I want to rule the music world—upcoming artiste

Emeka Ibemere

Ask eighteen years old upcoming Hip Pop artist based in Ore, Ondo State, what his dream and vision of life are; he will tell you nothing except that he wants to be great and be known all over the world with his music.

Gbademosi Gbenga, with his stage name as, Smart G has started painting Ore blue with his Hip pop music but he is facing a family challenge which has put him in difficult condition.

His mother wants him to be a Navy officer but the young and vibrant upcoming artist, prefer to be in the entertainment industry and follow the footsteps of his role models: Shantizu, the Wizkid, Two- Face, Fresh, P’Square, Nice and others.

Born into family of three, Gbenga is the first son of Mr and Mrs Ayansina Segun from Eripa in Boluwaduro, Osun Local Government Area

None of Gbenga’s parents or family member played music either in the past or present but inherited his gift from God. He picked music as career because of the love he has in entertainment industry.

Gbenga is in Lagos state for two things-to take the Navy recruitment examination aptitude text and to sort for any recording studio that will sign him, so that he can hit the road running. He said his mother is opposing his music career while his neighbourhood in Ore are hailing his wizardry in music. 

According to him, this seemingly praise by neighbours is trying to change his mother’s initial resistance for his career. He said the mother loathes the music career because it makes one wayward, take drugs, and join bad gangs.

But his father is giving him support. Gbenga is looking for sponsors and he is looking for the DJs to connect him to the rightful labelling company where he would showcase his bundles of talent.

Gbenga said he wants to rule the music world and pray that God will help him become a superstar in the industry. Gbenga said he would want to go to university to perfect his career through studying Theatre Arts, but again his mother prefers Navy recruitment.

 As an obedient child, he obeyed his mother and came to Lagos to take the Navy recruitment exercise, but his mind and soul are still in the music industry. He said Navy will not give him the apple opportunity to explode to his calling, which is music.

Gbenga said he wants to be known all over the world with his music.

The graduate of Our Saviour Secondary School Ore, in Ondo State, said there is no other thing he can do in life except to play music and rule the industry.

In 2013, he entered into the music world, though he is to launch his album. Gbenga has been performing on different stages in Ore, in Ondo State. He is well known in his former school and neighbourhood as an upcoming artiste and stage performer. His music is yet to hit air waves.

“I love music, it is my talent and I cannot do any other thing except playing music. I want to be in entertainment industry”, Gbenga, a.k.a Smart G, stated.

Within the last two years, Smart G has dropped five albums but he is yet to sign with any recording company: the titles of the tracks are; Omotunde Omuwura, Akorede, Dorado, Figure 8 and Tears of joy.

Among all these track albums, none reflects Gbenga’s life experience except Akorede-which means somebody or something that brings good fortunes; and Gbenga told our correspondent that he hopes to bring good fortunes to the family, state and the nation with his music.

According to him, Tears of joy has a feminine touch, because it’s a reflection of his love to the women whom he doesn’t want to see cry. He said the song is dedicated to women oppressed in the world by their circumstances and would not want them to suffer while calling on men to desist from marginalising women, no matter their wrongdoings. He said women should be shown love, mercy and forgiveness.

“The track music is about showing love to women”, Smart G stated.

Yet at 18, Gbenga has no girl friend but said he is sympathetic to women.

“It came to me freely and even when I’m doing any other thing, the urge and calling are troubling me and unconsciously I can start singing and writing music”, he explained.

Gbenga told our correspondent that he composes and writes his music without any help from anybody and he sings them, too.

It started at his JSS 3, when he started composing with his friend, Seyi Adewo, also known as Crezzy D, another upcoming artist, based in Ore but since then, Smart G has never relented.

Gbenga said no career in life interests him except to be a musician. He said his first mentor is Shantizu of the LOKE- LOKE and Private Gentleman fame. The songwriter cum singer said he can blend his Hip pop genre with highlife music or Afro-juju type.

“Loke-Loke by Shantizu attracted me, so much that I decided to look at the musician as my mentor”.

Gbenga’s music tool is his ability to use indigenous language of the Yoruba, Pidgin and the English languages.

Assessing Nigerian music as the best in the world as at now, he praised the likes of Wizkid, Two- Face, Fresh, P’Square, Nice and others, who gave Nigerian music its bold face among the comity of nations as per entertainment industry is concerned in Africa. He said these men are his role models, but believes that his prayer is that their own generation will grow more than them; adding that the good prayer of every  father was for his son to surpass his record.

On the foreign scene, Drek’s and Leween music are the only foreign music that appeals to Smart G, though Nigerian musicians have done well to make sure that foreign music are no longer played in Nigerian’s night clubs, party halls and ceremonies.

Gbenga sees this development as a good omen that Nigerian music will soon take the centre stage of entertainment industry globally.

He said he will not buy the argument that foreign music is better than Nigerian music or otherwise, because they have different cultural backgrounds and messages.

“What they are telling their people is not what we should be telling our people, so I can’t say their music is better than our own or our own is better than their own. We can’t say that”.  Orisun is the next track that he is composing. According to him, Orisun is a track that says anybody who forgets his God is bound to miss his way in life.

His philosophy of life is for one to follow ones dream because life is not a stable thing. He stated that one needs each other to succeed.

He maintained his voice by eating natural things, like taking honey and hot water early in the morning.