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The way he was well set up for the virtual interview: a simple white shirt and a hat to go with, a clean studio with a colourful guitar in the backdrop, his device for the interview thoughtfully connected to his speakers for quality audio and neatly packed beards that add grit to a calm demeanour; it was quickly obvious that Kent Edunjobi is meticulous yet unassuming.
Mostly cusping his hands when he wanted to emphasise his points and willing to unpack truths about just any of my demands, Edunjobi gave off the vibe of someone you would run into at a lounge on your next outing and you wouldn’t even know how much of a star he is. You wouldn’t know that he’s the brains behind the soundtrack of some of your favourite and critically acclaimed Nollywood movies including, Roti, Citation (which won the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) for Achievement in Soundtrack), A Naija Christmas, Swallow and most recently Anikulapo — which I described as a journey into myth, history and culture on the wings of a simple tale in a copacetic review.
Born Kehinde Daniel Hassan, Kent Edunjobi is a singer, songwriter, and movie soundtrack composer who has been working with Kunle Afolayan Productions (KAP Records) since 2016. The Ogun State-born talent has been at the helm of producing soundtracks for Kunle Afolayan’s movies — movies which have been known to cut deep and feature pristine stories on a grand cinematic scale. He has also produced soundtracks for other projects including King of Boys: The Return of the King and has worked with a-list producers such as Femi Adebayo on movies such as Esin. In his own capacity, Edunjobi is a producer, sound mixing engineer and performer.
Edunjobi is just another person endowed with a gift from God to make music and to express himself through what he knows how to do best, which is music. I come from Ijebu Ode, Ogun State but I was born in Lagos State. I was born to a Christian family of seven. I’m a twin.
Edunobi was born in Magodo, Lagos State, to Adebisi Hassan and Oluwafunmilayo Hassan who had both been staying in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, before migrating to Lagos State. While his mum was in the trading business, his dad worked as a civil servant as the Head of the Nigerian Prison Commissary in Abuja. This necessitated Edunjobi and his siblings to visit Abuja now and then to greet their father, a staunch music lover “who would have done music selections of trending songs” before his family arrived.
Everything seemed perfect for Edunjobi until he lost his father in 1995. At that point, living a comfortable life became a reality that dissolved gradually, like paper giving in to water. And this shaped Edunjobi and his siblings’ upbringing, forcing them to appreciate every opportunity that life presented and every fund their mother, the only remaining parent, could come up with.
When my dad was alive, we had everything to ourselves. He was working in the civil service. Money wasn’t an issue. But all of a sudden, he passed away and we had a lot of people claiming they wanted to help, but in reality, they wanted to get their share of the property. They took advantage of my mom’s trust because my mom was a very trusting woman. So, we learnt the hard way.
My mom losing a husband and being alone with seven kids all — in school — to cater for was ‘crazy’. It wasn’t easy, to be honest. We were struggling. Every Kobo we got from our mom was a reminder of what she went through before she could get the money.
But somehow, it helped us to understand life better at that early stage; It made us understand that the earlier you take your life seriously, the better. Because life is all about struggle. You struggle to get everything. It taught us contentment and discipline.
Against all odds, Edunjobi was able to continue his formal education. Having had his primary school education at Ejidey Primary School, Magodo, Lagos State, he went ahead to Oregun High School for his secondary education, graduating in 2003. Edunjobi wanted to be a doctor while in his high school days, but he equally had a phobia for blood. Therefore, he had to quickly jolt himself from reverie and embrace his next favourite course for his university education.
I wanted to be a doctor but at some point, I had to embrace the truth which was my phobia of blood. So I was like “what is the second thing I think I can do?” I just got introduced to the computer then. I was madly in love with it. I wanted to know everything about it. I decided to study Computer Science known as Computer Science Statistics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Before he became a sought-after music artiste drawing audiences into the world of make-believe with his music, Kent Edunjobi had had to surmount familial resistance, self-doubts and lack of opportunity to put his craft out there. The first challenge he had to overcome, especially as the last child who wasn’t given a chance to stand his own ground, was doing music professionally in a family where such was unheard of.
I come from a family that loves music. My father used to be a follower of Haruna Ishola, Kayode Fashola, Ebenezer Obey, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, King Sunny Ade and other top African artistes. My mom used to be a chorister back then in the church. So, we pretty much grew up in a music-consuming environment. However, no one had done music professionally. But the gift of music found me.
