Budding musician in the hip-hop genre, Oluwaseun Emeka Otuata a.k.a Stanley, has admonished his colleagues to shun usage of hard drugs to enhance performance, stressing that narcotic use does them more damage than good.
Stanley, an afro-beat singer, highlife singer, and now a hip-hop star, whose music career spans over a decade, who spoke in Lagos on Tuesday, said he was vehemently opposed to artistes’ indulgence in drug consumption, which he added, could have adverse effect on them in the long run.
The Delta State-born singer, a trainee of legendary Fatai Rolling Dollar, through whose mentorship he got inspiration in music, spoke glowingly of his valuable experience under the tutelage of the late high-life maestro whom he said he missed dearly, as things had not been the same with him since the demise of the great musician.
“Though I admire other mentors like Reggae King Bob Marley, Hip-Hop star, Tu-face and the late Afrobeat King Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the demise of Fatai Rolling Dollar, has dealt me a big blow, as coping without the man that meant so much to me has not been easy,” Stanley lamented.
He added: “A lot of musical shows planned ahead for me while he was alive, were cancelled after his death.”
On his music career, Stanley, a product of Kwara State Polytechnic, described himself as a man of style, recalling how he had loved African music while growing up, and how he embraced Reggae and Ragga genres, claiming there is a difference between both, as Reggae is soft, while Ragga is cumbersome.
He also recalled his secondary school days from where he gained experience in audience appearance through quiz participation.
“My present genre of music is Hip-Hop. Though no album yet, I have dropped a single titled, “Iwo Ni”. My ambition is to keep promoting Nigerian music and give mentorship to upcoming musicians, while I will continue to dish out more songs to my fans.” he says.
According to him, a major obstacle hindering growth in the music industry is finance, even as he commended efforts of the corporate world, particularly the telecom industry, for their huge support in the area of promotion and sponsorship in the entertainment industry.
He called on the government to get actively involved in the entertainment industry from where much revenue could be generated as it is happening in other climes, and also as a way of promoting the Nigerian culture.