{"id":272628,"date":"2011-01-02T22:53:42","date_gmt":"2011-01-02T22:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/?p=44359"},"modified":"2011-01-02T22:53:42","modified_gmt":"2011-01-02T22:53:42","slug":"at-home-with-familys-heaven-father-eldee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/01\/02\/at-home-with-familys-heaven-father-eldee\/","title":{"rendered":"At home with family\u2019s heaven \u2013 Father eLDee"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
Father eLDee<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nThis singer, rapper, producer, husband, father and now actor lets us into his secret to balance and how he keeps a good image in spite of his very public occupations. Lolade SOWOOLU caught up with Tha Don on set of \u2018Jenifa 3\u2019\u00a0 in Lagos where he shares the father side of him.
\nIt\u2019d be nice to see you on set in action
\n(cuts in) I\u2019m an actor o; a bad one (laughs)
\nIs this your first time on a movie set?
\nYes my first movie, but I\u2019ve done some form of acting in my University days. I did a bit of stage acting before I settled to music.I was suppose to be a part of drama group that had Denrele, Kayode Peters, Yaw, Biola Alogba, Princess and so many others .But I decided to focus more on music.
\nAnd how does it feel trying out a lane different from music?
\nIt\u2019s just me exploring another side of me. This might be a one off\u00a0 who knows. But then, I never say \u2018never\u2019
\nWhy did you decide to be a part of this?
\nThey called me up and explained the character. They said they needed some one who is wholesome, with a good image; a brand that can be associated with by both the young and old. Someone that\u2019s scandal free and is a good model. We talked about the story -line too.
\nIs it a cameo appearance you\u2019\u2018re making?
\nFather eLDee
\nI don\u2019t think I will call my role a cameo \u2018cos I have over seven scenes to play.
\nWill you\u00a0 be speaking English or Yoruba in the movie?
\nBoth. I\u2019m speaking a bit of English then blend in Yoruba.
\nDo you think featuring in this movie will do any thing for your career as a musician?
\nIt\u2019s good publicity. It will help people see and appreciate me in a different perspective \u2019cos I feel like most people find it hard to connect with the Eldee behind the music even though they appreciate my music.
\nWhat\u2019s your relationship with Funke Akindele?
\nI\u2019ve only met Jenifa (Funke Akindele) once and very casually. It was at Wande coal\u2019s launch . So getting this role isn\u2019t based on an existing relationship. I\u2019ve had a bunch of offers to act in time past but I took on this (movie) because it has a message. More so, it\u2019s done by a production team I\u2019m familiar with.
\nDJ Tee is Director of photography so I\u2019m comfortable to a certain level that the quality of the final output will be good. If I\u2019d gone on set and everything was looking shabby , I probably would have walked out from day one.
\nI imagine you\u2019re getting paid for this appearance.
\nWell, let me just say they \u2018re paying me well. But it\u2019s never about the money. The value of the money you\u2019re being paid versus the work is not always the same. I\u2019m just excited to be a part of this. Whether or not I was getting paid, it\u2019s something I\u2019d still have loved to do .
\nHow have you managed to stay scandal free in spite of being in the lime light?
\nIt\u2019s because I\u2019m not a bad person.
\nIs it a lot of work keeping up the image?
\nI think the fact that I\u2019m always working keeps me away from all the extra circular stuff that creates the random stories .Let me say it\u2019s also the grace of God \u2019cos some one just might come up with a negative story about me tomorrow .
\nIt would be untrue but then a lot of people may not know but then so many people will never believe it .So I guess I\u2019m just lucky .There are some people who are being wrongly criticized right now that I know are generally good people but \u2018cos they get into some kind of situation, negative stories emanate about them. I\u2019m just my self .
\nI don\u2019t try to act .I\u2019m just a lucky man .I try to be friendly with everyone too because sometimes it starts with people not liking your attitude and things like that. I treat every one the same way ,from CEO to gate man. It\u2019s the grace of God.
\nYour rap talent seems to be taking back seat these days. Is it deliberate that you sing more nowadays?
\nIt\u2019s not so .I was in a group with two guys who are rappers predominantly so people assumed I was one too.
\nBut when the rap is silent and there\u2019s singing on our songs in those days that was me. I was the singer in Trybesmen. That\u2019s why I tell people ,don\u2019t call me a rapper. I\u2019m a musician. I\u2019m not confined to just rapping .
\nI can sing ,write and produce. A lot of my songs are written technically as rap. I just put the melody into it and that\u2019s what gives the different sound from others\u2019 stuff .
