“Hip Hop Has Not Taken Over”

Bright Chimezie

— Bright Chimezie, whose genre of music is called African Sound. With his debut in the mid-80s, the country witnessed the birth of a fresh star, but suddenly in 2003, Chimezie also known as Okoro Junior, disappeared from the scene–well, until very recently when he reappeared. The Source stumbled on him recently and he gladly relieved his experiences with us
It’s been a while since you suddenly dropped off the music scene. What happened?
I have been around actually, but the only reason why I guess you’ve not been seeing me is because I left Lagos seven years ago. The razzmatazz of this business and the press are based here. So when you leave Lagos, it looks like you are missing, that’s why I decided to come back here to let the people know that I am still Ziggimatic, still bubbling with life and enthusiasm.
But why did you leave Lagos in the first place, especially when you knew that this is the home of the entertainment industry in Nigeria?
Alright, it’s a long story, but I’ll make it very short. I have been a Lagosian all this while. I got married here to an Igbo lady and we started building a family. I said to myself one day: ‘I am a cultural Ambassador, it will look odd if my kids do not speak my language fluently, and worse, if they don’t know where they come from.’ So, in 2003, I relocated to the eastern part of the country, Umuahia to be precise. I have been there all this while, doing my business and also attending to my family. I used to live in Omole Estate and the kids were taking the place as their first home.
Some people may insinuate, you probably moved because you weren’t being patronised in Lagos as you would in the east.
Well, for every musician, your geographical location plays a huge role in your success. Yes, most of my shows are in the East, but I tell you, I moved because of my four sons and a daughter. They were already speaking English and taking it as a first language. I then said to them, ‘let's use about 10 years to sort this out in the east.’ I know my culture. If not for the cause of this interview and that you are not Igbo, I will be talking to you in the language. I said 10 years but at the seventh, I found out that they had imbibed the culture. They are very greatful now. That’s what we are saying, Africans should know where they are coming from. They shouldn’t be cultural amputees. Now, we are gradually moving back.
Now, how did music start for you?
I came to Lagos first in 1974 as a secondary school student. After I left school, I came back here to pursue my career. But before returning in the early 80’s, I took part in some television programmes back in the East. I was born in the village. After school, my dad said I should read Law or Mass Communication but I had music in me. That was why I came to Lagos to develop the Ziggima in me which I play till date. But I didn’t go into it full-time when I arrived Lagos in 1979-1980. I started working with the Customs and Excise Dance Band, in the music department. I was the lead singer then till 1984 when I released my debut entitled Respect Africa which brought me to limelight. I left Lagos, then came back to release another album in 1990. The one that said Alabeke Alabeke Obodo Ndiocha. I go and come back. My kids had their Nursery and Primary School education here in Lagos. Today, they speak the language fluently, that even though I die now, they will be able to defend me culturally, spiritually and traditionally.
So, you missed Lagos?
Well, I said earlier that if you are a star and not here, it will look as if you are not in the industry. I am here now to show my face, to let them know I am very much in the industry and to introduce my latest work entitled Because of English.
Did you release any album during your stay in the east?
Yes. I released Because of English about eight months ago in the East. Without castigating anyone, I play African music and it takes a lot of energy, spirituality and intellect to bring something good out. So, it took me between 2003 and 2009 to package a fresh album.
Which of your works would you say gave you the break in the industry?
You see, I thank God that I have been able to partake in the old school and now, the new school. I came into limelight in 1984 with my debut, Respect Africa. It had Okoro eh, Okoro song. Then I recorded Life of Yesterday which was another monster hit. Oyinbo Mentality then followed, it was a hit, then I did a follow-up in 1990 entitled African Style.
I have always wanted to know this: Did you really travel to the white man's country and experienced the Ogbono episode you sang about?
Yes. It happened. But first of all, you must know that I am a very creative musician. If someone asked me to build a song from our conversation today, I can do that. You have to respect me for giving such a picture. If Oyinbo people can be proud of what they eat, why can’t I, Bright Chimezie, the Okoro Junior of this generation be proud of Garri and Ogbono soup?
