Phynol! Say Hello to the Man of the Year!

Phyno is special. His look, his style, his indigenous rap – Every bit of him is a talking point. So far enjoying a spectacular year, Phyno is definitely on the road to making it big! Reload got the inside scoop on what makes the man, and as we suspected: He is Phynomenal! They say “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. If you did, though, you’d expect Phyno to be a bit of a crazy guy, probably cocky and definitely loud. The spiky Mohawk, a chest full of tattoos, layers of ‘bling’ around the neck and a pair of green surreal-looking eyes – not exactly what you’d expect a diligent and focused professional to look like. So as we are waiting for Phyno on a grey Saturday afternoon in Lekki, we don’t really know what to expect. For starters, he’s fashionably late. But to his credit, we didn’t have to jump through several “speak-to-my-manager”-hoops before pinning him down for an interview. In fact, setting up the meeting was so painless (a three minute phone call two days earlier) that it almost seemed too good to be true. Is he really going to show up? But then he does. It takes about five seconds to notice that he’s not your usual celebrity. No diva attitude, no fuss, and with only two friends in tow, he arrives and apologizes for being late. “Lekki isn’t my turf, sorry I made you wait.” Then he sits down and we can sense his green inquisitive eyes checking us out through the mirrored Aviator sunglasses. Phyno is ready to get down to business. Phyno The Igbo rapper is a bit of an enigma. Born and raised in the East, Phyno only appeared on the Lagos music scene in 2010. White `Multiply’ is widely regarded as Phyno‘s point of entry into the industry, nothing could be further from the truth. Back then, many people mistakenly thought he was just another “out-of-town newbie” trying to make it big in the Nigerian entertainment capital. But little did they know that at the time he moved to Lagos, Phyno already had almost a decade of music production experience under his belt; quite remarkable for someone who is only in his mid twenties. “I had a computer and a software to produce music but at the beginning I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t have anyone to teach me and there was no internet then. I spent days locked in my room, teaching myself entirety by trial and error. Whenever something sounded good, I wrote down the steps of how I got there. Pretty tedious work but I have a whole bookshelf full of notebooks!” And as always, hard work paid off. Starting out his music career in 2003 while in Enugu, which he calls the music capital of the East, the Anambra born artist built up a solid reputation as a stellar producer. “I actually wanted to be a Hip-Hop artist but in the East it was all about high-life back then, so it made more sense to focus on production. Eventually, everybody in the East knew me as one of the top producers in the region and I worked with some of the best artists out there.” At the top of his game, and a big fish in a small pond – Phyno small pond, Phyno was ready for the next step in 2010, the year he moved to Lagos. “Being in production helped me explore different styles. I got into production to build myself and it played a role in defining my style. You can’t put me in a box. I like all genres of music, and only because I’m known for Igbo rap doesn’t mean that it’s all I know.” In a music industry where most artists depend on producers to turn vision into reality, Phyno is in a very fortunate position. “My solid production background gives me a major advantage in the industry as I have a deep understanding of music as an art form, and I can dabble in whatever I feel like in the moment. I search all over the internet for new stuff. I get really inspired by French Chanson, and if you really want to know about lyrics, you have to listen to country music, the lines are really deep.” Speaking of music diversity, Phyno adds, “Most times, Nigerian artists listen to only local music and recycle the same thing. I don’t get it: if at all you must recycle, why recycle Afro Hip-Hop from Afro Hip-Hop?” Phyno - Pulse Nigeria Not surprisingly, one of the most defining moments of his career occurred in the studio, while hanging out with a few A-list artists. “See, I never set out to be an Igbo rapper. I wanted to be a Hip-Hop artist but not necessarily an Igbo rapper until I rapped for fun in Igbo, and other artists like Timaya heard me. They encouraged me to take it up more seriously and I did. After a few singles, I started getting some attention, so obviously I was doing something right.” Little later in 2012, Phyno was nominated for two Hip Hop World Awards, despite being only a few months into his professional career as a performing artist. Overnight, Phyno became the new star of Igbo Hip-Hop, continuing the great work that famous Igbo artists like Illbliss and Mr Raw had done. Not one to deny his roots, Phyno is incredibly proud of his Igbo origins and describes his fans in the East as loyal “I’m not bragging but if you talk trash about me on the streets in the East, you may get beaten up,” he laughs. “The fans there are really proud of the music we East Coast brothers are making.” It does seem puzzling that an Igbo Hip-Hop star enjoys such status in a region where High-Life has been the mainstay for years but Phyno believes that times may be changing. “A new generation is coming up. High-Life will forever be a focal point of Igbo music but Rap and Hip-Hop are starting to have a solid