\nDolly Dabiri (wife) and dauhter, Temi.
\nI\u2019ve figured out ways to be unique. I\u2019m the same person that sang ,\u201dWeda like am\u2026 \u2018E get plenty plenty things way no suppose to happen for this life\u2026 \u2018Today na today u no go escape\u2026 It\u2019s just that the\u00a0 most popular songs from my recordings are usually the ones I\u2019m not rapping at all.
\nYour production talent is becoming really prominent. We saw you flip around Goldie \u2018s career with the hit \u2018You know it\u2019 and also Yemi Alade. How do you go about it ?
\nIt\u2019s just about understanding the technicalities of making popular music .Now I have a bunch of songs written for which I \u2018m shopping artistes. For Goldie \u2018s song. she came up with the \u2018mo le gbo ko lowo e\u2019 idea and I wrote the lyrics for it and created the beat. I showed it to her, she liked it, and she recorded it. Same with Yemi.
\nI\u2019ve done some other songs\u00a0 for Yemi that are not out yet .I\u2019m a song writer in the whole sense of it.
\nWhat are you observations of the music industry in your two years of returning to Nigeria?
\nOne thing that happened in 2010 is recession. 2009 was much better for music artistes. The music kept coming but they weren\u2019t earning as much as they did last year (2009).\u00a0 Some of the corporate companies were cutting their budget.
\nDid it force artistes to improve on quality?
\nNow it\u2019s like a conference hall and every body is singing at the same time. There are better artistes now and only the really good ones get noticed. This is a good thing. That is how the industry gets cleaned up and that\u2019s how quality grows. Those who don\u2019t have the opportunities now will look at those having opportunities and emulate them.
\nWhen there\u2019s no competition, people get complacent. Right now everyone has to sit up, else someone else takes your spot. That way you don\u2019t play around in the studio. If you put out a weak single, you go back to the studio and work harder. I\u2019m happy we\u2019re at this point where nobody\u2019s indispensable.
\nLet\u2019s talk about eLDee as a father.
\nWell, I like to think of myself as a good daddy. My wife sent me a message this morning saying I\u2019m a very good daddy even though I\u2019ve not been home in 24 hours. I spend a lot of time with my daughter. The only word that she says fluently is \u2018daddy\u2019. Once I walk into the house, she doesn\u2019t say anything else but, \u2018daddy. daddy. daddy\u2019
\nAnd how does that make you feel?
\nIt feels good. It\u2019s the most beautiful thing to watch a child grow. Especially because I haven\u2019t really been around kids except for my sisters. But then I was really young. It\u2019s amazing to watch a child grow from ta ta ta and crying to pointing at stuffs, figuring out how the mirror works and more technical stuffs including opening the complicated sterilizer. And she\u2019s just one year old. You see the greatness of God in just that little being.
\nSame thing with her gate. She knows just where to press and pull to get it opened. Only that she\u2019s not strong enough to press hard. I can\u2019t have a dull child by the way. I secretly hope she\u2019ll be like me (laughs)
\nHow much time do you get to spend with her?
\nPlenty. My studio is in my house which is a good thing. As much as possible, I am at home except for when I\u2019m on set shooting or performing.
\nHave you always been like that or is this part of the sacrifices you make for being a father?
\nI\u2019ve always been a home buddy. I don\u2019t like to be out there. Home is my natural habitat. Not even just being in the house. It\u2019s staying in bed, watching Tv, with my wife somewhere around the house and my daughter climbing on my head- that\u2019s heaven for me. I don\u2019t feel any pressure to be home, I just want to be there.
\nIf God shows up now and asks you for a wish, what would it be?
\nWaow! I wish for Nigeria to be a better country so my daughter can live here. I don\u2019t want to have to resort to sending her away from her mother land because I\u2019m trying to protect her. But I will if I have to. Already I\u2019m thinking about when she begins schooling.
\nThat among other things get me thinking about Nigeria\u2019s plight and how we need to create sustainable development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This singer, rapper, producer, husband, father and now actor lets us into his secret to balance and how he keeps a good image in spite of his very public occupations. Lolade SOWOOLU caught up with Tha Don on set of \u2018Jenifa 3\u2019\u00a0 in Lagos where he shares the father side of him. It\u2019d be nice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-272628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nAt home with family\u2019s heaven \u2013 Father eLDee - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/01\/02\/at-home-with-familys-heaven-father-eldee\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"At home with family\u2019s heaven \u2013 Father eLDee - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"This singer, rapper, producer, husband, father and now actor lets us into his secret to balance and how he keeps a good image in spite of his very public occupations. 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