Reminisce: How Brila FM rejected my songs, said 9ice sang like ‘babalawo’

Reminisce, the Nigerian rapper, has opened up about his “first major rejection” in the music industry.

Speaking during a Q&A session with Zikoko, the ‘King Of Boys’ actor said he and 9ice, the singer, had visited the office of Brila FM some years ago to promote their CDs.

Reminisce said the persons in charge of reviewing their songs at the radio station rejected their CDs, citing the predominant use of Yoruba language.

The rapper disclosed that they were told to “look for what to do with your lives” — insinuating he and 9ice would not make it in the music industry.

The 42-year-old said they told him that he rapped like a “buffoon”.

He added that 9ice was also abused that he sang like a “babalawo” — a traditional healer in Yorubaland, comprising of diviners and herbalists.

“The first one was Brila FM. It was me with 9ice. We went to submit our CDs. And when we got there, they would listen first and come and give us feedback,” he said.

“So, when they listened, they told 9ice, ‘you can not even make it. You are babalawo. You are singing like herbalist’.

“The other guy now told me like why am I rapping like a buffoon? That can I not see Ruggedman? That Ruggedman is just downstairs there with his BMW. They said we should go back and go and look for what to do with our lives and get better.

“So that was my first major rejection. Even 9ice himself has not forgotten. Because it was upstairs. It was like six or eight floors.

“That was where Brila FM was then. So we just looked downstairs after they had washed us. So to use the stairs back we just said we should rest small because it was like eight floors.”