Next To Blow
Our music, a gospel of reality - The Realiti Brodazz | @realitidude, @realitiwonder
Friday, July 26, 2013Omoba
They have been tipped to become the next-rated
gospel artistes in Nigeria. The Realiti Brodazz, a group made up of two
brothers, Isudu and Emma from Edo State, already have released three singles
and are currently working on their debut album.
Isudu plays the bass guitar while Emma's specialty
is the lead guitar. This dynamic duo has collaborated with established
musicians such as GT da Guitarman and Soul E among others. In this brief
encounter, they explained to Entertainment Express how their music is a tool
for turning people's dreams into reality.
How did you come about your band
name?
We realized that a lot of people go through life
chasing shadows, not knowing the reality. The name Realiti Brodazz came up as
far back as 2009 when we were commissioned to present to this generation the
reality of life.
What is your band's composition?
Realiti Brodazz is a gospel duo group of two
brothers “Realitidude” and “Realitiwonder”. Music actually started for us back
in the days when we joined a music group called “Me 'n' My Boiz” band in Kaduna
State. By 2000, we moved to Jos in search of greener pastures. And in
2009, after graduating from the university, we decided to pursue our music
dream. That was when we started the group “Realiti Brodazz”.
How long have you been together now?
We're brothers from the same mother. We grew up
together.
What made you first realize you wanted to pursue a
career in music?
We actually discovered our passion for music very
early in life. But it wasn't until 2009 that we decided to start a career in
music. That was when we formed the group “Realiti Brodazz”. We formed this
group because we wanted everyone to get the message that reality can only be
found in Christ.
How would you describe your music?
The genre of our music is Gospel Afro Pop.
What are your songs about?
Our recently released single is titled “Reality”
and it featured the Baba himself “Soul E”. It was produced by the lord of the
beat, Elmore Hodus. We live in a generation where nobody faces reality. We
engage in lot of activities lacking the realistic angle, putting us through
humiliation, degradation, intimidation and false allegations.
We want Nigerians and the world at large to know
that the reality can only be found in Christ. That's the message embedded in
the song. We did another peace joint with GT da Guitarman and G-circuit titled
"Nigeria"
What was your first experience with music for the
first time like as a group?
As up-and-coming artistes, it wasn't easy getting
airplay for our songs and performing at shows, it didn't come to us on a
platter of gold. We had to prove ourselves. Right now, our songs are gaining
acceptance all over the country.
What type of music did you guys listen to back
then?
We grew up listening to Hosanna music back in those
days - Ron Kenoly, Don Moen, Alvin Slaughter; Kirk Franklin and others. We also
listened to a lot of indigenous music like those of Sunny Okosun, Panam Percy
Paul, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and King Sunny Ade. All these people influenced us
in one way or the other in our choice of music genre.
How does music back then differ from what you
listen to now?
Right now, we listen to a lot of contemporary
stuff. There may be some variance but the root is found in what we all listen
to back in the days.
Tell us your first experience, the first song that
you ever sang?
The very first song we recorded was “Obilu
Jesu.” It was produced by Moses (Abuja) and mixed and mastered at Jah Device
Studios. It was really fun working with Jah Device back then.
How did you become involved in the type of music
you sing now?
First of all, we knew we had a message we wanted to
pass across to everyone. The next thing was to choose the right kind of vehicle
that will carry the message. And since we love Afro Pop and we were doing well
singing that genre, we decided that it'll be our main medium of music.
What is your opinion about gospel music in Nigeria?
Generally, the music industry in Nigeria is one of
the fastest growing industries in the country. But we don't see gospel music
getting its due recognition in the industry. Gospel music has lots of talented
guys; with a little more work, we'll get there.
What do you proffer as the way
forward?
Gospel artistes should not limit their music to the
churches only. Let's take our music to the streets. Let the media houses play
our songs, let the clubs play our songs, let the newspapers talk about us -
because our message is for everybody. Everyone needs to know that Jesus is
Lord.
What has been the biggest challenge for the group?
It was getting everyone to accept our music because
of the spiritual nature of our music. In those days, radio stations will only
play our songs on Sunday or at special times within the day. But right now, our
songs are in the charts and on DJ mix, everywhere.
How do you cope with the financial challenge that
usually confronts new artistes in the music industry?
These days, music in Nigeria is no longer a
small-scale business. As an up-and-coming act, you need to have the capital to
produce your songs, promote the songs, shoot the videos, and so on - all these
need good cash. So when you're starting out, you'll need some element of
sponsorship and it is difficult if you are unsigned. Fortunately for us, we
also have white collar jobs. Realitiwonder is a pharmacist while Realitidude is
a marketer. So by God's grace, we've been able to sponsor ourselves this far.
If you had the opportunity to change something
about the music industry what would it be?
Let more inspirational music be played from our
media houses so that the kids can have good lyrical content to grow on. The
society nowadays depends on us the musicians to educate, inform and entertain
them. So we cannot afford to feed them trash.
What does your family think of your performance?
Our mum and dad are ministers. They've been
supportive all the way. They preach the gospel; we sing the gospel.
How good is your live performance?
We have a live band called Reality Live Band
consisting of our instrumentalists and our backups. Depending on the nature of
the performance, we perform live in some shows.
What are your long-term career
goals?
To own an entertainment company and to empower the
younger ones who want to make it big in the industry.
On what label are you currently signed?
Right now, we're unsigned acts. But we're
negotiating a distribution deal with a foreign agency.
What are your plans?
We recently released a new single titled “Reality”
in which we featured Soul E. We previously released “Nigeria” featuring GT da
Guitarman and G-Circuit.
You can download either of these songs online.
Also, we are working on shooting the videos which will be released once there
are ready. Our album will drop any time soon. We're also working on a staging a
Peace Concert sometimes in October which will feature some big names in the
industry.
Are these songs downloadable?
You can download
Follow us on twitter-@realitidude, @realitiwonder
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