Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the world of Nasboi, the multi-dimensional artist breaking barriers in the entertainment industry. From comedy to music, Nasboi's unique blend of talent and passion is redefining what it means to be an artist. In this exclusive interview, we dive into the mind of Nasboi, exploring his background, inspirations, and creative process. Get ready to experience the authentic voice of Nasboi, unfiltered and unapologetic.
Reynold: I'm just going to go straight into the interview here. Okay. All right bro. Yeah. So my first question is going to go about your background, like your early life. Can you tell us about your upbringing in Port Harcourt and how your Yoruba and Delta heritage has influenced your artistry so far?
Nasboi: Okay. So first off I'm from Akwa ibom State. That's where I hail from. My mom is from Delta. I grew up in Port Harcourt, and that's exactly where I started this whole thing. I started off as a musician sometime in 2007 from 2 face’s influence, Because that's the guy that I used to look up to, And I did music for a while. I always wanted to be an actor. I always wanted to be a cinematographer and a photographer. I was just in the entertainment space in my head, and so I started off as a musician. Then sometime in 2014, I got signed to a renowned Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-ekeinde. And yeah, basically. So the characters that I portray in my kids are basically characters that I got from Nollywood movies because I used to watch a lot of Nollywood movies. My mum used to have a film store where we rent movies. So a lot of these things I do today, I got them from Nollywood movies actually. Then I schooled, then later on I found out that I have strengths when it comes to mimicking, when it comes to accents. Like I had that strength for accents, like Nigerian accents. I had that strength because a lot of people think I'm Igbo. I'm not. It's not like I grew up in the East, but I was able to tap out from Nollywood movies and all of that. So I also knew that I had the strength. I schooled in University of Uyo so I know how to do the Akwa Ibom accent very well, because I was also able to tap that out from my school days too.
Reynold: That's heavy though. That's a touch of different aspects in Nigeria.
So How did growing up in a devoted Christian household shape your perspective on life and your approach to creativity?
Nasboi: My dad was a muslim before he died. My dad was an alfa. My mom is a Christian. So I went through a lot of battles.
Reynold: Oh, yeah. So growing up, What background did you have then? Were you a muslim or were you a Christian? What part did you pick, how has that influenced you?
Nasboi: My dad was excellent. The fact that my dad was a muslim and he didn't mind if I was going to church. My dad was that kind of person.So he gave me a different feel to life. Though I'd rather be a good person than a religious person, than a very religious person, because sometimes I think the other religious people try to think their own religion is the best, but a good person doesn't see that, a good person is just a good person. So I'd rather be a good person than to be another religious person.
Reynold: I get you, bro. So my next question is going to be your passion for music and comedy. So you've mentioned artists like 2-face idibia, and you also had a good significance with Davido. The influence came in heavy with your career growing up. How did their music shape your early musical aspirations?
Nasboi: If you listen to my sound, there's a uniqueness that comes with my entire music. Like, I need you to listen to my body of work, so there's a uniqueness that comes with it. I still do music from, like, way back, right? I don't do everyday music. I feel like music is now refined. I do raw music, My music is very raw from way way back. You still hear the rawness, the 2baba feel, you get me. So I have refined, refined my music. I don't do amapiano. I don't do any of those. I don't like trendy stuff. I like to keep it as raw as possible. Right?
Shout out to 2-baba Early Influence, Wande Coal Early Influence, current influence I listen to kizz Daniel a lot, I pay attention to kizz Daniel music currently
Reynold: So how about Davido, did you have any influence from his music into your career?
Nasboi: Of course, So now how it is for me and David. So for your info, like I said, I started singing way way back, you understand? So when I say tuface influenced my music, you should understand that. if no be say person never blow, I suppose to be OG, I'm 32 now, And I think David is about my age, so I love David's music, but 2-face did the proper influencing because I started singing way back. I started singing like I did in 2008. so I loved it when I saw David's music, I enjoyed it, I loved it. Yes, I feel like we have this similarity in our texture of voice. Then, you know, when I was doing the whole Davido thing, I was doing the mimicking thing just to get his attention for my music. Crazy. That was the plan. I didn't even want to be a comedian, so I was only trying to get David's attention for my music. Then I got Nigeria's attention and I'm like, okay, let's go.
