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| Orits Williki |
Since storming the industry in the mid-80s with his hit debut album entitled;
Tribulation, gifted and multi-talented entertainer, Orits Williki has grown to become a dominant
force in the industry.
The veteran
song writer, producer and performer who recently celebrated his 30 years on stage,
in this interview monitored by SHOWBIZPLUSng, explains why his music has stood the test of time, joy of attaining and celebrating three decades in the competitive Nigerian music industry, reflections as a career artiste among other issues.
How do you feel celebrating 30 years on stage?
I feel so good and happy. A child of thirty years is no longer a child but a full grown man, if a woman; she would have been done with child bearing. So, it feels so nice looking back and seeing the achievements so far. I must tell you, it is a wonderful feeling.
Why did you stick to only reggae music?
Yes, it has always been reggae because I could express myself spiritually with reggae music but I can’t do it in R & B or any other kind of music. I do more of reggae because it is very spiritual.
Why do you say it is spiritual?
Reggae is your environment and how it influences your thinking. It is the real expression of your inner self about any issue without fear or favour. It is all about Jah Almighty, the creator. Reggae is a tool for fighting oppression. I had nine albums within three decades. I just launched the ninth one.
Listening to your songs in those days, one wonders what was passing through your mind when you wrote them?
A lot of things are usually on my mind when I write my songs. I am a product of the environment I live in. So, I am affected by what I see, what I feel and what I hear. If the environment is bad then, I’m compelled to write songs condemning it.
It is like a wind that comes to you; and you put it down. And when inspirations come like this; all I do is to write like the vessel that I am, I write down what the spirit tells me to write. And that is the reason my music is highly inspirational. It is not just about creating bits and that’s why my music has stood the test of time. I have written songs about 20 to 25 years ago and I am still collecting royalties from them.
Since your songs are inspirational, are you being led by the spirit?
I am talking about the spirit of God; it is a mystic thing you cannot understand. Music is a spirit business. It takes the spirit of God for you to write good songs that would touch lives. Yes we have bad spirits, but I am talking about the good spirit which is the spirit of God. My songs influence people positively.
You still look young and ageless. What’s the magic?
It is the grace of God. I try not to eat late and even if I have to eat late it has to be fruits or vegetables. Again, I am filled with positive vibrations that also reflect on my outlook.
Did you ever think you will get this far when you started?
I am not even where am supposed to be. That is one of my sad moments. I did not start by recording songs or releasing albums. I started by having fans and co-producing albums. If you turn the flip side of Raskimono’s album you will see my name there, same with Mandator’s album, Majek Fashek and others. I also made some other stars. Then in 1989, I released my album.
How was your first album?
You should be the judge not me, but it was a mega hit. My first album was a sold out.
Then, there were lots of socially conscious music compared to now, what could have gone wrong?
Yes, there are lots of changes because music goes in circles. It is like fashion, it revolves. What we sang about 10- 15 years ago has become worse now. As at then, we thought it was bad but now it has become the order of the day. Fela once sang about it, but he didn’t know it would get to this point. However, the youths came with something different to take our minds off the many troubles of the nation. They have taken over the music industry, but I believe some people are tired of hearing them and have been yearning for good and better music.
If the media can help out and start playing Hi-life music, you’ll see most young musicians would want to do something on Hi-life music. The DJs too have a lot to do in order to regulate the kind of music people listen.
These days there are hardly traditional reggae musicians, instead we have mainstream reggae acts, would you join them soon?
If Bob Marley was alive today, he would have also changed the tune of his reggae songs. Music moves and changes with time and we have to move it too. The DJs won’t play songs of the 60’s because they are here to appease the youths. Our kind of songs are gradually dying down, thanks to Classic FM which is concentrated on playing music for the above 40’s.
Would you say Reggae music is gradually dying?
Reggae music is not going into extinction. Popular stars and artistes like Snopp Doggy from the United States are changing the face of reggae music. In Nigeria, Tuface is a reggae artiste, Faze is also a reggae artiste. Omawumi’s album has reggae flavour. Yes, some of our young artistes are influenced by hip-hop genre, but if you listen to their music, you would notice that they are truly playing reggae music. And we know that hip hop is an off-shoot of reggae.
