Culture Custodians #5: Ajebutter 22

“At some point you have to Kanye a babe”. Kanye as a verb for something you do with women? This is the first I’m hearing of that. I’m intrigued. “What exactly does that mean?” “You know how everyone has been with everyone. At some point, you have to stand behind one girl and say she’s mine. That’s what it means to Kanye a babe”. Lessons from one of the more unique voices in Nigerian music, Ajebutter22. Days from the first anniversary of his debut album, the Studio Magic helmed Anytime Soon, we meet up. Armed with his partner and the A&R on Anytime Soon, Ife ‘Headphones’ Koleowo, the plan is to do something on that theme whilst getting a futuristic perspective.

Somewhere in Lekki. Somto, Butter’s manager sends a text with a Lekki address. Getting there proves a bit difficult as it’s a bit of a non descript location. There’s a little private road in Lagos’ nouveau riche capital that’s home to Mo Abudu’s Ebony Life Television. Getting in is not a problem at all. The security guards are friendlier than I’m used to. Walking up the stairs, a loud voice booms. It sounds pretty familiar. It’s just Toke Makinwa taking some time off from vlogging and posting pictures on Instagram to conduct an interview with Butter. Headphones and I look in on the set but get bored and take a sit. It might go under the radar but Ife is a brilliant raconteur. There’s a tale for every moment. This time, he’s going in on a recent huff and puff with his parents. Essentially, he’d been caught red handed doing something he shouldn’t have and had to face up to the consequences. It’s pretty hilarious.

Eventually, the moment does come.

(This interview has been condensed and edited.  The first part is here)

 You started out as Soyinka’s Afro. How did you evolve from that to this?

My sister and I were a group. We were just making music. Nothing official. She finished University and moved back to Nigeria. I had to make music somehow, now. That’s how I started making music on my own.

How did you start making music? What made you start?

I just liked music. I used to write. I liked Mode Nine a lot. That was my favorite rapper. I used to listen to punchlines. Like the first time I heard a punchline in my life was like 2002/2003.

What was the line?

Ah! I’ve forgotten. But I remember this line I really took in. “On new tracks/ I train crews (cruise) till they call me coach”. This was like 2003 or something like that. This was before Wayne blew. So imagine that in like 2006 when Wayne blew and everyone wanted to rap like him. I had been feeling that about Mode Nine since. I guess that’s how I first started getting involved in writing. My sister used to sing. And then when she moved back, I bought my own microphone- I used to record myself in the house. From that, you just get a feel of what you sound like. I never really liked what I sounded like until I tried different things. That’s how I evolved my sound.

As it is, you’ve done stuff with Naeto. You’ve done stuff with Olamide

We have one track out. Me, Olamide and Lynxx. I have one track with Olamide. I’ve done stuff with Naeto. There are maybe, two or three songs that M.I and I have recorded.

You’re working with proper heavyweights now.

Yeah! I’ve written, well not stuff that we’ve put out, for a lot of blown guys. Thing about me is that I’m selective with the people I work with on my own tracks. Like if some artistes call me, I won’t just go. I won’t just be gingered to go because even if I go with an open mind, I don’t have much to contribute. It’s not everybody’s music I can contribute to. It’s not everybody that I’m going to work with and that’s just something people have to accept.

I’m hearing the mixtape is scrapped.

The mixtape is scrapped? I don’t know about that o. You can ask about anything you want.

What’s up with the mixtape? I got the impression it was supposed to come out on the 22nd (The Anytime Soon Anniversary)

There’s something in the works with regard to a body of work. That’s another thing with me. Recording mode is different from album pushing mode. By the time we released Omo Pastor, we had 60-70% of Anytime Soon done. I’m a different person when I’m making music and when promoting it. When I’m promoting it, I’m everywhere doing many things. When I’m making my jams, I try to be mellow. I try not to go out too much. I try not to make many public appearances or listen to.. If I had my way, I wouldn’t be in Nigeria. The sound of what you hear

would influence what you’re making.

Yes! I don’t like that. I try to make things the way I want it to sound. I’m very selfish in that regard.