Reynold: Nice, bro. Nice. My next question is going to be your journey. Let's talk about your EP, bro. Can you walk us through the timeline of creating this EP from the interception, the final recording? Like so? There's a specific song specifics?
Nasboi: Yeah, there's a song in the EP that I recorded, 2021 deep. Yeah, the first song in the EP is titled Ajo right? I recorded that song three years ago. Like, it's not like I recorded and touched again. The one that I recorded three years ago is what I'm putting out now. The song is fire, trust Me, and it's titled you Ajo. So for the other songs, the way I write my songs, this is the process for me, right? So I'm always freestyling. I'm always making melodies in my head. Always making melodies in my head. Right. So the moment I get into a studio, I'm not a fan of going to the studio and jumping on beats. When I go there, I create my music from scratch. 96% of the time I create my music from scratch. I already have an idea of what I want. So to me, if you create a beat for me and I come there to see the beat, you compel me to do what you want. I would love to do what I want. I like to be free. I like to experiment. I like to go anywhere that I want to go
Reynold: No, I get you 100%. Being in control of what you're doing is key. Exactly.
So have you had any challenges when you were creating this EP, or any moments where you felt like this process, or like any real life moments during the EP that you like? You said, this moment made this EP?.
Nasboi: Okay, there are no challenges. Actually, I had a smooth run and because I was hyped about recording, I needed people to see me from, you know people actually just think the guy is a comedian who is trying to make music. So the EP, the EP is going to show you that yo, the guy is an actual musician, you know, the songs are dope, the writing dope. And I think the breakthrough moment for me was the fact that I got to record with my idol. I finally got to record with 2-Face and man, that's like the biggest, that's like the biggest achievement of my career, man And how I connected with him was crazy because 2-face surprisingly is a big fan of my music, so that was how it happened, and he blessed me with a verse.
Reynold: is there a story that you're trying to tell us with the EP ?
Nasboi: Okay. So the title of the EP, the title of the EP, is “Init” it Means in Nasboi at first, And this is me telling you. This is me telling you that I'm a very dope artist. Right. This is me telling you and. Yeah. The songs on the EP, you know, it's just a body of work. We are definitely going to have more singles and an album, so. Right. So this is just me telling you that I know how to sing. Like I fucking know how to sing. Yeah. So this is me saying you have to trust me. You have to believe in me. Like I am showing you that I know how to sing. Then I'm going to explore more over time, right? Because this EP is majorly 90% love songs. Because I'm a lover boy, actually.
Reynold: That's great. Now let me jump into the next question. So let's go into life outside music a bit. How do you balance your identity outside your music career?
Nasboi: I don't think I have anything to balance anyway, because everything works hand in hand I'm trying to sell the guy who is an entertainer. I'm not trying to sell comedy. I'm trying to show you that I can actually make you laugh. And I can still sing and I can act.
So that's like me saying I'm the jack of all trades and I'm the master of all the trades. So I'm not trying to leave any. I'm not trying to rebrand myself. I'm not trying to be a musician and not be a comedian. I am Everything, that's the plan.
Reynold: It's just like a multi dimensional artist, bro. That's what I was saying the other day. Like, that's the kind of field you're feeling in right now. Because that same thing Skepta is doing bro, being a multi dimensional artist, you can be able to fit into different roles and still stand firm. It's crazy. So what advice would you have for artists to maintain a sense of self beyond their profession like personnel like how to like, maintain because, you know, it's not easy to balance all these characters and try to not give in.
So what would you say about that? What would you tell another person if you were to give advice?
