{"id":276082,"date":"2011-02-15T14:41:47","date_gmt":"2011-02-15T14:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/?p=52359"},"modified":"2011-02-15T14:41:47","modified_gmt":"2011-02-15T14:41:47","slug":"ive-always-been-a-hustler-lynxxx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/02\/15\/ive-always-been-a-hustler-lynxxx\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve always been a hustler \u2014 Lynxxx"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Lynxxx<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lynxxx came on board with a fresh sound that got many wondering who the \u2018clean\u2019 dude was. Not surprisingly, the US-educated-returnee has been understudying Nigerian music for over a decade.<\/p>\n

With a name that springs from his series of business ventures, Lynxxx speaks with Lolade SOWOOLU on his Pepsi endorsement and reveals that his privileged background has little to do with his success today.<\/p>\n

Tell us a bit about who you are and where you\u2019re coming from?<\/p>\n

My full name is Chukie Edizien. I come from Asaba, Delta state. I grew up in Lagos. I was born here (in Lagos) to a family of five sisters. I\u2019m the last. I had my primary schooling in Corona, secondary school in Kings college and was abroad for most of\u00a0 2000s.<\/p>\n

I have a B.A. in Business Economics and Marketing from the University of Hull, U.K. I\u2019ve always done my thing while the girls did theirs. I was closer to my cousin, so he\u2019s like my elder brother. Growing up was fun .<\/p>\n

How did you come to be known as Lynxxx ?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been an entrepreneur right back from secondary school. I\u2019d sell ring tones and charge people to put games on their phones. I was Mr I-can-get-you what-you-want, I-can-get-it-for-cheap; I had the links to everything and every one. In the University, I first used to retail polo shirts. Then I trained myself to be a designer so I\u2019d make flyers, brochures and then websites. I\u2019ve always been a hustler. I\u2019m Lynxxx and I\u2019m International.<\/p>\n

Is it because of your entrepreneurial disposition that you decided to study Business and marketing?
\nYes. I felt those are the two key things you need to know as an entrepreneur. The business side of things (economics) and the marketing.<\/p>\n

Sounds like you had it all\u00a0 mapped out?<\/p>\n

Well I did.<\/p>\n

You were pretty comfortable as a kid, why did you have to sell stuffs?<\/p>\n

I think it was the \u2018only boy\u2019 syndrome that I had. I d never been the type to ask. If you interview my father right now, he\u2019ll tell you same. I believe in getting things myself. I\u2019ve always been self-reliant. Some people think an only boy must be spoilt but I don\u2019t have anything to prove to anyone. I\u2019m who I am. If you go to Lagos Island and ask for Chukie, they\u2019ll tell you how I roll.<\/p>\n

So where did music come into the picture ?<\/p>\n

Music has always been there, from primary through secondary school. My present manager used to rap then and he was friends with my older sister.<\/p>\n

That made me want to learn how. I\u2019ve been writing music for about ten years now. I just waited for the right time which is now. In 2003\\2004, we \u2013 Ikon and I, formed sydik8 Records. We recorded two mix tapes and later made a compilation of both and sold it at the Silverbird Galleria in 2006. Ikon was producer. My first studio recording was at Even Ezra studio in V.I. I\u2019ve have always wanted to do music but didn\u2019t think the time was right till I came back to Nigeria in 2009 and that\u2019s when I recorded \u2018Change your Parade\u2019.<\/p>\n

Did it continue in the U.K.?<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t do music at all in the U.K but every time I came back I would study the music industry. We produced a song for D\u2019banj in 2005 called \u2018No long thing\u2019.We\u2019ve been in the industry for that long just studying in the background. In 2008 we built the syndik8 record studio in Park view and that\u2019s where nearly all the artistes in Nigeria record a large part of their productions. We run it as a business.<\/p>\n

How did your parents react when you told them of your intentions to take music as a career?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a shy person always in the studio or at home. I keep to myself but music helped me to express myself in ways I maybe wouldn\u2019t have. My mum always knew I had something for music and it wasn\u2019t a shocker to my father. I had shown a level of seriousness and foresight with what I had achieved in past years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never worked 9-5 in my life. I had an education and a well -built studio running over two years. He (his father) simply asked if it (music) was what I wanted to do next and I said yes.<\/p>\n

How easy was it breaking into the market?<\/p>\n

Making good music is only about thirty per cent of what any artiste would need. I\u2019ve spent a ridiculous amount of money promoting \u2018Change your parade\u2019 alone and it\u2019s not even where I want yet. Music business is not a joke. It\u2019s a full time job.<\/p>\n

