ENTERTAINMENT

8 Things We Learnt From Jay-Z’s Rap Radar Podcast Interview

Published

7 years ago

August 22, 2017

8 Things We Learnt From Jay-Z's Rap Radar Podcast Interview

On the tagline “This is his 13th studio album” and why it’s so personal:
JAY-Z: I want everything to be in a simple and honest place. Even the videos, I didn’t want videos, music videos. Each one is a doc. Or even the cartoon that we made for “[The Story of O.J.].” I just wanted it to be an honest portrayal in everything I was saying. “The Story of O.J.” is about us moving forward. For us to move forward, we have to take a look back. And when we took a look back, “OK, this is where we come from.” This is real images—this was shot by Warner Bros. and not to single them out. These were shot by major studios. Like, these cartoons were on TV. This imagery of how we were presented was this, and I wanted to draw a thread between what’s happening now. And it’s still happening. It’s just not as overt.

On No I.D. approaching him with his next The Blueprint:
JAY-Z: He called me a while before we started this and was like, “Man, I got your next Blueprint.” He said something like, “I know this is a lot to say.” [And I’m like], “Yeah, that’s a lot to say.” And just dismissed it. Somehow we got up and we was at Roc Nation offices out here in L.A. and he played me what he was working on. I was like, “Oh, that’s amazing.” I liked different samples. Like, he had sampled The-Dream and these samples. I was like, “No, no, no. I got where we could take this.” I made him a playlist that I wanted to address and talk about on these different songs. He already had “4:44” and he had “Kill Jay-Z” and he had “Family Feud.” I think aside from that, all the songs I brought him in [to do], we like worked on them together.

On learning something new from people in his inner circle (even Ty Ty):
JAY-Z: After we played the music, we had conversations for like four hours, just about life. Strange thing—I learned more about the people I’ve been around during this process than any other. Like, people I’ve known 20 years I’ve found new things about them. I was like, “Oh, shit!” I guess what was happening and what was being said on the album allowed people to open up. It was this cathartic process where people were just like, “OK, well, since you shared that intimate detail, let me share this.”

On ranking 4:44 in his discography:
JAY-Z: It’s definitely up there, and time will see what happens. Certain things – you can’t tell. American Gangster aged really well. Some people put it at No. 1. They put it in top 5, top 3, a lot, and it wasn’t like that when it came out. It like grew. Things like Blueprint 3 will go backwards because it had big records on it like “Empire State of Mind,” “Run this Town,” and “Young Forever.” As an album, when the record is that big, it seems like ubiquitous. It’s hard to sit down and chill with.

On songs that didn’t make 4:44:
JAY-Z: There’s a song called “Black Gold.” And “Part 2,” this other song is actually a response to “Kill Jay-Z” before “BAM” came in. It had this beautiful Al Green sample. Pretty much the ones that were on the cutting room or whatever, I put on the bonus [tracks].

I knew there was so many real subjects that we were touching. Each subject is a four-five hour conversation. Just discussing all these things – everything I discuss on the album, like “Legacy.” Your children and what happens after that. You can go on for days discussing that. I didn’t want the album to get so long we missed out on what’s important.

On “Y’all on the ‘Gram holdin’ money to your ear/ There’s a disconnect, we don’t call that money over here”:
JAY-Z: I’m not against young guys versus old guys. I didn’t even tell people to stop using the money phone. I didn’t say that. It doesn’t say that anywhere. How is this being misinterpreted? I just said that this ain’t money to us. It ain’t. That’s just an honest statement.

On possibly dissing Kanye West on “Kill Jay-Z”:
JAY-Z: Think about how I got to that point. It’s not even about Kanye. It really isn’t. His name is there because it is truthful [on] what happened. I’m saying the whole point is you got hurt because this guy was talking about you on the stage, but what really hurt me [was] you can’t bring my kids and my wife into it. Like, Kanye is my little brother. He talked about me a 100 times. He made a song called “Big Brother.” We’ve gotten passed bigger issues. But you brought my family into it – now that’s a problem with me. That’s a real, real, problem. He knows it is a problem. Cause me and him would have been resolved our issues. But he knows that he crossed line. I know him, he knows.