Nasboi: So I always say that I don't joke with being relevant. Staying relevant is key in the country. In the country where I come from. If you go cold, you understand? People will just forget you. So long as you want to do entertainment. I feel music. Music is a connection of art, Including videos. I don't think you can just be an artist just like that. You can also be a director. You can also be a lot, Because in our music videos, we act in our music videos. So I feel like the time where you're not releasing music. Something should keep your name there. Something should keep your name there rather than just stay out of it. I am not Wizkid. Wizkid is so big. He has built his army and even if he doesn't drop his song for six months, he's fine. Yet I don't have so much army, So right now I'm recruiting. So maybe when I'm done recruiting then I will rest. But for the meantime, I am recruiting my army so I have to go as hard as possible. I have to be in your face. I have to be in your face forever and ever. Like I have to be in your face. You have to think about me every time. So this is me trying to recruit my army. So maybe when I'm done recruiting I can rest. But for now, I have to go as hard as possible. So if you're an upcoming artist or if you're an artist who is just maybe average, I feel like you don't need to chill. You need to be in their faces.
Reynold: As someone who has successfully navigated both music and comedy, where do you see your career in a few years?.
Nasboi: I have always said I am not a dream man, I don't dream. I have my opinion about it, so I just work hard and allow God to do his thing. I did not envision that now I am going to be a star, what I was constantly doing was making sure I was building a brand, I always tell people that I don't want to blow, I just want to work hard, build my craft and be unique, the plan is not to blow, it's to make myself a weapon, because if you make yourself a weapon then people must use you.
So for every young entertainer, Build your craft rather than thinking of blowing. Just because I feel like if you are excellent in whatever you are doing, you will blow 100%. So the time that you are looking for blows. Spend time building your craft. That's it. That's my own advice. And that's my take.
Reynold: Going to my second to last question. So looking back at your journey, what has been the most challenging moment you faced and how did you overcome it?
Nasboi: I am still overcoming. I think the most challenging thing is the fact that people did not want him to sing. Right. Keep giving us comedy. That's what we know you for. So Nigeria is a place where if they know you for something, they don't want you to switch. Right. So it's been hard trying to make people believe that he can sing, because once they look at your song, they see the comedy. They don't see you as an artist. So I've been able to fight that. That's it. That's exactly why I went so hard on promotions, Because the music has to stick and you have to hear it, And the moment you hear it, it will register. So I always tell my friends, there's no product that you promote that people will not know. There's no product that you promote that people will not know is a must. So long as you promote it, people, people will know it. So that was the challenging part. But now I'm beginning to get music fans. And guess what? With the EP we are going to recruit some more. This is recruitment season though.
Reynold: I'm going to jump into my last question now and it will be are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you're particularly excited about?.
Nasboi: Two face, two face, two face, two face, two face. That is the major for me, So I have collaborations with like 3 or 4 people on the EP. but two face has been a legend to me from my journey. So having his presesnce on my journey is a major collaboration.
Reynold: So what's your mantra, bro? What's your mantra? What's the word or the face that keeps you going every time that you say, okay, do this or you use that. What? How 's that word for you? What do you use?
Nasboi: Man, all I want is to live. Along all I want is to live and accomplish amazing things. Beyond that, I don't actually have anything. The most crucial thing is that I continue to be genuine, unique, and humble. For me, that's what it is. I maintain my humility and my uniqueness—you know, I don't play about with that word. I love my uniqueness.
Reynold: Thank you so much for your strong words today bro. I love to hear your own story and where it's coming from. You see, I didn't really get much from your entertainment side or your comedy side because we already see that part. I needed to know, like, what the music was for you, what it is for you. And I literally understand you right now. So man, big ups on the journey and keep doing great things!
Nasboi: All right bro, bless you. Later.
Thank you for joining us on this journey into the creative world of Nasboi. With his refreshing honesty and passion for innovation, Nasboi is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry. As he continues to push boundaries and defy expectations, we can't wait to see what the future holds for this talented artist. Stay tuned for more updates from Nasboi, and remember to always embrace your uniqueness and stay humble.
Produced by Studio mezue
Lead editor - Walter
Interviwed/ Editor - Reynolds
Lead editor - Tosan
Captured - Blazon__z
Partners - ONERPM