What were your goals really while studying at the University?<\/p>\n

As an entrepreneur there were certain goals I was trying to achieve in life. One of which was a clothing line. I launched it in 2007 and till date I\u2019ve sold thousands of shirts here in Nigeria. It\u2019s called Syndik8 clothing. Owning a media company is something I\u2019ve always wanted too.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s something I and Ikon did. It\u2019s called Happy Teddy. Ikon and I are friends that share the same passion. Right now I\u2019m facing the last of the dreams I want to achieve.
\nWhat does Utunu mean?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s my coined phrase but I\u2019ve refused to tell every body it\u2019s meaning. I\u2019m about to release the dictionary for Lynxxx called the \u2018Lynxxxtionary\u2019. It\u2019s going to be an application for a blackberry phone and it will answer all questions about Lynxxx. It will contain definition for all the terms I use including \u2018utunu\u2019<\/p>\n

Was it deliberate during song writing to come up with a phrase that will set people asking questions?
\nIt\u2019s something that I\u2019ve been saying for a while. My camp is a creative one. We play on words and we don\u2019t care about what\u2019s going on outside. I just decided to use it (Utunu) in that song and it stuck with every body. It wasn\u2019t a calculated move or a strategy. But it worked .<\/p>\n

How many singles did you have before the album release?<\/p>\n

I had three official singles -\u2018Change your Parade\u2019, \u2018Good loving\u2019 and \u2018International\u2019<\/p>\n

Your two major songs have been about love and heartbreak. What are you trying to position yourself as in this industry?<\/p>\n

Image always has to match the product. I just make good music so people can be happy. That\u2019s why my genre of music is called \u2018Jollof music\u2019. I have different genres of music on my album. I have Hip Hop, Soul ,R N B, Funk and then Jollof which is my Nigerian music.<\/p>\n

My goal is not quite to be the ladies\u2019 man but that\u2019s what the public is giving me maybe because of my looks and the songs-\u2018Change your parade\u2019 and \u2018Alabukun \u2018<\/p>\n

How do you handle the ladies swooning around you?<\/p>\n

I just stay focused on the music. I have a good management team that makes sure they get paid and that the artiste is doing what he\u2019s suppose to be doing which is ultimately staying out of trouble by focusing on the goal.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t pay attention to the attention. I appreciate it and it doesn\u2019t go past that. I won\u2019t let extra curricular activities get in the way of what I want.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t have time for one special person\u2026<\/p>\n

Or two or three \u2026<\/p>\n

How did the Pepsi deal come in?<\/p>\n

Pepsi came along just before I finished my album. They contacted my management in late October They gave me an endorsement deal and for me that\u2019s a big confidence boost because I\u2019d only put out three singles at that point in time. For a multinational company that\u2019s endorsed artistes like Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Akon\u2026to approach me for endorsement is huge.<\/p>\n

They had been understudying me, watching my on time -line presence. What they loved the most was the unique image. Pepsi\u2019s a polished company and they needed someone polished to represent them .<\/p>\n

Is that what they \u2018re buying into ?<\/p>\n

They\u2019re buying into the future. They\u2019re buying into something different. It shows they did their thorough research .They \u2018d never endorsed a Nigerian or African before apart from Akon and Akon got endorsed in the States (US).<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the implication of this endorsement?<\/p>\n

First, it\u2019s history in the making. I\u2019m proud to represent my country as a proud ambassador of Pepsi. Second, it\u2019s a business opportunity \u2018cos apart from being a new artiste I have a chance of bringing business to the table.<\/p>\n

While a lot of people are still trying to understand the Lynxxx brand, Pepsi already believes in it. I don\u2019t believe in over-saturation, or appearing at all shows and red carpets just to be seen. Rather I\u2019ll let my brand speak for me in due time. Pepsi\u2019s ready to work with me in terms of growth. I don\u2019t want to disclose too much of what Pepsi\u2019s trying to do.<\/p>\n

As Pepsi brand ambassador, does this mean you don\u2019t take alcohol any more ?<\/p>\n

I do. Just that I don\u2019t the opposite of Pepsi.
\nSo how fat is this deal?\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0It\u2019s good enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lynxxx came on board with a fresh sound that got many wondering who the \u2018clean\u2019 dude was. Not surprisingly, the US-educated-returnee has been understudying Nigerian music for over a decade. With a name that springs from his series of business ventures, Lynxxx speaks with Lolade SOWOOLU on his Pepsi endorsement and reveals that his privileged […]<\/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-276082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nI\u2019ve always been a hustler \u2014 Lynxxx - 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\/02\/15\/ive-always-been-a-hustler-lynxxx\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"I\u2019ve always been a hustler \u2014 Lynxxx - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Lynxxx came on board with a fresh sound that got many wondering who the \u2018clean\u2019 dude was. 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