 |
For popular musician, Mohammed Jammal better known as White Nigerian,
there is no other country as great as Nigeria. Despite his white skin,
it is a journey in futility trying to link the Jos-born artiste whose
mastery of Hausa and pidgin English is bewildering, to another country.
"As far as I am concerned, Nigeria is the only country my family members
know. The Nigerian passport is the only passport I have.
Forget about the colour of our skin", he replied when pushed for the
country his family migrated to Nigeria from. Jammal who holds a masters
degree from Regent's Business School, London spoke with Abuja Metro on
his music, growing up in Jos and why he is proud to be the first white
Nigerian to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Read his full interview after the cut
 |
What was it like growing up in Jos? People say it's similar to growing up in Europe.
Yes,I really enjoyed growing up in Jos. It's a place that makes you
appreciate God's creation. We used to go to Rayfield where we swam in
the lake. We also used to go rock climbing and fishing. But when the
riots and fights started, we couldn't do these things again. Imagine
that we used to go camping, we would sleep in the bush and all. Now, we
really can't do something like that.
What is it about Jos that many entertainers have emerged from that town?
The only answer is that we are talented people. God has blessed us. Look
at Mikel Obi. He grew up in Jos. When we were growing up in Jos, we
used to pay N200 to watch P-Square. Even Tuface has Jos connection.
Today, I am in the same industry with them.
Have you tried to connect with any of those that have made it big in the music business for collaboration?
Well, I think there are people I will work with at times goes on. Some
of these Jos guys are legends. For now, I am working with my
contemporaries. For example, I have done a song with Tekno who started
together with me. He is now blowing up.
You schooled in the United Kingdom, why didn't you start your music career there?
I actually got into the music industry by mistake. I went to P-Square's
album launch in Lagos as a comedian. I was known as a comedian then.
P-Square asked me to come do comedy at their album launch. But I also
met JJC who was London based then and he asked that we do a song that is
a little different from the norm. He wanted us to do a niche song that
would break into the northern market. So we did Takarawa, which launched
me into the Hausa speaking market. A number of artistes were doing
songs in Yoruba and Igbo, but practically no Hausa songs.
You mean, you actually started as a comedian?
Yes, people felt that I was a comedian because here was a white guy that
speaks Hausa and pidgin English. They found it funny. But now I am
focused on music because comedy is not the thing for me.
Do you get tired of people being surprised that you speak Hausa and Pidgin English?
Not really. You know its most of my Nigerian fans abroad that always are
amazed that oyinbo boy dey speak Pidgin English. They are used to white
people speaking with different accents but they are surprised to see a
white guy speaking Pidgin English. But this is where I was born and
raised. It's just normal for me to speak Hausa and Pidgin English. I
never thought there was something special about this until I got to the
UK and Nigerians I met would be shocked when I try to chat them up in
Pidgin English as their fellow Nigerian.
Where are your parents originally from?
My grandfather, my parents were born in Jos. I was born in Jos and my daughter was born here in Abuja last year.
Okay, which country did your family migrate to Nigeria from?
As far as I am concerned, Nigeria is the only country we know. The
Nigerian passport is the only passport I have. Forget about the color of
our skin. My daughter was born here to prove a point that Nigeria is
great. Some people were asking why I didn't fly my wife abroad to have
our child. But I asked them why? I told them we have good hospitals in
Nigeria where children are born. I was born in Nigeria, the same thing
for my dad and my grandfather. Why can't my child be born here too? In
fact, when my wife's parents came to Nigeria after she gave birth, they
were impressed with the five-star care she was given. I don't think
there is anywhere else in the world that they could have done better.
How would you describe the music you make?
I do a lot of hip-hop. I just did a song Tsun Sani with Di'Ja, Morell
and Vector. It's dropping next month. I also have the R&B songs like
Takarawa, Dirty Whine and Barawo. I also have recorded a highlife track
with J-Martins titled, Very Okay. Really, I think you have to do
different genres to be able to appeal to many more people. I want to
have at least, 12 songs on my album and I will be working with many big
artistes, at the end of the day, I will have somebody like Wizkid or
Davido on my album. I also hope to be lucky enough to do a track with
Olamide and Phyno. Olamide will do the Yoruba verse, while Phyno does
the Igbo verse and I will handle the Hausa verse. That would be really
nice.
Are you one of those that wouldn't mind paying for collaborations?
Well, if you are an upcoming artiste, just getting into the industry,
you will have to pay for collaborations. Those big artistes you want on
your track have worked their way up. I can tell you the Nigerian music
industry is a tough one. For me, I haven't paid for collaborations.
Sometimes, collaborations are about the relationships you have. Yemi
Alade was on my Dirty Whine video when she was unknown. Today, she is
huge. Ultimately it's about the relationships you have.
As an artiste weren't you afraid of losing fans when you got married?
Yes some people stopped following me on Twitter and Facebook at some
point. But now, fans love me and my family. When I post pictures of my
wife and daughter, I get more 'likes'. I even had to create an instagram
page just for my baby. But I will also say it's about the music you put
out. People don't really care if you are married, single or divorced,
they will love your music if you put out something good.
Most artistes say it is tough doing music in Abuja. Is it the same for you?.
Sure it's very difficult. But my niche market is the north. For someone
that is trying to break into the Lagos market, it's better to move to
Lagos.
Are YOU getting shows from your niche market?
Yes. Most of my shows are in Abuja, Kano, Jos and Nasarawa. I do
weddings and I love performing at places like NYSC camps. But I do
believe that with time, you have to break into the Lagos market because
the big deals like brand endorsement come from Lagos. For me, I also
find Abuja to be good for me because I am also into the construction
business. Music is part of my hobbies. It is my passion.
So it's not only music that pays your bills?
No. Music doesn't pay my bills. If you want to go into music full time
and you don't have huge financial backing like N10 million, it will be
tough. Sometimes, it takes years to break into the market. But if you
have N10 million and you manage it wisely, you can work till you break
through. Also, if you have somebody ready to invest in you, then you can
take the risk of making music your sole source of income.
Word has it that you went through the NYSC PROGRAMME. How was your experience? Did you do a lot of explaining?
I am the first white Nigerian to go through the NYSC. And it was one of
the best experiences of my life. I served in Nasarawa State. First, camp
was great. My back felt the pressure of marching and I had to bear the
floggings from the soldiers too. Still, camp was a great experience for
me. I was posted to a secondary school in Karu. I taught JSS 1 and 2
students Computer Studies.
What led to picking your stage name?
It's people that gave me this name. It was in London that Nigerians
started calling me that name. I associate with Nigerians everywhere. So
whenever I saw Nigerians in the UK, I would say, 'guy, how far?" They
would be so surprised. Some of them would be speaking "fone' and I would
tell them, forget this "fone", I am a Nigerian man like you. Such
people will now call their friends, saying, 'see this white Nigerian'.
No comments:
Post a Comment