With regard to the next project, what have you learnt from the last one that you would work on differently.

Musically, there’s nothing like your first. Nothing can beat making your first album. For me sha cos I think Anytime Soon was special. That’s my own opinion. Making another album, I don’t know what I can learn. Obviously, you have to grow as a person. You can’t make the same music as you made the last time ‘cos people aren’t as interested in hearing the same thing again. They just don’t like that. The new music I have has shown growth. If I play you all the jams I’m working on now, it doesn’t sound like Anytime Soon. There’s a similar vein of  me but the sound of the music is not the same.

I know you’re close to Boj and Teezee. How did that develop?

Boj and Teezus. Boj. At the time we made Omo Pastor, I think we’d only met once.

But you guys had like 4 songs out at that time.

We used to Skype loads.

Headphones: Pause.

We used to Skype loads. We used to send each other files.

Headphones: Pause.

He’ll send me files. I’ll send him files. That guy is a crazy guy. One day, I was doing exams and this guy called me and said “Record this jam. I want to release it tomorrow. ” I’m like Yo, I have exams. I record in my room so I did something and sent it to him. (Looking back, another pause would have been apt. )

This was Pretty Girl Freestyle. I was now like “You know what. Me too, I’m tensioning you back”. I gave him Jo Funmi. I don’t know if we’d recorded Omo Pastor. We might have but we hadn’t released it. I had recorded the verses and done a rough draft. I sent it to him and he was saying he didn’t like it. I was like “Guy, You’re mad.” We performed a lot of shows together. We had a lot of the same friends. We just started jamming and now we’re good friends.

Teezee was more of when I moved back to Naij. We were in Naij together. We record in the same place and we’re sort of, guys.

Have you and Boj thought of doing something together? A mixtape. Or album

We have, at least 4 songs together.

I told him this the last time I spoke to him. You guys make so much music during the year. What’s the point of sitting on all that music?

The point is that making music is one thing. Finishing it is another. Getting the song for release is another thing. Then strategy for release. It’s a long process.

If you and Boj just did an EP of like 7 or 8 songs and put it on iTunes, it’ll bang.

You have a point.

It’ll easily bang.

We haven’t sat down to talk about doing an EP. But I know we have jams together.

Let’s talk about the school tour. You’ve done that 2 years in a row. My brother met you and he was real stanning.

Oh! Yeah?

I tend to think that with the school crowd , do you still relate with the younger ones? I know when I was in school, what the SS3’s were listening to is different from what the JS3’s are listening to. So as those guys are getting phased out, do you stick or twist? Do you keep going back?

What happens is that whoever’s in charge with the new set mess with my music. They still buzz me for the school tour and it’s becoming a tradition in some schools. I’ve gone to Atlantic Hall twice. I’ve gone to Grange like three times. Or even more. Greensprings like three times. I was a fan of music. I am a fan of music so I know how it feels when you like someone’s music and you get to meet the person. It’s important for me to do the school tour to keep in touch with some of the real fans who actually have time to listen to and critique your music. Those are the people who don’t listen to rubbish. They listen to good music because they have time to listen to tonnes of stuff and they pick out what they think is good. They’re the ones I actually.. I respect their opinion a lot. I know that when I was in secondary school, that’s when I had the most time to listen to music. That’s when I listened to Nas’ first album. All Jay’s albums. We had arguments about rap in class for hours. Nobody else has time for that. Nobody else goes in depth into your music and talking about it like that.

Do people compare you to Falz?

Yeah! I’ve been compared to Falz.

I know of older people who feel like you jacked him. 

Man, me and Falz it’s weird. We kind of come from the same bridge in that we say things in our music. When two people say things in their songs and they speak in Yoruba and English, there’s no way we’re not going to compare them. We both work with Studio Magic. My album did come out first but if you look at his album cover , it kind of looks the same. By the time I’d released all my jams, he was rapping rapping. He’d never done anything with melody and then he brings out High Class. I don’t think he’s copying me, I just think it’s natural progression. We have at least, three or four jams together. I just think that in the industry there are people you’re going to be in the same area or category with. Till today, people ask me “Are you Burna boy?” or they say Black Magic and I sound alike. These are things I’ve been told. People that are trying to trend on Twitter. They’ll say “Tweet for Black Magic, Favorite for Ajebutter. In that sense, I’ll say as a musician there are going to be certain people you’ll be compared to.

