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‘My rumoured penury is the handiwork of detractors’ -King Wadada

REGGAE artist, Austin Peter, popularly known as King Wadada has been talking about his forthcoming album entitled Omnipotent God. The album is out and ready to fly. ENCOMIUM Weekly had an interview with him about his Uganda trip, the rumour making the rounds that he is broke, his new album and much more…

 

What is new in King Wadada’s camp?

I just came back from Uganda where I had a concert. My 16-tracker album entitled Omnipotent God will be out very soon. One of the tracks, I hear God say, was shot in Uganda a couple of weeks back. I believe the album will win a Grammy Award.

Would you say winning KORA Best Reggae Artist has helped your career?

Yes, it did. KORA gave me fame but it has not fulfilled the other part of the promise that is the monetary aspect. I thank God for the fame anyway.

What have you done about it?

I informed them back then, but I don’t want to do anything about it again. Before KORA, I was there already, I am looking forward to winning another award.

Ever since then, have you heard from the organizers of the award?

No, they didn’t get in touch with us, and like I said, I don’t want to put my hope on it again. I have moved on. I don’t even want to talk about it again.

Can you share some of the challenges you have been through?

The first is not having a good record label in Nigeria. A good record label will take you round the world. If an artist gets a good record label, he will go far. Another major challenge is that radio presenters keep playing the same style of music, which is not good enough. It gives the impression that the genre they play often is the only one we have in Nigeria. DJs, radio presenters should feed people with all kinds of music and not just hip-hop or R n’ B that they normally play. That is why someone said that reggae is dying. It is because they don’t play reggae like they play others.

What else do you do aside singing?

I am also a producer, I run a studio where other artists come to work. For now, I don’t have any artist on my label because I believe we need a better structure in Nigeria. I am the only artist on my label.

What car are you currently driving?

I am currently driving Hyundai A4.

We learnt you are broke?

Anybody can be broke at anytime and you can have money at anytime. It is nothing to me. I am alive and living. I am taking care of my family. I am helping as many people I can help, most especially those who come to me. I am okay, those saying that I am broke are small minded people.

We also gathered that you went for a concert and you were begging for money to make up your cab fare?

Yes, I went for a concert, but I didn’t beg for cab fare. Before going for the concert, the organizers of the show known as New Storm told me they don’t have much to pay that they will only pay for my transport fare. My car was not in good order then, so I took a cab to the event. Before the management could get money to pay for my cab fare, it was something else. They were running around to get money. That was not the first time they behaved like that. Sometime back, they wrote that I and Majek Fashek fought but we did not. Majek was with me for two months, I took care of him, his feeding and every other thing. So, people will always say anything. The guy that started the rumour is known as Isaac, he couldn’t buy my CD that same day, he was begging for it. So, I don’t know why he started spreading such rumour.

Not much is known about your family, tell us about them.

My family is cool, they are okay. I have three children, Wisdom, Destiny and Zion. My first child is 19 while the second is 14, the last is nine. Wisdom is already in the university. At least, I have money to send him to school, is it easy to send a child to the university? If I can do that, why will they say that I am broke? My wife, Evelyn is the best woman in the world, they are all doing fine.

  • SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

This story was first published in Encomium Weekly edition of Tuesday, August 14, 2012

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Written by Encomium

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