Are you also of the opinion that our youths don’t play good music, but after fame and money?
The youths don’t have good mentors. In our time, we did. We really had to live the kind of lifestyle our mentors were living; we let them influence us to the core. But our youths are almost on their own. With a laptop in his bedroom, he believes he doesn’t really need a producer. He just creates beats, voices into it and then that all. Music is out and being enjoyed on the airwaves. But that doesn’t make you a real musician, and therefore you won’t last. You release one big hit, then following it up becomes a big problem. You won’t stay long and fade away. To be a good musician, you must learn how to play an instrument. It is not just about becoming a star, but sustaining the stardom.
So what has been you staying power?
It has been God and hard work.
Going by the look and lifestyles of most reggae musicians, would it be right to say, reggae is associated with Indian hemp and drugs?
There is no genre of music that is not associated with drugs. Hip-Hop is even worse. If you talk of reggae, you talk of Ganja, but Hip-hop artistes deal on hard drugs, which one is better?
Some doctors, lawyers and some other high individuals take ganja. It is all about the personality of the person taking it. It is all about you and your career. Taking me for an example, I might have smoked a little at some point, but I didn’t let that become part of me or my inspiration.
Why are you fighting COSON?
The difference in what I say and what those in COSON say is that I want us to have a freedom of choice in the industry. In a country of over 160 million, you can’t force one thing on everybody.
I am saying let there be an alternative. If I don’t like the way I am been treated in COSON, let me have somewhere else to go to and display my works. Other countries are doing it and have more than one body in-charge of music.
Meanwhile, the fight with COSON has really affected me in many ways, financially, physically and otherwise. Because this is the only pension that we know. That is why we are fighting for it. If anything happens to me today, I have nothing to depend on except my songs and copyrights that is why we are fighting to get it right. The case is still in court.
We pay our artistes whenever their works are been aired, no matter where it was aired we pay them in cheques. But most of the artistes haven’t been speaking up.
People don’t know that most of these young top artistes like Don Jazzy, P-square, KC and others are not members of COSON but you’ll see their pictures there, so do not be deceived. Don’t believe all you see.
How have you been able to cope staying off scandals?
It is by the grace of God. I am a grandfather now, so I try as much as I can to avoid anything that would dent my image that I have toiled to build for decades.
in this interview monitored by SHOWBIZPLUSng, explains why his music has stood the test of time, joy of attaining and celebrating three decades in the competitive Nigerian music industry, reflections as a career artiste among other issues.
How do you feel celebrating 30 years on stage?
I feel so good and happy. A child of thirty years is no longer a child but a full grown man, if a woman; she would have been done with child bearing. So, it feels so nice looking back and seeing the achievements so far. I must tell you, it is a wonderful feeling.
Why did you stick to only reggae music?
Yes, it has always been reggae because I could express myself spiritually with reggae music but I can’t do it in R & B or any other kind of music. I do more of reggae because it is very spiritual.
Why do you say it is spiritual?
Reggae is your environment and how it influences your thinking. It is the real expression of your inner self about any issue without fear or favour. It is all about Jah Almighty, the creator. Reggae is a tool for fighting oppression. I had nine albums within three decades. I just launched the ninth one.
Listening to your songs in those days, one wonders what was passing through your mind when you wrote them?
A lot of things are usually on my mind when I write my songs. I am a product of the environment I live in. So, I am affected by what I see, what I feel and what I hear. If the environment is bad then, I’m compelled to write songs condemning it.
It is like a wind that comes to you; and you put it down. And when inspirations come like this; all I do is to write like the vessel that I am, I write down what the spirit tells me to write. And that is the reason my music is highly inspirational. It is not just about creating bits and that’s why my music has stood the test of time. I have written songs about 20 to 25 years ago and I am still collecting royalties from them.
Since your songs are inspirational, are you being led by the spirit?
I am talking about the spirit of God; it is a mystic thing you cannot understand. Music is a spirit business. It takes the spirit of God for you to write good songs that would touch lives. Yes we have bad spirits, but I am talking about the good spirit which is the spirit of God. My songs influence people positively.
You still look young and ageless. What’s the magic?
It is the grace of God. I try not to eat late and even if I have to eat late it has to be fruits or vegetables. Again, I am filled with positive vibrations that also reflect on my outlook.
