Raison D'être: Why am I doing this
The song I have enjoyed the most in 2020 is a wispy, emotive track titled “Books” by Jake Doe off his To A Bedroom Devoid Of Love E.P. By the nature of the music industry, not nearly enough people that need to will get to hear that song. And it’s not because the song is undeserving of acclaim, there’s solemn practicality in the way the song creeps into your immediate environment and fits itself into any space it can find, but that’s just the way the world is set up. I’m listening to it as I write this and I know that, for a multiplicity of reasons, it might never get the credit it deserves.
It is unfair but the truth of the matter is that journalism is facing a losing fight with its current model. As the world catches unto newer methods of distributing information, the very existence of journalism continues to be threatened. Predictably, media houses are shuttering and in-depth coverage is becoming scarce. Not to talk about Nigeria’s almost non-existent music and culture journalism platforms, the ones that do exist are forced to focus their coverage extensively on the big names that can drive readership and traffic; sadly, so many talented artists will fall under the radar and that’s why I started this publication. I wanted to spotlight deserving music from up-and-comers across music forms and genres as well as hear their stories of grit, hustle, setbacks (if any), and triumph. So, here we go.
Big Talk: Bounce Collectif
To start, I had a talk with some of the guys behind Bounce Collectif, a couple of ex-students who made a collaborative tape in the winding down hours of their studentship at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State. Collectif Vol. 1, released late in June, is a potpourri of sounds - rap, R&B, trap, and street pop - blended into each other for maximum output.
In conversation, they tell me about making the tape, being up-and-comers, and navigating the post-school gap.
How would you classify the music that Bounce Collectif makes?
Grim: Bounce is actually just a collective of artists. Operating across different genres of music, we have rappers, singers, trappers, people who do afro-pop, afro-fusion, reggae, and any style of music. Basically, Bounce is a fusion of different sounds and that's what it is about; there's no particular genre that defines the group, it's just a team that does music.
How did you all come together?
Grim: It happened in school (Olabisi Onabanjo University). All of us are from the same school, the same faculty, and most of us are even from the same department. We got together through music concerts organized on campus. Some of us met in class on a normal day, so, that's how we came together.
The Bear: I met the guys through Rap Culture in uni. A show organized by 50 (Bounce Collectif's founder). 50 came to me one day while we were in school and he asked if I was a rapper and if I made music and I told him, yes, and that was how the whole thing started. I met the guys then and since then we've been getting better, working on our craft, honing our skills, and that's how we came together.
Was there any specific moment when you decided to make the transition from friends to actual collective?
The Bear: This was quite easy because we were not just friends, we were actually music friends. And as time went on, it just clicked because if I'm your friend and I make music and you make music too and we go to each other's house and are always rubbing minds, it's only a matter of time before we started to make music together and that's what happened.
Grim: Personally, I'd say that we all had it in us. It's unexplainable how we all came together and it all worked out, but from my perspective, I feel we were already musicians before we met and it's not like anybody was pushed or coerced, we were all naturally inclined towards music and that's why we connected like we did. It was very easy for us to move from just friends to the music thing because we had the same mindset, motives, and all we had to do was just say, "Guy, how far, make we make music and we did that," and it made sense and that's how we became who we are today.
Dancheezy: Just like Grim said, we all can't explain how we came together but I just feel the coming together of artiste works really easy and fast but I must say we didn't just come together as music creators but as a family.
How long was your E.P. in the works?
Grim: Fun fact about the E.P. is that we had it originally recorded last year September as we were finishing up from school. We were about to finish our final exams when we had it recorded. After school we went our ways, so it was difficult to meet up and work on it but between September and March/April this year, we were working on the mixing and mastering, so that's the entire timeline.
The Bear: We just had the idea one time. Grim had the idea to create a body of work, I don't know who hit me up to tell me about it but the E.P. took us just three days, when I say three days, we were in the same room together for that period, it was a small tight room, but we made a gem out of that place. It was an oven but we made a gem out of that place; diamonds in the rough.
Abimbola: I'm not necessarily an artist but I'm a part of the Bounce Collectif. During the recording process, I played the role of an A&R. Planned the roll-out for the project and the publicity behind the project...and provided emotional support (during the recording process).
Can you expand on the recording process, how many songs were cut, all of that?
Abimbola: The recording process was pretty dope. The whole project was recorded under 48 hours and just two tracks did not make the cut. It was a really creative experience, we had funny moments, the whole feel of an amazing project.
G-Win: The project was just awesome because we just allowed the spirits to move. It was only the first track on the E.P. that gave us a lot of challenges, but the rest was just pure vibes and it was awesome.
The Bear: We all played significant roles. We wrote our songs ourselves and we killed it. We all delivered perfectly on the tape. For me, Billy (Hunned) played a big role with the mixing and engineering of the whole tape, shout-out to Xperijay for that too, the production of the tape. For the bars, the finesse, the guys came with it. Also, Bimbo and I helped with the marketing and we all played amazing roles.
