Did you know that there are approximately 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide? Can you imagine all the different ways in which we all use the internet? Obasanjo’s Internet is our interview series where we speak to some of our internet favourites on how they relate to the internet and what it means to them and their work. This week, DJ Sydney Love talks to us about how she uses Obasanjo’s Internet.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Brush my teeth. But besides personal hygiene, I grab my laptop to check emails and work on whatever I stopped working on the night before. I’m kind of a workaholic.
How do you use the internet for work or pleasure?
For work. The internet has endless possibilities and ways to contribute to your quality of life or take you to another level in your career. Even though the internet is not new, I’m intrigued by it every time. A simple search or something I upload can change my life.
What moment or episode in your life would you say captured the essence of the internet?
Last year a person I was following, who owns a platform in Ghana called iMullar posted that he needed a DJ. I hit him up and he tells me to make a mix. I personally don’t like mixes but I said okay let’s do it. I made the mix and sent it a couple of weeks later then he told Ebro Darden wants to feature my mix on Apple Music. Then boom! I was featured on Apple Music on The Ebro show and it was kind of crazy.
The craziest part about it was that Ebro is based in New York, his show is in New York and I live in New York, but it took me doing a mix for a platform in Ghana to be featured on radio in New York where I already live. That part burst my head.
Your favourite social media platform and why?
Honestly, I hate all social media platforms. I feel like they’re ruining everyone’s lives and we’re becoming slaves to it. Like you can’t move forward in your career unless you have this or you’re doing this on this platform. But if I had to choose one, I’d just have to let it be Instagram.
What was the last meme you saved?
Do you remember the first time something you posted went viral? What was it? How did it make you feel
My tweets tend to go viral, but it wasn’t really a good thing. I said something about an artist’s music and they saw it. With thousands and hundreds of thousands of people on Twitter, I was wondering why he found my tweet. The same thing kept happening until I stopped talking about artists’ music on Twitter and in public. I guess because I’m a DJ they feel a way that someone who has the potential to play their music is saying this. I got dragged a lot.
What’s the most outrage you have ever generated over something you posted? How did you react to it?
I was at some show and I saw Kaytranada DJing, but from the view from backstage it looked like he wasn’t actually DJing. I’m a DJ, so I know what it looks like when someone is DJing or playing a prerecorded set. Thinking I was giving him props I tweeted how I can’t wait to have a set where I can play a prerecorded set like Kaytranada. They wanted to finish me on the internet that day. Kaytranada even responded that he was playing a live set and he wasn’t just standing there.
After that, I just stopped talking. It was really bad and I never had fans gang up on me like that. To make it worse, Big Kaytranada was fighting me on Twitter. That day changed my life and I decided not to speak about anyone’s music again.
What is your guilty online pleasure?
I love downloading fonts. I know that sounds crazy but I’m a ‘fontaholic’. I design all my event flyers, promos or anything directly linked to me so I’m always looking for fonts. If I see a good font, I can spend like 2 hours looking for it and I must get it for free.
Would you say you have an online persona?
I don’t think I have an online persona. I’m the same way in real life. But people perceive my online persona as a mean one. I think it’s cultural nuances that make people misunderstand me. I can say something as a Yoruba person and people who don’t understand the tone will take it as me being rude.
What’s your favourite emoji and why?
I have so many. Right now, it’s 😮💨. It just gets me. It can be used for something good or something bad. It’s very versatile.
Are you particular about your feed?
I don’t care much about my Twitter feed cause anything can happen on there, but I have an auto-tweet deleter cause you can’t me slipping.
I try to be particular about my Instagram feed, but I’ve gotten to the point where I just post. I tried curating my feed but it was driving me crazy so I do a little curation with an app that shows what my feed will look like with certain posts. I can’t come and kill myself.
YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?
Right now, I would say YouTube. It’s way more organised. You can be in a rabbit hole on TikTok and after 2 hours you realize you didn’t gain anything. It’s so dangerous.
Which Nigerian creator do you think the world needs to see and hear more of?
Blaqbonez. He’s a genius when it comes to content and ideas. I think he’s absolutely amazing.
Who is the coolest person you follow and the coolest person who follows you?
The coolest person I follow is Prettyboy D-O. It’s honestly between him and Lady Donli, but I’ll choose Prettyboy D-O.
There’re so many cool people who follow me, but I’d have to say DJ Maphorisa. Amapiano to the world you know.
What is your favourite Nigerian podcast?
I Said What I Said. They’re reigning supreme.
Have you ever hooked up with someone you met online?
Yes I have, but those days are over.
5 people you’d love to see answer these questions
@PrettyboyD-O, @Minznse, @OnyiKokelu, @dndSection and @DJTgarbs
Read previous Obasanjo’s Internet entries here.