The Business of Music With P Priime

Peace Emmanuel Oredope is 17-year-old but professionally he is known as P Priime. He finished secondary school in 2016 at the age of 14.  His dad was the leader of the boys’ brigade at church and that was his first introduction to music. Peace started playing the drums when he was four,  piano at age nine, and began producing at 15 in 2017. P Priime’s brother is a drummer and with the help of their dad put him through on how to play the drums. His mum would tease him about breaking the plastics in her shop because he was always drumming as a child. He started playing the piano because his house was close to the church.

One night, his dad brought a piano back home for him and got a music teacher to teach him to play the piano. I sat down with P Priime to talk about his production, working with Fireboy, Good Girl LA, Oxlade, Ice Prince, Terri, Zlatan, Burna Boy and his relationship with Sarz. 

How did you start producing? 

My elder brother helped me with my transition to becoming a producer. He plays the piano and tried to produce at a point. But he couldn’t carry on with it. I started producing by experimenting with FL studio on my sister’s laptop after I graduated from secondary school. I feel music is in me and I feel like we are meant to be together. After I started learning how to produce, I found that I could hone my production skills watching tutorials on YouTube. I used YouTube to learn around the time my brother opened a recording studio, something that had always been his dream to own. At first, he didn’t want me to come around the studio, he wanted me to go to university. He kept someone in the studio to manage it for him, but I kept insisting on coming to the studio. At a point he allowed me to come into his studio and work with the other producers. Being there helped me to learn from other producers and sound engineers that came to his studio. 

So what did YouTube do for you as a producer? 

YouTube made work easier for me. YouTube exposed me to the fact that I was limiting myself, that there was a lot I could do. There were so many links to external sound packs to be gotten from different YouTube, external plug-ins one could use for production. You can’t limit yourself. 

What inspires your production? 

Everything inspires me. But I work with visuals a lot, I look at things, and try to interpret into sound waves. You could just be bobbing your head beside me, I start doing that with you and in doing that I have a flow, rhythm, and melody in my head. Basically, everything around me inspires me to make music. 

What emotions do you feel when you produce? 

It’s joy. Joy. It could be frustrating sometimes. 

What makes it frustrating? 

Man…a whole lot of stuff, being stuck in one position. Trying to be different from others. Trying to create the unexpected, it takes a lot for you to do that. That’s one of my biggest frustrations, being stuck because I am trying to be different. But at the end of the day it works, I end up creating something different and the joy is unexplainable. 

Can you explain the joy you feel? 

The joy is unexplainable knowing that I produced a song that determines how someone else feels. I could make a sad beat today, but knowing that I control the emotions of other people and can help make the person smile, the feeling gives me joy. 

How did you get into the Sarz Academy? 

I saw the invitation from Sarz to other producers to get a chance to be mentored by him on IG. I thought I would not be able to get in. This is Sarz, you know. He said we should send a one-minute sample beat and a bio about ourselves. The bio was not the issue, it was about the beat that would wow Sarz at this point. I just started producing one year ago, what would I make that will burst Sarz’s head? A friend of mine, Semzi, said he would try it out and I should do, as well. I submitted my application. A week before the academy started I hadn’t heard anything from them, I wasn’t happy. But one Saturday morning in August 2018, I was checking my mail and found out that I got the mail 3 days ago that I was selected for the academy. 

How long was the Sarz Academy? 

The academy lasted for one month. 

What was the experience working with Sarz? 

My first day in the academy, Sarz reached out to shake me. I couldn’t believe it. I was 16, in the same place as Sarz. We shook. The experience was mind-blowing. Sarz, to me, is the best producer out of Nigeria. One month with him, was an eye-opener. He put us through during the academy. 

What’s your relationship with Sarz? 

Sarz is my dad. My industry dad forever. Every time I reach out to him, or need his advice, he always comes through. Even if he is busy. He now answers my DMs unlike before. At the Academy, I made him reply to my DM. I told him I had been in his DMs for a long time, he sent me a message saying olodo. Sarz calling me olodo is a compliment. He always comes through for me, even with his busy schedule. 

How many were you guys in the Academy? 

We were 10. Sarz said he got thousands of applications. So I was happy I was selected. I learned a lot. It was the Sarz Academy that introduced me to the music business. Before the academy, I didn’t know anything about royalties, or split sheets. My understanding before the academy was to produce and hand it over to people without signing splits. Sarz shared his sound pack with us. After I left the academy my sound changed, the sound pack Sarz gave us was top quality. The sound pack is the elements that make up a beat. I destroyed my sound pack after. I also got in contact with my management team at Sarz Academy. 

