After the death of his father, at age 14, Nigerian producer, label record owner and artist, JJC Skillz migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) to live with his sister. He was looking forward to a warm reception. Instead, what greeted him was hostility, discrimination and racial epithets continuously used against him, including constantly being referred to as "monkey." People told him to "go back to where (he) came from," and even his fellow Africans mocked him for being "too African." However, going back to where he came from was not an option. Even if it was, initially, it became complicated by the fact that his legal status turned into that of an illegal immigrant, as a result of him overstaying his visa in the UK.
JJC Skillz sought the friendship of young men who were in similar situations. The only problem was that these "friends" were involved in criminal activity and it was only a matter of time he would become just as involved, unless he made a strong pivot. Luckily for him, the strong pivot, and ultimate deterrence came from his older brother who gave him a warning to shape up, and bought him music equipment to express himself and hone his music skills. The rest as they say is history.
JJC went on to obtain a degree, discover, groom and sign some of Africa's most talented and biggest artists today, work with Sony and other major record labels, and also emerge as one of Africa's leading musicians, music executive and successful business owner. He joins host Ms. Uduak on the 65th episode of The Africa Music Law Show to share his career trajectory, discuss the business of music and also offer tips to fellow artists and music entrepreneurs.
No comments:
Post a Comment