following. That’s the only way to explain how artists like Illbliss and Mr Raw have enjoyed the kind of success they have and it’s the same reason why my music is big over there.” For one who spent the better part of a decade as a prominent producer in the East, he gives a unique insight into the Eastern music scene. “The industry over there is really different. It is almost independent of the Lagos scene, like a separate music universe! There are a few major Eastern artists based out there that are big stars, but when you mention their names in Lagos, many people may have never heard of them. One artist could be fitting an entire stadium in Enugu but not even fill a small club in Lagos. It’s crazy! On the other side though, artists who are popular in Lagos become famous across the country. But for many of the East big boys, it’s not even an issue because they enjoy the same perks national celebrities enjoy and they get paid really well over there. But of course, Lagos is Lagos. The media, the labels, the marketers, the brands, the music video directors… they’re all in Lagos, so if you really want to make it big nationally and internationally, you have to come here.” Are there any other Igbo artists, who can follow in his steps? “There are lots of guys who can do the same thing. I think that Hype MC and Bosalin are two to watch, both of them are rappers, and Ransom as well, who is a singer. I could mention a lot more names because there is a lot of potential coming out of the East.” There may be a lot of stars set to replicate Phyno‘s success but just like him, a few challenges. “I think that the artist’s personality makes or mars their career. Coming into the industry is a tough task so they need to learn how to relate with people properly. Coming from the East and becoming a star requires a lot of planning and networking, and no one wants to associate with horrible people.” Phyno appears to know a thing or two about networking though as he featured Mr Raw, M.I, Flavour and Timaya on his first official single. I have managed to build major relationships that have helped me greatly,” he says with a big smile. Mr-Raw-Phyno-MI-and-JMartins - Pulse Nigeria Phyno pushes himself not just in the studio but also with his brand. The sight of a light-skinned rapper with crazy hair and unbridled energy is Phyno’s signature look. “Convincing my mum is still an ongoing mission. She still struggles to understand Phyno’s look,” he says with a boyish grin. But make no mistake, Phyno’slook reflects only one side of his personality. “I’m actually a bit of a loner and I don’t go out much. I spend most of my days just listening to music, it’s pretty much the only passion I have. People always want to see me exhibit all my crazy energy in my private life but they keep forgetting that Phyno in music videos is different from Phyno in his private life.” Phyno - Pulse Nigeria His celebrity status has deprived him of that private life though, as he admits that he catches himself wishing that inescapable fame was not part of the celebrity package. “When I was in New York for the NEAs, Olamide and I walked around the city together. We went shopping for music stuff and had a good time without anyone watching, and for the first time in a while, I felt really free! So yeah, sometimes I wish I wasn’t famous.” Another part of the package that ‘celebrity’ offers is the occasional awkward encounter with fans. “I was in a hotel once after a performance and two ladies began arguing over something. When it got really loud, I heard what they were arguing about. In the end the whole discussion was about whether the colour of my eyes were real, and so they came to me to check if I was wearing contacts. I mean… really?” he says with a reminiscent grin. “The other extreme incident was when a fan peed on himself, in his white pants, out of excitement when I came on stage. I couldn’t believe it…” For Phyno, the big picture is to grow from being the East coast brother banging in the West to being the East coast brother banging across Africa. “Once you’re big in Nigeria, you’re in the best position to make it big in Africa. Africa is a key market and having a strong following here is a solid foundation for breaking through in Europe and in the US. Strategically, having pan-African appeal is ideal because your market is huge and as a result the career has a longer lifespan,” he shares. Will doing music in Igbo not hinder his pan-African dreams? “Sometimes, what you say doesn’t matter, it’s how you say it. If I have a hook that appeals widely, people probably wouldn’t care about my Igbo verses so doing verses in Igbo doesn’t hinder me in any way.” How does he help fans understand his music? “I consciously try to include English word in my rap and most times, the lines I say in English are key ones and they help listeners understand the story of the verse.” Phyno-Pulse Nigeria With a debut album set to drop later this year, Phyno will go down as one of the main stars of 2013. While there have been others like him who have enjoyed streaks of success after a while on the fringes this year, Phyno has had to work doubly hard to convince neutrals with his unique Igbo brand of rap. Phyno is somewhat of a phenomenon, having earned a considerable amount of respect and appeal doing music in a language that is understood by few and foreign to most. The next few months are crucial but then again, Phyno is no newbie. A decade after he began his journey, he appears closer than ever to his destination. Say hello to the ‘Man of the Year’! Phyno