Many Producers in Nigeria will soon Bankrupt - SAMKLEF

Samklef is perhaps one of the busiest music
producers at the moment. But the award
winning producer says he wants to
concentrate more on his musical career in an
attempt to further establish himself on the
music scene. He revealed that much and more
in this interview with AHMED BOULOR.
HOW does it feel being married?
Marriage has been a blessing because I got
married to the right woman; I got married to
my friend. Being married has taken me to the
next level and I am glad I got married at the
time I did. I used to be disorganized when I
was not married; I lived in hotels when I had
the money but marriage put a stop to all of
that because I now spend my time and my
money wisely. Now I have a home and I
remember I lost my dad at the age of 11 and
I became a rejected stone but I thank God for
everything he has done in my life.
Why did you feature her in your recent video
titled "Suwe"?
I featured her because of the title of the song;
Suwe means game and my wife is my friend.
What I do is showbiz and it is good you put
your family in the eye of the viewer for
positive reasons and not otherwise.
How did you meet her; was it a planned
meeting?
Everything about my life is not planned; I
didn't plan meeting my wife. I met her in
2010 and we got married in 2011. I met her
in front of her parent's house and we got
talking and what attracted me to her was her
confidence. I was not really known as a
popular producer at the time but I just had a
name. We got close after that meeting and
we got even closer to each other with time.
She is my friend and we went through a lot
together. Getting married to her is about the
best decision I have made in my life.
You have no regrets whatsoever?
I have no regrets; I have developed a great
deal and I am still relevant on the scene. After
I got married a lot of people said I went
quiet. I didn't go quiet; I am still relevant as I
have been working with various artistes.
Marriage makes you peer ahead; I think of
the future now and how I can remain at the
top of what I do. Marriage has thought me
how to manage and handle showbiz.
Is there any particular reason you featured
Baba Suwe in the video?
When I penned lyrics for the song was the
time when Baba Suwe was arrested for drug
trafficking. I met with Olamide later on and
we were putting lyrics together for the song
and Olamide mentioned Baba Suwe and we
thought it would be a good idea to have him
in the video. The whole idea was further
developed by Tiannah Styling's and that was
the reason why I gave her a mention on the
video.
How much did you pay him to be on the
video?
I wouldn't like to disclose that to the public on
the pages newspapers. That is between the
two of us. He was free and lively on set and
we all had a good time shooting the video.
You have produced songs for artistes such as
Wizkid, Olamide, D Prince and a host of other
established acts. Why is hard for you to
produce a hit song for yourself since you also
double as an artiste?
All I have been doing in the past was selling
myself as a producer but it is a new era for
me at the moment. I want to concentrate
more on selling myself as an artiste. Besides, I
started as an artiste; I just did the video for
the song "Suwe" and people are surprised I
could do that but first I did 'The Rain' where I
showed my other skills. I have been
showcasing my stuff because as a business
man you need to sell your brand. I have come
to discover that most producers don't make
money because there are no structures. A lot
of producers will soon go broke because there
are no structures; we need publishing
companies that can help us get the money.
Some artistes are making huge sums of
money while producers are not making
anything. I don't blame artistes anyway
because they are meant to give you what you
are due by paying you your service charge.
But when things are taken care of by a
publishing company, then producers need not
worry because they will get their due.
How would you describe your evolution on the
music scene?
It has been mind blowing and what I did
recently can be termed as spiritual. I am very
spiritual; I believe everything that controls the
physical is spiritual. I also believe in energy
and frequency. Recent times have been like a
rebirth for me because I collaborated with
Terry G. A whole lot of people do not know
that the first group I was part of was formed
by Terry G. We used to do gospel music then;
he later left the group to forge his own future
while I was taking out time to discover myself
at the time. It all started for me when I
produced the hit song titled "My Life" for
Durella. Skales heard about my expertise
and he introduced me to EME where I did two
songs for Wizkid titled "Tease Me" and
"Don't Dull". I also organised the team that
shot the video "Holla at you Boy". So it is now
a rebirth for me, I did a song titled "Display"
with Terry G with whom I've surprisingly not
been in a studio with until recently.
What's next for you?
After my latest single "Display" I hope to
drop another single very soon. I am also
planning to shoot a video in America because
I have been getting positive responses from
fans. My album will be dropping soon and I
am working towards its completion.
How have you been able to remain relevant
on the scene despite that fact that the digital
age has brought laziness and lack of
discipline among most music producers?
That's because I go to church and get inspired
all the time. It is only in the church that you
get to listen to soul lifting songs. I tell
everybody that cares to listen that real music
is from the church; it is only in the church that
you get to listen to real music live. I am not
just a fluke; I am a musician. I play the
keyboard and the guitar; I am a full blown
musician. The digital age has helped me to
be more creative; I am versatile and there are
lots of software's that have enabled me to up
my game.
How do you combine video production, music
production and your music career?
I have people working for me and I try as
much as possible to delegate responsibility. It
is fun getting involved in video productions as
well; I try as much as possible to give my best
shot in whatever I do and I try not to do
things for money.
What's your educational background like?
I attended Air force primary school and later
attended Tomori Comprehensive High School
in Lagos. After leaving secondary school, I got
enrolled into the street university where I had
to forge a future for myself. I learnt
everything I know today on the streets and I
have a first class degree from the streets. I
have never bought JAMB form my life and
that doesn't mean I am not educated.
Did you ever think you were going to make
money from music?
I started making money when I was young
because back then at the Air force base I
used to get invitations to come and dance at
birthday parties and I was given a token for
my trouble. Music started for me when my
dad died; I was lonely and sought things that
could occupy my time. That was how I fell in
love with music; I learnt to how to play the
key board and later went to music school for
one month.
How challenging is it to produce a hit song?
No song has been too challenging for me to
produce; I don't spend much time producing
songs. The maximum time I have spent
producing a beat is one hour. Sometimes I
spend half an hour producing a song. I have
not had to produce any challenging beat; I
produced "Don't Dull" by Wizkid under an
hour.
When should we expect your album release?
My album is dropping between July and
August…
What's the title?
The album is titled Four Cardinal Points
How close are you to God?
God is my friend and my father; I talk to him
as a friend. He is not a breed; I have a father
and son like relationship with God. He knows
what I am doing and he is in support of what
I am do. The bible says the blessings of God
added riches and added no sorrow.
What's in the pipeline for you in the near
future?
After my album release, I intend to embark
on a European tour to promote my music next
year. I am also working on a project for my
son; it's an animated super hero movie I am
working on.
Have your worked with any international
artiste?
I am working on something in that direction
because I have friends trying to fix things for
me over there. That will surely materialize
when my tour begins in time soon to come.