a there's something happening in Port Harcourt's jollof festival yeah after the bonaventure the village jollof festival yeah so I met someone on this hostel too coincidentally and the person you know saw me freestyling they were like wow nice well now he told me that bro have you ever performed before I told him no I was honest he said okay so would I be able to perform I said yes of course he told me that there'll be a slot in the jollof festival for me if I can so when I was then he told me I was like shocked I said wow really say yes it's a big opportunity for you so I said okay good yes then also I also have a have a friend who's also an entertainer she's into all these shows and plannings so I told him that any of this he has on anything happening Port Harcourt you know Port Harcourt is a place that has like time to time there are always things happening you know at pleasure park at the GRE there are things that can be happening anytime you know there are some we need entertainers also my main focus from after this semester is the SUG at the SUG party the opening party you know I want to perform there I'm trying my best I'm trying to look for people I've contacted some schools so I'm not done yet but I just pray that I'll be able to do it it'll be a big move for my career in university all right all right bro so um what was that um life-changing um moment for you in your music career that that moment that you you you just um saw it and you said Omar is that is either I win or I win there is no going back okay my you see that moment it happened actually when my Davis EP got 4 000 plays on Spotify without any media promotion wow guy that's huge that is huge organically my first EP Davis EP from nothing guy like I dropped the EP March the EP is how many months just some months old and it's probably of 4,045 plays 1,200 on Audio Macarena so people my my promotion wasn't I didn't have more I didn't have funds to promote it you understand what that happened is people that helped me out they shared people shared for me people that love the song you know once in every when I started there every stream was a win for me because when I see when I saw my first 100 plays I was happy because those 100 people will turn out 100 people and that then you know when you listen to song when you listen to the music voice music what you like you become a refrain it's just like referring you understand if I listen to Udumodu today anybody around me will know Udumodu no matter if I listen to someone that I love today anybody around me I will make sure that you know the person so when I saw 4,000 plays especially when the plays came from the UK I was shocked organically the algorithm just triggered my song I was surprised say wow this actually this can actually work I was because I was also last year last year I was like thinking like when will I get my first 1,000 plays I'm a fan of bot streams for me personally I don't think it's a good thing for an artist it's not going to help your career if you otherwise found my voice and you are doing bot streams especially when you are an upcoming artist I don't really advise because for me it's not a good way to for me it doesn't it just gives the numbers so there you have it there you have it farmers all those farmers for farming jury is coming for you jury is coming for you you better stop right now while all those other people that we have um 4,000 play soon how what kind of what kind of farming is that you know yes yeah so um yeah since since you um do drill imagine someone signing you and ask okay a major label record label signing you and asking you to change your sound how would that work for you okay um this is what I've given a lot of fortune you know actually at first I won't lie to you the first goal was to be independent because I know the nation I'm in joining a label would actually be nice but I know that many labels will not want to invest in the genre I do because of you know because of you know what I do you understand so before I join any label I won't lie to you they are good no they are they are thieves these are things have to be for me too because I'm not someone that normally versatility is good but I'm someone that loves being myself I am myself you understand so anything that will make me that will make me to go out of the way what I'm doing it's not good for my it's not good for my hair it's not good for me you understand when when I start doing what I don't know how to do you understand just because this money I found start doing afro I'm a piano you understand or it's not that they are bad but from what I've shown how far I've gone it's not going to help my my psyche you know so actually I just love doing what I'm just doing what I did so so for now this year I've been trying new things so for now I'm not really right now I'm not limited to do right now that's why I say or in the at the beginning I say I'm an English rapper so I do rap I'm rapping on beats you're rapping on beats how do you freestyle well honestly I would like to use I'm not a good freestyler but I'm really working on that Tusha well you know it's not I'm not really I can't I'm a pen I'm my pen game is what keeps me going okay pen pen okay um what if someone points a gun at your head I say freestyle for 30 minutes do not stop just that definition is do not stop do you think do you think you'll come out alive huh or more honestly I don't know even even even Eminem say we wouldn't think at once 30 minutes that's not that that won't be long you understand yeah freestyle no freestyling is something that um it's not it's not something that you know I've seen many rappers artists in general some artists I know many artists that are good at it but they are not writers some people don't write some people just comes just and they just they just look around them their surroundings or they think of something and the flows coming they just hop into the studio and just record the day and you know it comes out to where you are but there are some right there are some artists that if they don't just they don't just come before it can come they have to sit down think or something you understand they start writing it down although freestyling is a good part of rapping as a rapper at least freestyling should be one of the it's actually a good a proof that we actually have a little bit of experience you understand like hey you understand that okay okay so um okay one more thing before we come to the end of the show um how do you how do you balance music career and your academics okay that's very important okay you see at first it wasn't easy I will tell you I thought that it would be easy I didn't because I haven't tested school before when I came and I started seeing the practicals and the lectures and see reading on and getting your grades up it was not easy but I found a way to you know I discovered that nothing can actually stop you from doing what you love today focusing the job will enable me focus more that's that's how far I can go to get improve myself you know so music and academics I balanced you know I just found a way throughout the day I'm always free because of classes and all the stuff so what I just do in my spare time because there's always going to be a spare time no matter you have a spare time if what you are doing without spare time the school will take you to the four hours you understand so my spare time I write I make sure that any real time I don't use one minute I devote it to music because at the same time I'm trying to get I love school I want to come out where you understand school is four years I'm done another thing that I should take with me you understand so at the same time I think it's also important to me so I balance them it's because it's always with you must be able to borrow every day I don't have schools right now but for now I'll be able to balance it I don't record much that's why I'm focusing on shows um competitions for now you understand I'll be hitting the studio very soon Joe though um Joe is about to cook he is about to cook let him cook yeah when you when when you hit the studio guy the whole world will feel it then we'll feel I'm guy um so um guy your you made mention about your debut EP right tell us about it okay my debut EP titled so far so good you know the EP was just like the name said it was just to talk about progress how it has been progress progress yeah for three years how the journey has been you understand it wasn't it wasn't easy and how far I've come you know so that's how the EP was six track EP on all platforms when I got when I saw the streams and the reaction to the EP I was like wow I was happy you know it was it gives you joy what you are doing you actually see even if you don't see some if you don't if you saw that if you come you've been at the point that you think that you're not trying enough you know when you are doing it nothing is coming out but at some point you have to keep on going when I saw progress and I saw you know when I saw the progress coming out like happy I was like wow consistency actually helps this actually do works so that's my piece about my consistency how I'm being in the industry that's okay so you can tell my audience where to find that EP and sure um Spotify, Audiomark whatever app that is streaming music on your phone so far so good G-E-Y-I that's it there you go people stream so far so good on out on all platforms Spotify, Audiomark, Apple music right so just stream it and have a very very good time I listened to the to the um to the tracks on the album and whoa boy more then blew my mind guy G-E-Y is good ask anybody ask around then we'll tell you see G-E-Y they're good G-E-Y where can you find you online? Online? I'm on IG G-E-Y underscore gram TikTok G-E-Y underscore talk yeah G-E-Y talk G-E-Y gram Facebook G-E-Y raps yeah I guess G-E-Y I'll come out you see me that's my name on all platforms everywhere you can even call him you can even call G-E-Y right and G-E-Y will just appear right oh well guy thank you for coming on the show it was actually a pleasure having you on this show guy so um there you go people we've come to the end of Uniport today and I had a nice time I'm sure G-E-Y had a nice time of course it was nice and to my audience I'm sure you guys had a nice time and there are a few few things to judge from this from this hangout with G-E-Y you understand so um thank you very much if you made it this far I really appreciate that so um this is me signing out remember if you want to