When I first of all saw Teeklef's name on the top ten enigma list on notjustok.com, I downloaded his enigma straight away; talk about judging a book by its cover! (laughs) And I definitely wasn't disappointed. His enigma was nice and when he came in 2nd place I wasn't surprised. I just knew I had to interview him and I definitely didn't waste time. In these few sentences, Teeklef opens up to JK on his life,music and girls!! ENJOY!!!
JK. Who is Ebuka Unogu?
TEEKLEF: Ebuka is Teeklef, but this time, he’s not on stage. I really don’t think one can separate Ebuka from Teeklef. It’s not an alter ego kinda thing. It’s just me; Teeklef – my life in melodies.
JK.What was growing up like for you?
TEEKLEF: It was fun! My parents were always there for me, couldn’t have asked for better siblings plus I had good friends who were always around so, (laughs)! It was awesome. I had to grow up quick though so I wasn’t like the average teenager. Hung out with friends who were at least 4years older than I was so I had that edge over my peers. Kinda worked out for the best though.
JK.Educational background
TEEKLEF: Still going to school. Graduated High school in 2005,I was 15. Did two years of college in IMSU (Imo State University) Owerri from 2006 – 2008 before moving to the states to start all over. I’m currently a junior at the University of Indianapolis; looking to graduate by the end of 2012.
JK:.When did you first notice your flare for music?
TEEKLEF: When I was 12 ish. I knew I could hit some notes but I didn’t see anything special in that. I guess my love music heightened late 2004. Started off beat boxing and freestyling with my high school mates. Back then, we had rap battles et al. I knew I loved making music but I never saw myself doing this professionally.
JK.How did you come up with the name tee-klef?
TEEKLEF: It’s Teeklef actually. To be honest, I thought about putting that hyphen but it didn’t really look good to me. (laughs). I was taking a piano class in Feb 2010; and I came across this piece of sheet music. It was a rather weird piece as some notes came before the treble clef and then other notes came after it. So, right then, it struck me, I could use my music to connect the past and the future while making it in present times. It’s nothing too deep, (laughs), I’m jus trying to make a connection, find the missing pieces and in that, make history. That’s all!
JK. You are a rapper, r'n'b singer, producer and songwriter. How do you merge all four and still come up with nice songs?
TEEKLEF: (sighs) I’m glad you consider my songs nice. That just put a smile on my face. *Now blushing* However, I do not feel or think music should be done or made in a particular way. I believe music should be able to cut across boundaries; a jazz musician should be able flow well on a rappers song. A reggae artist should be able to pull off a metallic rock verse pretty well. With that in mind, I hope you’d be able see why I do everything, that I can, while I can. Also, nothing is impossible.
JK. I heard you single-handedly built your own studio. How did that happen?
TEEKLEF: Well, I’m still in the process of completing it. I think I’ll still be in that process throughout my career but as it is, now, it’s good to go. (laughs) ! I still need to purchase some live percussion instruments (kongas, full drum sets, tambourines, shekere’s …….) though. But yeah, I was tired of having to pay people to record my songs and at the end of the day, I wouldn’t like how I sounded. However, most of the dudes that had studios around me didn’t really know their stuff and I had to call them time and time again to set up studio appointments. I got fed up and started investing my paycheck into my art. That was when I decided to make music professionally though. I can’t remember the last time I went shopping cos every dime that I’ve earned from April 2010 till date has gone into my music. It is well sha.(smiles)
JK. You remix beats and songs. I personally like your oleku remix. But how do you come up with a remix good enough to step up to the original?
TEEKLEF: Well, I do a lot of original songs too. Remixing these songs is my way of saying “This is how I would have gone about the song if I had the inspiration to make it.” And about my remixes, I’m glad you think they’re good enough to step to the original. (smiles)
JK. You just concluded the Big Bang Tour sponsored by “VH1′s Save the Music Foundation” and “The Amanti House”. How did that happen?
TEEKLEF: Someone told someone who told someone to tell someone about my music and it happened. Lol ! They hit me up out of the blue and we went from there.
JK. I heard you plan to release your first EP – On a C-Rius Note – soon. Tell us more about it.
TEEKLEF: I already released it o! Released it July 24th 2010. You can download it via my website www.teeklef.com
JK.Moving on to Enigma; What made you enter the enigma competition considering all the work you've done and the ones in the works?
TEEKLEF: I liked the feel of the beat. Plus, it was a freestyle. I write freestyles all the time with my iphone.
JK.What inspired your enigma track?
TEEKLEF: Nothing really. I just wanted to spit on it and get it over with. That was all. Didn’t know it’ll get this far.
JK.How did you feel when you were told you came in 2nd place?
JK.Has the Enigma competition changed anything in your life?
TEEKLEF: No. Oh wait! My bank account. (laughs)!
JK. To be honest you are a fine boy! How do you deal with the lots of female attention I'm sure you have?
TEEKLEF: Thanks Hun, I appreciate the fact that you find me attractive (smiles).Speaking about the girls, ummm. Yeah! Let’s not dive into that because this interview no go finish o! so, (laughs)!
JK. Does teeklef have a girlfriend?
TEEKLEF: Nope, not at the moment. Good news for you eh? (laughs and smiles)
JK.What should we expect from teeklef in the nearest future?
TEEKLEF: My first mixtape – No Beat Is Safe. #NOBIS
JK.Before you go,I always have a parting question for every interview. If you were to come back to life as an animal,wat animal would it be and why?
TEEKLEF: As an eagle because these guys fly the highest with very little effort. I’ve always wanted to do what I was born to do without stress. Now, I know there’ll be challenges to overcome but when I mean without stress, I mean I want it to flow naturally. These guys – eagles – were born to fly; I was born to make music.
YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT TEEKLEF;
ON HIS WEBSITE; http://www.teeklef.com
ON TWITTER; www.twitter.com/teeklef @teeklef
AND ON FACEBOOK; http://www.facebook.com/teeklefmusic
INTERVIEW BY: ENITAN .O. KEHINDE
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