Did you ever think you will get this far when you started?
I am not even where am supposed to be. That is one of my sad moments. I did not start by recording songs or releasing albums. I started by having fans and co-producing albums. If you turn the flip side of Raskimono’s album you will see my name there, same with Mandator’s album, Majek Fashek and others. I also made some other stars. Then in 1989, I released my album.
How was your first album?
You should be the judge not me, but it was a mega hit. My first album was a sold out.
Then, there were lots of socially conscious music compared to now, what could have gone wrong?
Yes, there are lots of changes because music goes in circles. It is like fashion, it revolves. What we sang about 10- 15 years ago has become worse now. As at then, we thought it was bad but now it has become the order of the day. Fela once sang about it, but he didn’t know it would get to this point. However, the youths came with something different to take our minds off the many troubles of the nation. They have taken over the music industry, but I believe some people are tired of hearing them and have been yearning for good and better music.
If the media can help out and start playing Hi-life music, you’ll see most young musicians would want to do something on Hi-life music. The DJs too have a lot to do in order to regulate the kind of music people listen.
These days there are hardly traditional reggae musicians, instead we have mainstream reggae acts, would you join them soon?
If Bob Marley was alive today, he would have also changed the tune of his reggae songs. Music moves and changes with time and we have to move it too. The DJs won’t play songs of the 60’s because they are here to appease the youths. Our kind of songs are gradually dying down, thanks to Classic FM which is concentrated on playing music for the above 40’s.
Would you say Reggae music is gradually dying?
Reggae music is not going into extinction. Popular stars and artistes like Snopp Doggy from the United States are changing the face of reggae music. In Nigeria, Tuface is a reggae artiste, Faze is also a reggae artiste. Omawumi’s album has reggae flavour. Yes, some of our young artistes are influenced by hip-hop genre, but if you listen to their music, you would notice that they are truly playing reggae music. And we know that hip hop is an off-shoot of reggae.
Are you also of the opinion that our youths don’t play good music, but after fame and money?
The youths don’t have good mentors. In our time, we did. We really had to live the kind of lifestyle our mentors were living; we let them influence us to the core. But our youths are almost on their own. With a laptop in his bedroom, he believes he doesn’t really need a producer. He just creates beats, voices into it and then that all. Music is out and being enjoyed on the airwaves. But that doesn’t make you a real musician, and therefore you won’t last. You release one big hit, then following it up becomes a big problem. You won’t stay long and fade away. To be a good musician, you must learn how to play an instrument. It is not just about becoming a star, but sustaining the stardom.
So what has been you staying power?
It has been God and hard work.
Going by the look and lifestyles of most reggae musicians, would it be right to say, reggae is associated with Indian hemp and drugs?
There is no genre of music that is not associated with drugs. Hip-Hop is even worse. If you talk of reggae, you talk of Ganja, but Hip-hop artistes deal on hard drugs, which one is better?
Some doctors, lawyers and some other high individuals take ganja. It is all about the personality of the person taking it. It is all about you and your career. Taking me for an example, I might have smoked a little at some point, but I didn’t let that become part of me or my inspiration.
Why are you fighting COSON?
The difference in what I say and what those in COSON say is that I want us to have a freedom of choice in the industry. In a country of over 160 million, you can’t force one thing on everybody.
I am saying let there be an alternative. If I don’t like the way I am been treated in COSON, let me have somewhere else to go to and display my works. Other countries are doing it and have more than one body in-charge of music.
Meanwhile, the fight with COSON has really affected me in many ways, financially, physically and otherwise. Because this is the only pension that we know. That is why we are fighting for it. If anything happens to me today, I have nothing to depend on except my songs and copyrights that is why we are fighting to get it right. The case is still in court.
We pay our artistes whenever their works are been aired, no matter where it was aired we pay them in cheques. But most of the artistes haven’t been speaking up.
People don’t know that most of these young top artistes like Don Jazzy, P-square, KC and others are not members of COSON but you’ll see their pictures there, so do not be deceived. Don’t believe all you see.
How have you been able to cope staying off scandals?
It is by the grace of God. I am a grandfather now, so I try as much as I can to avoid anything that would dent my image that I have toiled to build for decades.
RITA OKOYE/SE
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