When I feel the right feelings, I will settle down-Vector

King Kong crooner, Olanrewaju  David Ogunmefun, better known by his stage name, Vector Tha Viper, is one of Nigeria’s most talented young rappers, a good lyricist and show killer with his electrifying performances and perfect act on every track he features, making him a force reckon with the industry. He is the voice behind the Sprite commercial that has aired on most radio stations across Nigeria since 2009. Signed on self-own label, G.R.A.P, Vector has withered the storm and remained consistent in the industry doing what he knows best. Cornered at the Buckwyld & Breathless: The disruption concert press briefing, Vector spoke with MUTIAT ALLI on what should be expected of him at the forthcoming concert, album project, relationship and take on Nigeria rap music.

Enjoy…

On the forthcoming Buckwyld & Breathless concert, what should we be expecting from Vector?

As earlier said, it is concert that will definitely be different. I personally like the concept because you are going for a concert where nobody is too important and we let music take control irrespective of your status and that for me is the biggest difference so far.

How do you intend to flow, owing to the fact that most artistes will present their performance with the live band?

I lot of people do not know that I played live band for three years even as a rap artiste and again I’m a member of the Celestial Church and live band has always been the origin.

What is Vector currently working on?

Pretty soon, I will be dropping my album titled ‘Lafiaji’ and a couple of my singles that you are familiar will make the album and as I speak, we are still working on the album and some couple of other projects.

There is this thing about you and Lafiaji mention in most of your music?

Yes!!Lafiaji is where I grew up from and is equally the mixture of who I am. I have experienced a lot of culture in Lafiaji; mentioning Lafiaji in most of my work is just my own way of appreciating where I came from. Lafiaji breeds successful and influential personalities in the society.

What’s your take on rap music in Nigeria?

Rap music is really growing in Nigeria. I could remember back then people did not accept rap music as it is now because then you get to see Plantation Boiz, Ruff Rugged & Raw. But right now you can arguably mention top five artistes doing great in Nigeria and they are pretty mostly rappers. It means Nigerian music is becoming more intelligent and accepting more intelligent lyrics. God Bless Nigeria, it can only get better.

Having followed most of your performances, you tend to drop a bombshell of word at the end of your performances?

Yes and the reason is we need to think more than we dance; let’s always remember that the Chibok girls that were kidnapped are probably woman now, we need to be remembered at all times and not be self-centred.

Recently you set a record with your freestyle. What motivated that?

I just wanted to activate something for hip-hop. I got tired of all these rappers saying “yo mhen, yo mhen” and stuff like that even though many rappers can actually sing and make commercial music; by commercial music in Naija, I mean dance music. It was just needed at that point according to my thoughts to do something to activate for Naija rap music so they’ll be like “what’s happening?” Last I heard, the whole traffic like back home that night tuned in to witness history to see if really this guy raps for hours. Even bloggers that didn’t want to carry it because they were forming, when we did like 1 hour and 30 minutes, they were like “he is about to do it”. So it was just pretty much to create awareness for hip-hop in Nigeria.

 I mean, how did you do it for hours?

I actually stopped because my back was starting to ache because I was standing in one position. I didn’t eat, I didn’t drink because I didn’t want it to be a break. It was more of sending what you want me to rap about via social media. The moment I see it, I rap about it there and it was fun. The adrenaline was beyond the hunger and the thirst.

Few years back, your music set back due to dispute with your record label. What are some of the lessons you picked from that?

The ultimate lesson I’ve learnt is let go and let God. Nobody is perfect! You can never learn not to make the same again because you are the one learning at the expense you know what bits lies at the other side of the fence. On the surface, I’ve learnt that when it’s business, it’s business and when it’s friendship, it’s friendship but both of them are not the same.

What was going through your mind while you relegated?

It was a forcefully deserved break. If I didn’t take a break, I probably would have wondered away with the wave but I sat back and was like hmmmmm………”see mistake wey bros dey do o” because I couldn’t participate, I spectated and as I was observing, I was seeing loopholes, talent wise. I mean, seeing someone of forty trying to make music 22 year olds make. There is an imbalance in that spirit because that’s not you. Your experience should have grown. I saw all those things and was like “okay I know not to do this” which is why when I came back, the first thing you heard was “why you dey look me like cow head Chicago”. I understood more from the observation point what it was all about. Not us but about the people and that helped me grow mentally.

After your beef with Reminisce, it seems you are done with beefs?

The truth about it is at the point where we are right now, some of us are not mediocre, like if it’s serious, it’s serious and if it’s not, it’s not. Like a couple of people have taken strikes and I have not responded because I know it’s just a PR stunts. They made it known. Calls have come in. Am talking like from the biggest rappers and the upcoming ones they be like “Yo! Am not really dissing you o “and I kinda like let it sly. You know, beef really is like you more or less necessarily have to. And that’s my stance. I don’t enjoy doing it for packaging. It’s just for the work of it. But if you come at me wrongly and I feel the need to respond, I will.

Sorry to take you back but what caused the beef?

Let’s just say it was a huge misunderstanding from a track I did with Sauce Kid. It’s funny how we became better friends than we are with other people in the industry. We are actually like better apprentices now. We are really cool. We just grew because at some point, it was becoming more of my stuff versus his stuff and if we’re preaching unity or whatever we choose to preach, we might as well live what we preach. Boys on Lagos Island started being grumpy, guys in Ojota, Ogudu became grumpy, and so we needed to end it before it got out of hand.

Is that why you guys had a track together?

No! That’s not why we did a track together. We met and I’m guessing whatever forces that caused the beef reversed, so when we met, it was a situation of “Hi, but you are a real guy sha, let’s keep it 100”. Because none of us did it for hype, so we discovered that we were not the hype guys. We knew that it was a real deal and we didn’t want it to get out of hand like we are cool but a lot of people aren’t.

When is Vector going to settle down?

Vector will settle down when he feels the right feeling to settle down but it’s not just now as we speak. Marriage is a big thing o.

But you have the money and the name, women jump on you practically, what then is the delay?

Yes! Girls are crazy but then again, my heart is my heart. Am a human being. It must be beyond the success financially, fame and I dare say I’ve seen. Nigeria has good women.

Speaking of good women, how do you define a good woman?

It is not our position to judge. Have a pure and clean heart and that’s all you need. A loving heart. And as Naija is right now, we should want to have a woman who is prayerful… for you. Am just saying. It’s nice to have someone who can partner with you spiritually, sexually, mentally and everything but the spiritual part is essential because that is the only one that doesn’t need investment materially.