Music producer, Benjamin Obadje, popularly known as Spellz, tells Saturday Beats about his career
How come most people do not even know that you are behind most of the hit songs of some Nigerian artistes?
I am not
really after the hype or publicity. I make music because I have passion
for it. I don’t do music for awards. But thank God we have some like the
Nigerian Entertainment Awards in New York; I got an award last year and
some others. I have always loved music since I was seven years old.
Anytime we go to church, I would want to stay near the drums or
speakers. I feel a lot of people know who Spellz is and have danced to
my music. They might not know me in person, but the name rings a bell.
And the industry itself recognises me and I am so grateful and I am
fulfilled for that. I don’t need to blow my trumpet; I believe my work
speaks for itself. Even at home, no one knows me as a musician; they
just know me as a neighbour.
How did you come about the name, Spellz?
It comes
from the way I think people feel when they listen to my beat or work.
Spellz is a magician or a production wizard. But people call me
different names. They call me Benjamin Spellz, Magic Boy and Listen too.
‘Listen’ is actually the signature I leave on most songs I produced.
Did your parents support your drive to do entertainment?
Initially
they didn’t. I always knew they would not allow me to pursue music as a
career because everybody in my family is a first class holder and it is
only right for me to go that line. But as a child, my dad always
listened to music and it actually influenced me. We also had musical
instruments at home. I got to learn how to play the guitar and later the
drums. In my secondary school then, it was either you do business
studies or music. Most people did not show interest in music, as they
called it the most useless subject in the class. We were just eight that
offered the subject; every other person went to business. That was
where I started learning the real rudiments of music. Though after my
junior class, I stopped going for the classes, you would still see me in
the music hall.
When exactly did you start making music?
I started
as a rapper.I later started writing poems because I saw that rap music
was not expressing everything I wanted to put out because it was too
personal back then. You have to be a gangstar. But from there, I felt
that I should be making beats too. When you are trying to stand tall,
you would try so many things as an artist before you get what you need.
But rapping and singing have actually helped me. It influenced the way I
make music and write songs. I co-write songs with artistes a lot.
How did your parents take your career choice?
I actually
started producing music when I was in 100 Level. I knew like I said
earlier, that they didn’t want a musician in the house, so I always hid
to make music with my head phone. Whenever they came out, I would use
screen saver to cover the software I was working on. I knew that they
would discourage me, so I had to do it secretly. By the time they found
out what I had been spending my time on it was too late. Although they
fought it and did all manner of things to stop me, I guess the passion
for music was too strong. So we had disagreement and I wasn’t in the
house for like eight to nine months. I didn’t run away; I just left
because I knew it wasn’t a conducive place to grow. I came back when
everything was settled.
What was the experience like when you were struggling to make a name?
It wasn’t
easy. I did a lot of free jobs, though there were some beats I wouldn’t
give out free. Even when I wanted to give it for free, I look for big
names and it helped me grow. When you also give stuff for free, you are
gaining experience in a way. My first deal came when I was in 300 Level.
My roommate was the son of the former Governor of Oyo State, Alao
Akala. We were good friends and we actually had a radio station then. He
was the MC, I was the DJ. He told me one day that we were going to
Ibadan to meet someone. The person had heard some of the jobs I did. So I
got N3.5m to produce four artistes and I was to do three songs each for
them. It really blew my mind and I almost went mad because prior to
that, I was collecting N4, 000 to make a beat. It was even free most
times. It was good but also bad in some sense because it exposed me to
some things that were negative. For me to have that money at that level,
it didn’t really work well for me, but I got up. The money didn’t kill
my passion.
Which of your songs would you say brought you into limelight?
Gaga Crazy by Chuddy K actually brought me into limelight, but I was hoping it would be On Point, 9ice featuring Wizkid. But Gaga Crazy
came during the fuel subsidy and was everywhere. That was the genesis
for me. After then, I had made a lot of hit songs. Making the song
happened in 45 minutes.
What makes your production different?
I am like
water. If you ask anyone who knows me and music very well, I have
produced all genres of music. I even do classic like the Love In Yellow I did for Tiwa. I am very versatile; I can make dancehall, RnB like Banky W’s Good Loving,
etc. I think versatility is my selling point. I worked on Olawale, the
Project Fame winner. I did Jupa and the song he featured Tiwa. I am
working on Evelle, the winner of Nigerian Idol. But I think one of the
biggest so far is Dammy Crane. I produced My Dear and Amin. We wrote Amin together. It is not just about music for us; he is like my brother and we are very close.
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