What would you say was the estimated financial cost of putting your project together, marketing it, and all?
Abimbola: 40k. 10k for sponsored ads on social media. 20k for artwork. 10k for logistics.
Do you think, with your marketing campaign, the music has crossed into newer ears since you put it out?
Abimbola: Yes, it has. It was able to cross into newer ears. Before we put out the project, we put out a song, "Low Key," and few hours after we put it out it was on the trending list on Audiomack which helped introduce our brand to a wider audience. We got numbers from the U.S.A., from Canada, and across the world. After putting out the project, we got numbers from so many countries around the world.
Grim: Personally, I've gotten DMs from people I don't know telling me they loved some tracks and that they loved the project and stuff like that. So, I feel as it went into the heart of new people, how wide or how many is what I don't know.
The Bear: Definitely. I think it had crossed into new ears. I've been noticing new engagements on Twitter, On Instagram, people are leaving comments, those sort of things. We were able to get a song on the tape on Audiomack's trending list and that really helped us with new listeners.
G-win: Yeah, we've crossed into newer ears. And we've felt it individually, we've gotten new fans. People are always messaging me about particular tracks and people saying they love our brand before it wasn't like that.
How difficult is it to cut through the noise as up-and-coming acts, especially in a country like Nigeria?
Grim: It's not been easy. Because even people with higher privileges have been complaining about how hard it has been, it's been a lot of work and we are just doing what we can do because, man, the industry is not smiling right now. And we coming at this time when the cost of everything is higher makes it hard. We keep pushing, but it's hard.
G-Win: It's a big challenge but there's a saying that Rome was not built in a day so we stick together and I believe that there is something coming. But there are still challenges, sometimes we make some songs and expect more numbers but you don't get up to that, it's just how it is.
The Bear: About this, there's a lot to say because growing In Nigeria, no matter the industry you're in, it's tough enough because the country really lacks structures. Especially in the music industry, a lot of things need to be in place for us to have a modern-day music industry. It's really been tough for us, and there's a lot of corruption in the industry too, too much corruption.
Are there plans to take the music beyond just being promoted on social media and peer-to-peer?
The Bear: Definitely, but when you look at Nigeria today, moving beyond social media and peer-to-peer promotion requires a lot of money, you need to have money to do it and that money aspect has been a challenge for us.
Grim: Definitely, one of the reasons we've been restricted is because of school then. None of us was planning on dropping out or giving up the B.Sc chase to pursue the music, so, we had to make do with what we had then. But now that we're done with school, the next couple of years are going to be fire, we have bigger plans, motivations, and taking bigger steps.
With the restriction of distance and finishing from school, what's the future of your collective looking like?
Grim: We are all in Lagos and it's not as big as other states, so, there's always going to be a way. And we have a couple of meeting points to work, we can send files too, but I'm very sure that in due time, reservations for a central location for meetings will be made and everything will pick up, but as has been said, it depends on the money, how quick it comes, that's the determinant factor. But, I'm very confident about the future, we'll move.
The Bear: The future looks really good, we've made plans to get together, there are so many Bounce songs coming up. You'll hear it soon.
G-Win: We don't know what tomorrow holds, but for now the restriction (distance) is not a challenge for us because files can be transferred and it's easier. We know how we work, we know ourselves, so it's not a barrier or challenge for us.
Stream Collectif Vol. 1 here.
Some recommendations: Three songs and that’s that
Tyson Noir - Stream “Down For It”
Tyson Noir’s music is hypnotically wicked. When listened to at full volume, the music breaks any wall of separation between singer and listener, bridging the gap with low-burner sensual melodies. His latest project, Up at 5, tunnels into those strengths, supporting his fluttery delivery with an almost-dawn hue that pervades the full run-time of this beautiful project. But Up at 5 ascends up a notch when it adds prominent drum kicks and pedantic revelry to its armoury and track number three, “Down For It,” is one of those instances, pairing minimalist production and a simple drum pattern to accentuate Noir’s message.
Emo Grae ft. Buju - Stream “0903”
Marlian Music’s latest signee, Emo Grae, has a new song out to celebrate linking up with the record label. “0903’s” chorus is soft and spongy courtesy BUJU’s signature teasing voice. The two singers are locked in a love triangle with a girl and their fictional experiences with Linda inspire the single, allowing both singers to dovetail their contrasting style over the wobbling beat.
Zarion Uti - Stream “Money”
Whilst themes of money and material benefit are cliches in Nigerian music, the way Zarion Uti sings about it is so colourful. The emPawa 30 artist’s vocals smoothly move in sync with BRYM’s production and the delivery, a mix of English, Yoruba, and pidgin, makes the message, how to get money, unavoidable.