The Aspiring Sartorialist: Interview: DRB LASGIDI

I've said this before, and for the sake of the people coming on my blog for the first time, i should say it again, I love getting inspired. I love young people moving beyond their comfort zone, breaking boundaries and achieving great results in their niche. It not only encourages other young people that very few things are impossible if one is determined but also raises the bar for them. Now you can tell that it was definitely with much pleasure that i embraced the opportunity to interview Boj and Fresh L of DRB last week, after their performance at the "DRB Halloween party" in plymouth.

These artists have taken Nigeria by storm, to many people, they came unannounced & without warning, and since then it's been from one hit single to another. From the very successful Industry Night in Lagos, Nigeria to performances in London, Birmingham, Plymouth, Manchester, etc, not only are we glued to our screens, but they genuinely keep us wanting more.

I'm going to keep this as brief as possible as no one enjoys reading long texts really :) and it's important to note that i interviewed them separately, as i had specific questions for each of them.

Bojonthemicrophone

From your successful mix tape "bojonthemicrphone' to many more collaborations with Lynxx, Lola Rae, SDC, Ajebutter, etc, and shows literally everywhere, with no doubt it's been a wonderful year for you Boj,

What inspired you to go into music?

-I just stumbled into it really, it wasn't my intention, like i didn't deliberately plan it, i just recorded a few songs and people liked it and i just carried on from there.

Impressive, you've been able to achieve a lot so far, any favourites?

That's a hard question but it's mostly been performances, as we are still up and coming as DRB, basically the New years event that we are blessed to do every year now is one, also the recent P-square show/tour that we performed in alongside other big shows have been my best so far.

Do you have any regret(s) so far?

Not Really, i mean people make mistakes every now and then but we're meant to learn from them. All the mistakes i've made have turned out to be blessings in disguise at the end of the day, so it's all good. no regrets atall.

Do you have any advice for upcoming artists/young people who want to be like you?

I will say 'just do your thing'. There will always be people who will try to bring you down, that's the human behaviour, but as long as you fight for what you believe in and do what you deem right, you will be alright.

And, although people always say "don't listen to what people say" you have to actually listen to what people have to say about you and your music. At the end of the day, they are the ones listening to and buying your songs and coming for your performances, so their opinions matter.

But don't you think, that will essentially push young artists to be merely what others want them to be?

It depends, you can always tell when it's constructive criticisms or pure hate. Once you're able to distinguish, you will be fine. Learn from the people who constructively criticise you and you will become better. It's not about becoming what others want/expect you to be but developing your true self with the constructive criticisms.

What should your fans look forward to/expect?

I will be dropping a few singles and a video as-well. There should be quite alot to look forward to.

Boj was quite calm, and thorough in answering the questions, and he strikes me as quite a mature person.

Fresh L

Dropping your mix tape, '93's Best' to successful Industry Night and many more shows, you have achieved a lot and definitely been on the scene a lot,

How does all these feel?

It's a good feeling, like we appreciate everything, 'cos we know we have so much more to prove to people. Like the past 2years have been very eventful, we are just grateful and appreciate all our fans and others that have made it worthwhile.

Of all your achievements so far, are there any that you're particularly proud of/your best?

'mehn ...selling merchandise and sold out shows last year, that was really good, and literally the single 'toyin' and some other hit tracks we dropped online. All these have been good.

Any Regrets so far/What would you change if you could?

Nothing actually, well then again, if i could change something, i won't lie, it will be the video for the song 'toyin' (laughs)

Every now and then, we read that Fresh L is in a controversy on twitter, is there anything you would like to say about it/ clear the air?

(smiles) At the end of the day, i'm a rapper and people will always have different opinions about me, but i just took it out on there, yeah

Does it bother you sometimes, honestly?

Like one out of like twenty, you get what i mean, like there's still so much love out there, so shout out to people who actually love me.

I'm not sure exactly what i was expecting, but Fresh L was much nicer & friendly than i anticipated. He strikes me as a genuinely nice person. And I honestly respected his response to the last two questions and that was particularly inspiring for me. Being in the entertainment industry is harder than it usually seems, these artists are constantly in the lime light and have to deal with a lot of hate. Many a times, all it takes is one response for critics to analysize, scrutinise and bring out whichever meaning(s) they deem fit in your words. I didn't understand this, till i took the time to. It's easy to criticise, but showing love & support always goes a long way.

*Tezee was not present for the concert, hence i couldn't interview him for you guys :(

Make sure you also buy your tickets for the DRB concert (on the 23rd December) Harbour Point, VI Lagos. Other performers like Davido, Lola Rae, Dr sid, Ajebutter, Ozzy b, show dem camp, Bonafide crew, Ope Teflon etc will be there.

You shouldn't have to miss that! :)

And you can also catch them at the GTcrea8 concert, Indigo O2 on the Friday, 15th Novemeber.

Other pictures from the night: