ONE ON ONE with 2Face Idibia

BUZZ: You’ve been to Kenya a couple of times

Yes I have, I was here for the MAMAs a couple of years ago. 

How was it working with Vanessa Mdee for the third season of Coke Studio?

She is a natural talent, she is charismatic, very beautiful and cool to work with. She is an easy going person and I like that about her. 

You are a father, a husband and a musician. Which one do you like best among those three roles?

(Laughs) wow, I think I’ll choose…wow, which one do I like best? Can we go with which one is easier? 

Okay

Being a musician is easier you know, but being a father is not. 

Really, it doesn’t come as naturally as being a musician?

It’s not easy man, you really have to pay attention.

You have done songs in a couple of genres, reggae, R-n-B, hip hop and others, what genre do your fans respond to best?

I think it is reggae. 

Why do you think that is?

I don’t know, I guess it’s because that’s my comfort zone, that is my inner music and that is where I’m most comfortable. 

Most of your songs are balanced out theme wise, they are not all party songs

I try to talk about everything, I try not to make all my songs about the same topic, that’s why I talk about different things happening in life and around me. 

Is it mostly things happening in or out of your life?

It’s everything, my personal experiences and things that happen to people. 

There have been rumours that you cheated on your wife, you said they were orchestrated to tarnish your name. Do you sometimes sit down and think it’s not worth being in the limelight if it means ruining your family?

Nothing like that is ever worth being in the spotlight for, except when it is true, then you can’t hide the fact. There are situations where people just wake up and decide to write whatever they feel about you. It is just sad, malicious, sadistic and very hurtful. It’s very unfair when people do that.

Does it ever get to a point where you feel bummed out because of such rumours which keep swirling even though you set the record straight?

(Laughs) No, I never feel like that. But I do know that it’s not everyone who will like you, so you are definitely going to hear something about yourself, like nasty comments here and there. I just have to brush them off my shoulder because I know myself, I know my worth, I know who I am and I’m the only one who knows what I’m up to. So I don’t let those kind of things get to me.

Between the period you did African Queen and now, do you feel that music from Africa has become too commercialised?

Well, music has always had the commercial aspect to it, but yes it has. For me, different individuals have different choices of music.

Some people still listen to good music. You know, relaxing, soulful and spiritual music. But the youth of today have so much energy and the internet has really mixed things up, there’s no time to waste anymore.

Their ears have been tuned to one musical direction, it just needs some people to come and change it. But apart from that, entertainment is entertainment, let them have fun and enjoy it, but we still have people who have real music in the industry. 

Do your kids see you as a superstar or just dad?

They see me as just dad, but it’s confusing sometimes, I try not to let them see me as a superstar. 

Do they get what all the fuss is about you?

I think the older ones do because I’ve been to a couple of places with them and they see how it is. They are gradually getting used to it. 

What is the worst job you’ve ever had, apart from becoming a musician?

I’ve never really had any other job apart from music. So the worst job would have really been when I was hustling, looking for anywhere people would let me sing so I could express myself. I’ve never really done anything apart from music. 

How does it feel to have sang a song like African Queen that people still know you for years later?

People should already forget about this song and move on already. (Laughs), but it’s always a pleasure. There’s always that freshness to it, it always amazes, even overwhelms me. 

Do you dress yourself, and how much do the boots your wearing cost?

Most of the time I do dress myself and sometimes other people come in, and the boots, let me see…20 shillings (laughs) 

What is currently on your travel music play list?

There’s a couple of slow sounds like John legend, See you Again by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth and B**** Better Have my Money by Rihanna. 

Do you listen to any particular Kenyan artiste and what do you think of the industry?

I definitely have a number of Kenyan artistes that are my friends and I’m a fan of but I like to be very diplomatic, I don’t want it to seem like I respect this person more than I do the other, there are plenty of talented East African artistes.

Nigerian artistes have this confidence about them, they exude so much confidence even when some of their songs are not very good, what is that about?

When you have the highest concentration of black people in one place, which means you have plenty of people running around, and everybody is hungry. You have to be on your toes, you have to go all out and step up.

At times confidence translates to other things. You might see someone with great talent but because of lack of confidence it doesn’t shine through.

Then you’ll find some people with confidence but not much to offer, but that confidence makes you see something that is not there. That is one thing about music, some people are entertainers but with no musical talent which makes people with talent step up their game. 

What are some of the challenges you went through that shaped your musical journey?

Music was like “NFA” (No Future Ambition), nobody took you seriously at home, school or in the streets, and it was the stigma associated with music, that it was for no-do-gooders, that notion has been cancelled. Now we have more people in the background like stylists, managers, entertainment lawyers and video directors. 

What should we expect from you next?

I’ve slowed down in terms of music, I’ve been quiet, but I’m going to come up with a couple of things.