Brymo: Even though Oleku was a big hit, I was surviving through M.I Abaga

Brymo, real names Olawale Ashimi, says he got no remuneration for the part he played in ‘Oleku’, a major hit released in 2010 by Chocolate City.

Although the song is owned by Ice Prince Zamani, Brymo’s infectious hook was what made it a national anthem at the time.

The singer, in an interview with Sahara TV, noted that his effort on Oleku was free of charge.

“Remember Oleku right? I got no award for it. I was a fool, there was no contract”, Brymo said.

He further revealed that things were pretty difficult for him at the time, and he was able to survive through M.I Abaga, his former label mate who’s the current president of Chocolate City.

“Oleku was a pro-bono work for Chocolate City. I felt maybe because I didn’t have a contract and I was new, it was my trial period. So I signed a contract in April 2011 but nothing changed. The label didn’t provide money for upfront project recordings.

“But there’s always a way out of that. There are other musicians on the label. MI was the first to blow up and he had gotten a place. In that period, I was always at MI’s place.”

“In the case of the record label, the contract and the court injunction, it’s a show of shame. People will always smile at you when you do what they want. I was not in court when the injunction was given. If that’s how it is done in law, then we should scrap the entire constitution.

“Fortunately, it didn’t last very long. Eventually they removed it. Their aim was to prevent me from putting out my ‘Merchant, Dealers and Slaves’ album.

“Nobody will like it if I go back to Chocolate City. Certain things can never be really mended. You just have to go your separate ways. I’ve had more peace in the last few years”, Brymo added.