Why I’m staging a concert to explain Eko-Benin connection – Jesse King ‘Buga’

Why I’m staging a concert to explain
Eko-Benin connection – Jesse King
‘Buga’
on october 25, 2013 at 12:20 am in music
*Jesse
Jesse King, popularly known as ‘Buga’, who got his
name from his first album, is not the usual run-of-
the-mill artiste we find on the scene these days.
This Auchi-born Benin boy is brimming with ideas,
not to skim profits off his fans, but to bring about an
awakening in them, to respect their roots and look
to the African values in every aspect of their lives.
Hear him:
Let’s meet you?
I’m Jesse King, people call me Buga. I,m an artiste
from Auchi, Edo State.I was born in Lagos, grew up
here in Lagos in a Mission House. My dad is a
pastor. I sing contemporary highlife. I’ve been in the
industry for a while and so far, God has been
faithful.
When did you go into music?
I went into music professionally in 2006. I used to
do Radio Jingles and I’m also a producer.
Did you do music in school?
No, I studied Economics at the Ondo State
University. I started doing music in church and the
church actually helped me a lot , before I fully
launched myself into the music world.
What songs have you done?
My first album ‘Buga’ was released in 2007 and lots
of people heard it within and outside the country.
How are you able to handle being an artiste and a
producer?
I think it’s actually a talent I have. I also believe that
if you’re going to be a successful artiste, you have
to be into the studio thing – be a studio rat, work
with people and learn from them. I started as a
pianist, taking piano lessons before delving fully into
the music . I thank God for the talent and wisdom he
has given to me to put things together. Some of my
tracks were produced by me and others were done
with the help of other producers.
You have a musical concert coming up soon, what
is it about?
The concert titled ‘Eko Benin Connexion’ is all about
the cultural tie between the Benin Kingdom and the
Eko (Lagos) of today. Sometimes I feel bad that
things have derailed from our cultural lines and
that’s why I’m coming out with this concert to bring
back the memories of where we are actually
coming from and if we don’t understand where we
are coming from, we won’t even know where we
are going.
There is the need for us to go back to the roots and
get things fixed. Eko-Benin concert is just to show
that we are one. The Obanikoros, Igbosheres are
originally from Benin; Ido Market is actually from
Benin. The Aworis are the original owners of this
land (Lagos). It’s actually scandalous when people
refer to Lagos as a ‘ No man’s land’. It’s important
we know our beginnings, so we can be more
confident and original. It’s a wake-up call for
people to go back to their roots and be original.
What do you hope to benefit by embarking on this
programme?
I want to sleep in my grave and know that my
children still flock around me. As an African, I
believe so much in my land and people. Nothing can
change me to James Brown or Michael Jackson.
Why do we neglect what we have and completely
embrace those of others? I believe that in 100 years
time, civilization is going to come back to Africa.
I want to see the younger generation coming back
to realize who they are, appreciate it and stand for
it. I learnt from someone recently that some
Nigerian children are taking Chinese lessons, where
they even do better than in their indigenous
( Nigerian) languages. It’s a serious issue. I want to
seize this opportunity to appeal to parents,
teachers, children and everyone to try their best to
bring back our cultural values.
Do you have sponsors working with you on this
programme?
Honestly, for now we don’t have sponsors, but we
are actually supported by Daviva – they believe in
Africa,they gave us the Ankaras. But I believe that
with time, people are actually going to tune to the
idea and support it. It isn’t really all about the
money, it’s about the message – people keying into
it. It’s good at least once a week for people to put
on Ankara. It’s also good when interacting for you
to sometimes use your local language. I pray that
with time, people’s minds are going to be open and
they’ll try and see how we’ll be able to push this,
because I can’t do it alone.
What are some of the highlights of the events?
There is going to be a display of the Aworis ,
Ajashes, the people from Benin, those from
Badagry, in their various attires with their
‘Ape’,drums and other instruments, showcasing
their beautiful culture. There is going to be musical
display, I’ll also be performing alongside others. It’s
going to be  fun and a colourful event.
How has the journey been so far?
The journey has been so wonderful. If you
understand yourself, you understand where you are
actually going. You have to work first for the money
to come in. We are still working and money is more
like a colour to it, it’s more about the message. God
has been so faithful, I’m not rich and I’m not poor.
How were you able to get Toyin Oshinaike to work
with you on this upcoming event?
I got to know him when we were in the university
and he was well known as a good director. He’s
married to one of my directors, Tope, and we all
used to be together at the Ondo State University
then. We were all together alongside Funsho Adeolu,
the actor and they were all very wonderful people. I
thought I needed someone to really stand for me
and so I chose him, he’s so good professionally.
Wale Adebayo is also going to come in and will be
handling it because Toyin Oshinaike will be tied
down with a project at that period, but we’ve been
working together so far.
What else are you into besides music?
I love tourism, very soon I’ll be having a place like a
jungle, where you can have African continental
foods,local dishes and you just go there and have
fun. There are some things you don’t find around
like gari, groundnuts and fish, akara and pap,
roasted yam and palm-oil and so on. This will also
help promote more of our culture.
You are very culturally inclined, why is it so?
I think we shouldn’t say no to ourselves, we should
learn to accept who we are. My story is Africa,
everything about me is Africa. I think I should keep
saying yes to myself. I believe so much in culture,
it’s very unfortunate what we have today, so many
are drifting away. Though some people are actually
doing a lot, but we still have to do more. We should
have a content to talk about.
What challenges have you encountered so far?
Everyone has one challenge or the other and the
society is not also helping matters. You have to be
really determined to get there. Challenges help me,
they don’t discourage me. It tells me that I have to
keep running. I don’t really look at challenges
anymore,one has to just survive it. Challenges are
like a push to me.
Do you find fulfilment doing what you do?
Yes, it’s not really about the money. Once you’re
happy doing what you do, you are fulfilled. You
might have big cars and still be crying, and you see
a man by the roadside eating N150 Rice smiling. So
no matter how it is, I’m happy.