So Sarz academy offered you the chance to access a management team? 

Yes, they did. I met the Incubation Factory team, Oyinkansola ‘Foza’ Fawehinmi, Iredumare Opeyemi, and Olajumoke ‘the Cake’ Olayiwola at the Sarz Academy. At the end of the academy, Iredumare asked us to always reach out through Cake (Jumoke) the administrator of the academy. I kept in contact with them, but I went back to producing. Around September 2018, I told Cake that I had a beat I felt was perfect for Zlatan. She promised to get back to me, a week later she said I should get ready so we can meet Zlatan and we did. This happened after Zlatan recorded Able God with Chinko Ekun and Lil Kesh. In April 2019, I signed a management deal with Incubation Factory and haven’t had to worry about my split sheet or any contractual issues since. My management team has me covered. This happened because of the Sarz Academy. 

Have you released this song you recorded with Zlatan? 

Not yet. We are yet to release the song. I am still waiting for that to happen. 

How did you record Gelato with Zlatan? 

Around July/August 2019, I was going to the Mainland Block Party and two guys jumped me. They took my laptop, sound card and everything from me. The next day I called Zlatan to explain to him that I had lost the songs for his album because I had the songs on my laptop. I asked Zlatan if I could come to his house to record the songs again. He said yes, I hit up my friends Semzi and Miraqulous. The gave me their equipment to work with. While I was at Zlatan’s place, the whole Gelato thing started. Zlatan told me that he would like me to produce this Gelato song. I think DJ Cuppy called him and asked for the song. I was happy. I made different beats, he liked the fourth beat and that was the Gelato beat. After Zlatan recorded his part, we went to Cuppy to get her own recording. She had recorded her verse for the song before we got there, I took the file, did some corrections, and that was it. Gelato was born. 

So how has it been recording with Zlatan?

Zlatan is the proper energy guy. You can’t catch him slipping, he is always working. Ready to record all the time. 

How many songs did you produce on Zlatan’s Zanku album?

 I produced 3 songs: Sunita, Compulsory Course, and If You No Know. 

How many people did you work with in 2019? 

I worked with Ice Prince, Oxlade, Zlatan, Fireboy Jinmi Abduls, Jeff Akoh, Good Girl LA. I produced 4 songs on Good Girl LA’s EP. My songs with Jinmi, Ice Prince, Oxlade are not yet out. Expecting them to be released soon. I produced Talo Lomo featuring Terri and Good Girl LA. I produced the song with Tempoe, a friend from the Sarz Academy. 

Which song did you produce on Fireboy DML’s album?

I produced Like I Do on Fireboy DML’s Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps album. 

What was 2019 like for you as a producer? 

Sincerely, it was mind-blowing. I just remembered I worked with Burna Boy and Naira Marley. Fam! 

Is the song out? 

Not yet. 

What was it like recording with Burna Boy? 

It was sick. It was the night of Burna Boy’s birthday in 2019. Naira Marley was there. I have both of them on a track. I don’t even know how to explain, but recording them was a dope experience.

How did you get to meet Burna Boy and Naira Marley? 

It was Zlatan. He connected me with Burna Boy and Naira Marley.  Zlatan was with Burna that night, we were supposed to record a song at his house but he called and asked me to come to meet him at a hotel somewhere on the Island. He said there was no producer with them. I got there immediately, played some beats for them. The first beat I played, Burna Boy was like turn that shit down. I felt it, but I knew that wasn’t Burna Boy’s vibe, it was the beat I was working on before I got to the hotel. I played another beat, he said nice and asked that I turn the volume up. We recorded Burna Boy’s part and Naira Marley voiced his own part. 

What was the experience recording with the two biggest music stars of 2019? 

I was trying hard to comport myself. I am always calm whenever I am excited about something, but I couldn’t contain my excitement. 2019 was too amazing for me. 

What’s the plan for 2020?

More gbedu. Continue to improve my brand with my management team. More collaborations with different artistes across the world. 

Who are the producers you look up to in Nigeria? 

My dad (Sarz), Don Jazzy, Spax, AND Masterkraft. These guys are the masters. 

Who are the producers you look up to outside Nigeria? 

Major Lazer. Skrillex, Love Diplo. David Guetta, Timbaland, and Zedd. 

What are the challenges you’ve faced as a young producer? 

Everyone wants to take advantage of you because they feel you haven’t achieved much or because you’re still young in the game. But that’s not how it should be. I don’t feel threatened by their actions, because of the people around me and I know they will not allow anyone to take advantage of me.