Nigerian rapper, Reminisce has opened up about how he implemented boundaries in his industry relationships, stressing that not everyone around him is a friend.
When asked about how he handles fame, the rapper explained that his early experiences taught him a tough lesson about fame and the music industry.
“Fame is a drug that gets one high and clouds judgment. One of the things I did in life earlier on was to realize that nobody is my friend.”
“That’s probably why many people don’t like me, if someone has worked with me and you find out that we had issues, if you find out what happened, it would probably have been because I made my decision and stood by it.”
Reminisce
He added by emphasizing the need for boundaries. “I have learned that at the end of the day, na me go suffer the consequences,” he said.
Reminisce narrated how he learned earlier in his career that he had no friends within the industry, and as he became more successful, he learned to be careful about who he trusted to be around him.
“You know that when it comes to humans, they turn you into an enemy if they aren’t favored, especially monetarily. It took a while before I became famous and I even had a child beforehand.
“So the first thing I got to understand is that nobody is your friend, you can be kind and you can assist but the first mistake you can make in this music industry is thinking everyone is your friend. Nobody is your friend.”
Reminisce
Reminisce advises aspiring artists to be aware of their surroundings, “We all want the same thing so there is no way you’d think everyone is your friend,” he explained. “It is very normal to have people around you when you’re hot and popping and it is your responsibility as a famous person to determine what you want. Not everyone around you wants you to succeed.”
Reminisce Shares How Album ‘Alaga Ibile’ Rocketed Him To Success
Reminisce revisited how he broke into the mainstream in 2013 to become one of Nigeria’s biggest artists.
According to Reminisce, his debut album ‘My Book of Rap Stories’ didn’t have huge success but his sophomore album ‘Alaga Ibile’ sold over 13 million units in the Alaba market.
The famous Alaba market used to be the foremost music distribution channel in Nigeria from where the works of artists are marketed and distributed nationwide.
“The second album that really broke was ‘Alaga Ibile’. It did like 13 million units in Alaba and that was the moment my life really changed.”
Reminisce
Reminisce added that the album which boasts of the hit records ‘Daddy Mi’ feat Davido and ‘Eleniyan’ featuring Wizkid helped cement his name as ‘Alaga Ibile’ which would become one of his monikers as he soared to fame.
The rapper revealed that his third album ‘Baba Hafusa’ came at the advent of music streaming in Nigeria.
He explained that while his effort to craft music that would connect with a wider audience brought criticism and complaints from his fans, the album was a commercial success as he intended it to be.
‘Haba Hafusa’ debuted at NO. 12 on the Billboard World Chart thus becoming the first African rapper to debut on the chart.
Reminisce further made history with his fourth album ‘El Hadj’ which debuted on the Billboard World Album chart at NO. 13 making him the first African rapper to log two albums on the chart.
He recently released a new EP titled ‘ Sui Generis’ which features guest appearances from Vector, BadBoy Timz, and Bhadboi OML, among others. The project has been praised for delivering an impressive fusion of hip-hop, fuji, and Afrobeats.
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