On namedropping Future on “Kill Jay-Z”:
JAY-Z: I thought about that line. I thought about hip-hop. I was like, “I really don’t mean any malice.” What I mean by that is, the way his situation plays out because he’s such a public figure, mine would have played out that way and maybe even four-times more. Like his child is in a loving environment from what I see. I don’t know. I’m not discrediting step pops and the whole world. It was a line that say that could happen to me in my future. It just so happens that his name was Future and I just made a scheme out of it.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Enioluwa Replies X User Questioning The Use Of Same Actors In Nollywood

Published

2 days ago

November 12, 2024

Reporter

Enioluwa on why Nollywood uses the same actors | fab.ng

Nollywood actor and social media personality Enioluwa explained why the Nigerian film industry uses the ‘same faces’ in movies.

It all began on November 11, 2024, when an X user reacted to actress Jemima Osunde‘s post on X regarding the new YouTube film Fame and Fury.

The user said, “I’m sincerely tired of seeing the same faces in this damn industry.”

I’m sincerely tired of seeing the same faces in this damn industry https://t.co/L2rKSIGIz6

— salamalekun bitches (@95andbeyond) November 11, 2024

Osunde did not take her comment lightly. She retorted, saying, “We’re tired of seeing your face too in your office. Damn! I hope they sack you.”

Enioluwa then took to X to address the notion of Nollywood using familiar faces in films. He stressed that it happens because of finances.

He wrote,

“People often say they’re tired of seeing the same faces in Nigerian films. However, unlike in Hollywood, actors in Nigeria can’t afford to do just one film a year—how much are they paying? The industry currently can’t support as many newcomers as people might expect because, realistically, many of them wouldn’t be able to meet even their basic needs. No one wants to be famous and financially unstable.”

In response, another X user asked him for practical solutions, urging him to suggest actionable steps rather than just highlighting the problems. “You made a crucial point there but you didn’t suggest any solution,” he commented.

Enioluwa then explained,

We don’t have the buying power yet; it’s growing because streaming platforms have come in and people have made more records in the box office. Nevertheless, you can’t equate it to Hollywood, an Avengers that made over $2 billion that can pay its actors millions of dollars and still have enough profit.

People often say they’re tired of seeing the same faces in Nigerian films.

However, unlike in Hollywood, actors in Nigeria can’t afford to do just one film a year— how much are they paying.

The industry currently can’t support as many newcomers as people might expect because,…

— Eni Adeoluwa (@Enioluwa_) November 11, 2024

Check out more updates here.

ENTERTAINMENT

John Njamah Says Actors Should Be Cast Based On Talent Not Instagram Followers

Published

2 days ago

November 12, 2024

Reporter

John Njamah Says Actors Should Be Cast Based On Talent | fab.ng

Nollywood filmmaker John Njamah recently voiced his concern about the prevailing casting practices in the industry. He argued that casting decisions should prioritize an actor’s talent over their physical appearance or social media popularity.

In an exclusive interview, Njamah, a Nollywood veteran, gave insightful commentary on the current state and future trajectory of Nigerian cinema.

Known for his role as Rabiu in the popular TV soap opera “Fuji House of Commotion,” Njamah has also graced the screens of numerous television shows.

Interestingly, the shows he has featured in include “Tinsel,” “Living In Lagos,” “Solitaire,” “Casino,” “Emerald,” “Tide,” and “My Flatmates.”

During the interview, Njamah talked about his filmmaking journey. He emphasized his unwavering passion for the industry and his aspirations for its continued development.

“What is fuelling me is beyond passion. There’s that knack and need to grow with every month, whatever year. There’s that need to.do something different. This industry of ours is for you to do whatever you want to do and not join the bandwagon. So for me, it’s the originality in me and the need to do something right that is fuelling me Basically, it’s the ever-creative venture in me,” he said.

Njamah discussed how African stories are evolving. Furthermore, he emphasized that positive and negative changes have happened over the years.