Why do you call yourself. Okoro Junior by the way?
Because of my Afrocentric nature. My name in not Okoro, neither am I Okoro Junior, but its because of my background. I am transmitting sounds from a particular cultural background which is the eastern part of Nigeria–the Okoro background. Twenty- something years ago, I went to a disco party and requested for African music to be played. They looked at me with my African attire and said: “Ha, he is an Okoro Junior.” That was what happened. Those days, it was quite a derogatory remark to answer “Okoro.” As a fighter, I knew there was nothing wrong with it and it’s even an Igbo name. Igbo is a culture I propagate. As the number one of Africa’s image makers, I adopted it. The Okoro Junior is like a toga to get my African views out to the real world.
You usually dish out some amazing dance steps. Are they still part of your performance?
Yes. It’s the Ziggima dance steps. Ziggima in Igbo language is pronounced Uzigama. It means the message you are supposed to know. The Ziggima concept is the message, music and dance steps. They all go together. The Ziggima concept is like a mission. I want Africans to be very proud of themselves. The paradise we seek abroad is here. Let’s look inward. Africans are the first sons of the world. We are blessed here. I have travelled abroad several times and I see that there is no place like home. I have been to almost all the continents to spread the African culture, especially to our guys in the diaspora. I go from the East, my ancestral home.
You often appear in traditional attires; Why?
I always wear African attire. For the past 30 years, I have appeared in nothing else. But in 2001, I appeared in a movie where it took the producers about two weeks to convince me to wear something else. I don’t have a suit, even a jeans. Well, maybe a few shirts and trousers due to pressure from my wife to wear something different. My family has now accepted me the way I am. My eldest twin sons are 19-years-old now and they grew up seeing their Daddy wearing sleeveless African prints.
Has any of your kids taken after you, musically?
I don’t believe in taking after. All my sons are very musical but I keep telling them, ‘don’t enter into it because I am there.’ I tell them to look inwards and find out what they want and are good at. My dad was a Reverend Minister and here I am a musician. My twins play the keyboard. Some people may want to use me as a yardstick to measure them.
Apart from all the names you were known by, one that readily catches attention is “the ladies man”… (cuts in)
Well, if I may ask, can I still be called a “ladies man” at this age? I have fantastic relationship with women, but I thank God that to some extent I am disciplined.
How would you describe the Nigerian music industry, viz-a-viz the time you started and now?
I would describe the current industry as very vibrant, but there are no structures. Those days we had structures. What I mean by that is that we had recording studios like EMI, POLYGRAM, TABANSI, et cetera. For an artiste to get signed on, you need to pass one or two criteria, once you get signed on, they progamme and manage you to the end. These days, the story has changed. It is either plus or minus. With a laptop you can programme your beats, walk into a studio, get it produced and then take it to a radio station. Before you know it, they call themselves superstars. They are not progressing the right way. We need to develop the Nigerian music culture. Hip Hop is not a Nigerian brand of music.
Don’t you think that with the wide acceptance of Hip Hop, Afrobeat and Ziggima would soon go extinct. I mean, you seem to be the only one playing the Ziggima genre?
I don’t think these African sounds are dying. Most artistes today are lazy. For you to play Afrobeat you have to know the rudiments of music, same goes for Ziggima. You should be able to play the guitar, keyboards, et cetera. But these days, it’s the get rich quick syndrome that is in vogue. Way back in 1984, I took a vow that I pledge to be obedient to Africa my mother and won’t allow her cultural ideology to be wiped away. As long as I am alive, I will expand the frontiers of Ziggima. And for your information, back in the East, people play Ziggima, but they do not get equal publicity as their hip-hop counterparts. I stand here to tell you that Hip Hop has not taken over because it is popular in Lagos. You may think so, but go outside Lagos. and you’ll see for yourself. In weddings, they play African sounds, it is still very much alive.