ONE ON ONE with Silvastone

Many people think you are Nigerian.

I know, but that’s not true. I have worked with many Nigerians and probably that’s why people associate me with them. 

So where are you from?

My father is from Sierra Leone while my mother is from Ghana.

But you were not raised in Africa, were you?

I was born and bred in London. I never grew up in Africa, despite being African.

Between Ghana and Sierra Leone, which flag do you fly first?

Sierra Leone.

But isn’t Ghana more popular as far as music is concerned?

Precisely, and that’s why I prefer to fly the Sierra Leone flag because there’s no competition musically. Ghana has so many music exports.

So why isn’t Sierra Leone popular in music?

Because the artistes there are quite lazy and they don’t  look beyond their country as long as music exposure is concerned.

Is there much talent there and how often do you visit the country?

There is massive talent, all they need is to look beyond Sierra Leone and see how well they can perform on the international platform.

Once a rapper or a singer hits at home, they get satisfied and they relax. I visit regularly.

What is your relationship with Kenya now that you have visited quite a number of times?

I have worked with a number of artistes like Wyre and Kanja. My manager, Sir Prestige, is Kenyan too. So I have more projects here.

Most Kenyans know you as a DJ...

In my music career, I kicked off as a music producer in the UK from a tender age. I’m now a fully fledged perfuming artiste working with both African and international artistes.

Which international artistes have you worked with so far?

People like Rita Ora, Estelle, Damian Marley, just to mention a few.

So are you more of a producer or an artiste?

More of an artiste in the recent past.

What’s wrong with being a producer?

There’s little exposure and work as a producer compared to being a performing artiste. I have been able to compare both.

Is it very hard for an African artiste to work with an American artiste for instance?

It used to be, but not anymore.

Why is that?

American artistes are now paying attention to African music and musicians. They now feel that if they work with African artistes, their fan base will grow in Africa.

You have interacted with most of the American and British artistes, what’s their general perception of African music?

They love it very much. However, they are not ready to let African musicians take over the world platform, so they are working hard to control that.