What are the things that influence you?

I don’t listen to that much music. Ife listens to all our music for us. Then he’ll come with the one or two songs we should definitely listen to. There are just a couple of artists I listen to. Most recently, Ty Dolla $ign. I just like his music. I found one of his albums or mixtapes and I thought it was mad. I listen to a lot of Ed Sheeran. He’s like my favorite artist. I watch his performances for hours. He’s very lyrical and detailed in lyrics. I listen to a lot of Drake. I listen to a lot of J Cole. Those are the four artists I really listen to so if any musical influences come from anywhere, it’ll be those two. And M.I too.

Do you get upset?

Of course. Am I not a human being?

But you come across as very placid. Other people in similar positions aren’t like that .

People only lash out because they’re celebrities. If you go to the bank and someone pisses you off, are you going to lash out? I’m still a self respecting person. The celebrity thing doesn’t really get to me. The one time I lashed out. I bought earphones from this website and they gave me fake ones. I started tweeting about it and the CEO called to apologize. Took me out to dinner. I have his number now. He only did that because this guy is a celebrity- he has many followers etc. That’s not the way it should be. If anyone has a problem with your product, you should treat them the same.

Since you moved back to Nigeria, I get the impression that the perception you have from when you were in England is not the reality you met. What have you learned?

In England, you’re making music for the fun of it. In reality, people are making music as a way out of poverty. People are making music as a way of getting attention. Some people are making music cos they failed in school- they don’t have anything else to do. That’s the reality. There are people who work at the radio stations, TV stations, managers- They are looking for money. It’s a proper industry. Entertainment in Nigeria is one of the booming industries. Not booming, one of the biggest industries- one of the biggest emerging industries. So when you’re in England making music on your laptop, you don’t even think about all these things. They don’t even cross your mind. You’re just making jams cos you like jams.

You’re unsigned right?

Yeah! I’m not signed to anyone.

As an indie artist, you’re funding yourself. Are you looking for backing or will you rather stay the way you are?

One thing with Anytime Soon which is another beautiful thing is that we’ve made a lot of money off just music. We didn’t have any initial capital. We didn’t say we’re putting together 5million or 10 million. Not even 5 naira of my own money down. Any money we spent is money we made from music. And we’ve made profit.

So the return is 100%

More than. Way more than. We’ve made like way, way profits.

In Nigeria, it’s happening a lot that the big artists tend to get off their deals and go solo. What is it about the structure that just screws things up like that?

There’s three tiers to music in Nigeria. There are people who are unsigned and have absolutely nothing. So those people, 99% of the time you need backing from somewhere. You need a lot of money. Like millions. You need to be signed. If you’re not signed, maybe you’ll have one jam. One okay jam. And maybe from that, someone will pick you up and sign you. When you’re signed, you get backing and stuff. But when you break through a ceiling- You can sort of sustain yourself. If you’re getting paid 4/5 million per show and one video costs 3 million, you can basically run on yourself. Those are like the 3 levels. When you’re on the middle level, you can leave your label and set up your own label. And just keep 100% of the money and push yourself. Everything your label does, they outsource. They outsource your PR, they outsource your management. So if you know those people you can pay them yourself as opposed to having someone pay them for you while taking a percentage of your money. That’s just the difference.

Why did you change managers?

Sometimes, you just need something new. You feel like you need to do something else. Like consulting. If you hire this consulting firm and tell them “Okay, this business is not doing what you expect it to do”. And you feel like things could be improved. I can’t change myself. I can only change my manager. If Tottenham or Man U are supposed to be winning the league and they’re coming like 3rd or 4th or not qualifying for Champions League, will they say “we’re not playing football again?” They’ll fire their manager now. Sometimes, you just feel like a change of environment is needed. I could easily have given you something that’ll have been on the blogs.

This interview was conducted in February 2015.