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Interview with Amplifyd Crew and TNT

Two of the hottest music groups out right now are Nigeria's own, Amplifyd Crew and TNT. Rappers Biola "B-Eazy" Pedro, Muyiwa "Muyo" Olorunfemi, and their DJ Temie"DJ TnT" Olley comprise Amplifyd Crew while rappers Tayo "TK" Kalejaiye and Tayo "T-Mac" Fawehinmi hold it down for TNT. Via online interviews, both groups discussed their insights into the music business, their own projects and upcoming albums. Amplifyd Crew

Africannect.com (AC): So, gentlemen, where did the name "Amplifyd" come from?

Amplifyd (AMP): First off, a massive shout-out to Africannect.com.  From what we've seen and read so far, it's definitely a must for anyone in the Diaspora who wants to stay connected with Africa. Now back to the question lol...to be honest, we were just a bunch of friends who loved hanging out, throwing parties, etc..and we ran into the word "amplified" somewhere, and thought it would be pretty cool to adopt it as our name...we decided to add a lil' twist with the "Y."  We loved the literal meaning of "amplified" because we've always been the kind of people to do things differently. AC: Cool, so from hanging out to organizing parties, how did you get into music? AMP: Well it's funny because most people who've known us since high school never saw it coming, and neither did we. Muyo actually got things started, he'd send me [Biola] instrumentals of songs that were pretty big back in 2002/2003 and we'd just freestyle on the beats for fun...but then in 2004 we got a call out of nowhere to perform at a show in UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County) and everything took off from there. AC: Now, the one thing that has been bugging me for the LONGEST time, have been the group's catchphrases..."I can't shout"...really?? I even got my best friend saying it, and she's not Nigerian...lol AMP: lol...Jor jor! I don't even know how we come up with the phrases sometimes! Between us, we've conjured so many random terminologies and I think we've been able to throw them into the music-making process, which sort of adds humor to our songs. AC: So, tell us about the awards. You guys won an NEA (Nigeria Entertainment Awards) award. AMP: We actually scooped the NEA award for best international music video for our debut video "Wetin Man Go Do" last year. It was a pleasant surprise considering it was our first major video but I think we won because of our creativity. Most videos from Nigeria follow the same format with the dancing girls and the redundant storylines. We felt we needed to amplify things a bit (pun intended). We were pretty excited about the nominations and extremely overwhelmed by actually winning. AC: Hopefully, there's more [awards] to come. Now, being Nigerian, you know our culture, our parents always expect us to come out as doctors, or lawyers (esp. when they feel that they are sending us all the way to UK/US for school)...how do your parents take the whole music thing? AMP: Well, initially they were totally against it, but now they are our biggest fans! They understand that the 21st century world we live in is not the same as the world they grew up in. Things have changed, and the "go to school, get good grades, get a 9-5 and live happily ever after" routine just isn't registering with kids anymore...but we also aren't naïve either. We were able to mix school and music together without too many problems...we just had to plan ourselves properly. AC: What do you have to say to people who are looking to get into the music business? AMP: The truth is you have to decide for yourself exactly what you want to get out of the industry. Some are in it for the fame, some for the money, some do it because they love it. The market is so over-saturated that every Tom, Dike and Haruna jump in without a clear plan. A lot of people dabble into music without an iota of sense as to what entrepreneurship entails. The most important thing is to be able to use music as a form of expression, but more importantly as a means of generating income. You have to be self-sufficient, not merely making noise all over the place, which is what about 70-80% of the industry unfortunately ends up doing. A little bit of planning, sprinkled with a dose of patience, not to mention the proper use of talent and most definitely a business plan is the most effective way to succeed in my opinion. AC: Gladly y'all came out/are coming out just fine..speaking of planning yourselves out properly, your album is out already right? AMP: Well we just finished with the recording phase. "Gbeducation" is our second album and we are pretty excited about this one, because it's been a work in progress for quite a while now...in my biased opinion it is HOT HOT HOT lol...our music is quite diverse, we try to cater to all types of listeners, so I can assure you there's a little bit of something for everyone! AC: Your "I Can't shout" video is one of the best Naija videos I've seen lately...it's fresh...and you all look good. AMP: Thanks, all for you lol AC: So what's next? AMP: We have big plans with the upcoming project. As always, we are gonna do things differently- we aren't playing by anybody's rules. God willing, it should be a pretty eventful year for us. We've got a bunch of things on our plate at the moment and hopefully we'll be able to execute things well. Most especially, we anticipate that our fans and listeners will appreciate the product and the effort! AC: I'm sure they will; thanks for the interview. AMP: A big thank you to Africannect.com...JOR JOR! And make sure y'all hit us up on our Facebook Fan Page anytime. Fans will be able to get exclusive stuff from the upcoming album before it drops...ciao! Check out Amplifyd's latest video, "I Can't Shout" off their "Gbeducation" album on afriTV now! TNT

AC: Starting off, how long have u guys been in the music business? Who are you musical inspirations? TNT: Well we started writing music at different times, but we officially got into the business in 2005. As for inspirations, we have a lot of respect for Jay-Z and Kanye West. But we also love our Nigerian music - D'Banj, Naeto-C to name a few. AC: You guys are in school so is this something that is on the side? Also, what school do you guys go to? What are your majors? TNT: Let's just say it's part of the big picture, we'll go where it takes us. I'm (TK) at Morgan State University, majoring in Computer Graphics and Visual Communication; and T-mac is a Political Science major at Towson University. AC: Your computer skills have come in handy with your website, which I think is pretty cool. TNT: Haha thanks. Not allowed to say much now, but you ain't seen nothin' yet! AC: Looking forward to it! On a serious note, as Nigerian, you know our culture - our parents always expect us to come out as doctors, lawyers, or engineers (especially when they feel that they are sending us abroad to get a better education)...how do your parents take the whole music thing? TNT: Our parents are 150% supportive of our craft. Our mothers play our songs all the time lol. The most important thing is that we both have our heads tightly fastened on our shoulders. We know how important an education is no matter how much wealth or fame the music industry brings. Our drive to excel both inside and outside the entertainment world is something that helps our parents sleep worry-free and support us even more. AC: That's good; you're blessed to have all that support. Now let's talk about your album. What is the album about? And when is it dropping? TNT: The million dollar question..lol.. well the debut album is a compilation of our thoughts, emotions, opinions,experiences and moods. It's something you can dance to, relate to, and be inspired by all at the same time. Can't disclose any dates yet, but look for it before the end of '09. Don't tell my manager i said anything! AC: Lol...your secret is safe with me. Once you guys get the ball moving and it's moving fast, what's next? TNT: Expand and re-invent, we have big big things in the works, a lot to deliver in the near future. There's so much stuff we have to get out there but for right now we are building a solid foundation. We have our video blog '2420 the basement' which is like a web tv show giving our fans a bird's eye view into what we do and how we do it. We have our brand of apparel (T-shirts, hoodies, etc) and loads more, all tied in one way or the other to giving back to the community back home. Again, I can't give away too much but we are setting up a non-profit organization. We believe we all have to play our part in the advancement of our country and then the world, no matter how small. AC: That's really good; definitely let us know how everything works out. Visit TNT's blog to learn more and check the group perform their single “I Want Your Body” at the TNT Single Release Party. About the Author: Ayodele Dele-Giwa covers all things Entertainment for Africannect.com. A lover of God, dance and all things fabulous, connect with her via Facebook or Twitter.