“There’s a positive aspect and there’s a negative aspect. There’s a technical input. We’re telling our stories better technically. We’re telling better and bigger stories. The negative is that we are beginning to lose our originality. We are beginning to join the bandwagon to tell what is peculiar to other people and not to us. We are beginning to lose a bit of our identity cos there’s no longer us,” he said.

What’s more, Njamah spoke about casting in the industry. He pointed out differences between the industry during his time and the current climate, especially with casting.

“Fuji House was a one-camera shoot with hungry and passionate people. Now we have people who cast people who are beautiful and with Barbie bodies and followership and not necessarily for your talents. Some of us try to be that original because that’s where better stories are told. You want to tell stories with passionate people. Whether you like it or not, it’s a long shot but it’s possible. You want to give the actors that are worthy of the job and not the ones that are based on Instagram followers. We borrow from society and give back to society by way of entertainment and pedagogical values.”

Further, he criticized the lack of professional work ethic among filmmakers in Nollywood. He highlighted the absence of a robust system to evaluate the performance and accountability of producers within the industry.

“Professionalism is lacking. Respect for those in charge, humility and the like is lacking today. The industry lacks checks and balances. Every Tom, Dck and Harry can wake up and call themselves a producer and just get on board and be doing stuff without being checked and of course, the guild system is not working so they can’t check. There are no criteria for who should become a producer. The system is also not working. Let’s just be mindful as producers, directors and actors,” he added.

In conclusion, John Njamah acknowledged the unique character of Nollywood. Meanwhile, he proposed the creation of a domestic platform to market and distribute Nigerian films. Consequently, this would reduce reliance on foreign streaming services.

“That thing that they don’t like about us is what makes us, us. I am tired of people saying they don’t want to come into the country for coproduction cos we’re that and that and why are we relying on the likes of the streamers? Why can’t we do something that is for us by us so that they will come to us and ask for these things? We are solely depending on them to licence our movies, for survival. Speaking of coproduction, if you tell me you don’t want to come into the country for any reason, I’ll tell you you’re wrong, cos there are amazing producers here that you’ve seen their work. All you need to do is come to them and agree on modalities.”

Watch the interview with John Njamah below.

Check out more updates here.

ENTERTAINMENT

Mercy Aigbe Reveals Why She Married Kazim Adeoti As A Second Wife

Published

3 days ago

November 11, 2024

Reporter

Mercy Aigbe on why she married Kazim Adeoti as 2nd wife | fab.ng

Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe-Adeoti revealed one of the reasons she chose to marry Kazim Adeoti as his second wife.

During her appearance on “Nollywood on Radio”, Mercy Aigbe explained that her husband’s deep experience and dedication to Nollywood significantly influenced her decision.

Emphasizing that their marriage goes beyond a personal connection, she mentioned it also aligns with their shared professional ambitions.

She said of their shared ambitions, “That’s one of the reasons why I married him.”

She added, “Together we’re building an empire; we’re building a production empire and I felt like I needed someone like that. It’s a good thing that he’s in the industry so with his strength and my strength combined, the future of the empire is looking good already.”

Social media users slammed the actress after her revelation. Many criticized her decision. They pointedly reminded her about Kazim Adeoti’s first wife, who, according to reports, did not give her consent to their marriage.

A comment read, “Elesin! Empire wey he don already build with his first wife.”

“Mercy, you know that you betrayed this woman. If you and the first wife didn’t know each other, it is a different thing since she is a Muslim, but you are someone who can not be trusted,” another person said.

Mercy’s marriage to Kazim Adeoti sparked controversy from the very beginning. Reports claimed that she allegedly came between the filmmaker and his first wife, Funso.

However, Kazim clarified that he and Mercy had been friends and business partners for over ten years. This was before they began dating.

On the other hand, Mercy’s ex-husband, Lanre Gentry, accused her of being friends with Funso throughout that period. Eventually, she married Adeoti in 2022.

In April 2023, the actress surprised her fans on social media. She announced her conversion to Islam just before the start of Ramadan, introducing herself as Hajia Meenah Mercy Adeoti.

Get more updates here.