My twin and I were in the choir, of course. We were always going for choir outings and all the rest. One day, my brothers came — the first and the second – and said my twin and I were getting distracted and that we wouldn’t attend concerts anymore. My father died at an early age so only my mum used to support us, but it wasn’t enough. We had to resort to sneaking out to attend those concerts which became a big issue when my brother found out. At that point, even though I enjoyed music and wanted to pursue it, I told myself I would only do music for fun. I said I’d be a 9-5 person.
Edunjobi’s rise is a credence to the cliché “when man proposes, God disposes”. His talent and passion would eventually speak for him, swaying his siblings’ opinion of his interest in pursuing music. While in his final year at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he graduated with a degree in Computer Science Statistics, Edunjobi decided to give his music dream one last push. And the rest, as they say, is history.
When I got to my final year, I did a demo and played it for my cousin who was in the UK. On hearing it, she said “you are really wasting away. You need to follow this talent.” And I sat down and thought about it. “I’m not a young boy anymore and should be able to make some decisions”, I thought to myself. So I did my first two recordings secretly. I didn’t tell my friends nor did I tell my family.
After recording the song, I held on to it for about a month or so. One day, I just called my brother — our secondborn who used to be very vocal about us not going to gigs and concerts — into the corner of my room and I played it for him.
To my surprise, he was like “wow, Kent, you did this?” “I’m going to support you all the way, whatever it is.” I was so surprised and that gave me the confidence to tell every other person. From then, I made up my mind that I was going to pursue music and everyone around me took it well.
When Edunjobi finished University, he worked at an accounting firm before crossing over to a law firm. Throughout those periods, he had been recording songs with the proceeds from his white-collar job and his passion for music was bubbling behind the curtains, waiting to escape. To get that big break, Edunjobi ventured on the path to ensure his tune was heard and it was on that path that he inexplicably found the opportunity that would change his life.
Remembering my journey right now makes me laugh (laughs). When I started recording in 2010, I met Omotunde ‘Lolo1’ Adebowale David at Wazobia FM 95.1. Someone directed me to her and when I did meet her, I told her I wanted to promote my song. Unfortunately, my money wasn’t enough.
After then, I started saving my money and kept recording songs, hoping that one day I’d get an opportunity. When I was recording one of my songs, Emmanuel ‘Emma Oh My God’ Edunjobi came to the studio at Wazobia. He was still serving at the time. He heard my songs and he said, “ah, man! I would like to play your songs for Lolo”. I replied to him that I had met Lolo already (laughs).
Lo and behold, he took the songs to Lolo who loved the tracks immediately and played them on her programme. That was how Lolo and I became close.
Edunjobi’s big break, no matter how postponed, would come through that train of friendship between him, Emmah Oh My God and Lolo. Meeting Kunle Afolayan through Lolo in 2012, a shimmer of light flashed on his musical talent and it looked like he was going to get a shot at fame. But this dream, like many, was deferred. As Langston Hughes would ask, “what happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?… Or does it explode?”
In 2012, when Kunle Afolayan had just released the movie Phone Swap, he was doing a radio tour and he came to Wazobia FM. Coincidentally, as the movie director was walking into the studio, Lolo was playing my song and he asked who was singing. Lolo introduced me to him and he said he’d like to meet me personally.
I went to meet Kunle Afolayan at the National Theatre, Lagos and gave him my CD. He said he’d get back to me but he never did. After then, there were times we ran into each other at events but I thought maybe he had heard my songs and didn’t like them or perhaps he didn’t remember me. Anyway, I just let it go.
Four years later, Lolo called to tell me that Kunle wanted to see me. I was surprised and I asked “which Kunle” (laughs). So I got in touch with him and he told me that he and his manager had been trying to get to me. Apparently, I forgot to give him my contact when I met him in 2012. And that’s where the story began.
Beauty comes to those who wait. This perhaps perfectly captures Edunjobi’s relationship which, like his musical career, had its own fair share of deferment. Two years before he reconnected with Kunle Afolayan in 2016, Edunjobi had reconnected with his childhood love, Olufunmilayo, whom bears the same name as his mother. Although music brought them together as far back as 2003, it wasn’t until 2016 that they could finally seal their relationship officially.
I met the lady who would eventually be my wife in 2003, when we had just finished secondary school. I went to a church and I saw a young lady singing and dancing in the choir. I didn’t talk to her, however; I just let it go. Later, I got to know she was staying in the same house with someone who was my friend. That was how we got talking. I didn’t ask her out. We were just friends and we were off and on as friends from that point on.
It wasn’t until 2014 when I was out of a relationship and she, too, was out of her relationship that we started dating. She would always come to my place and I would go to hers. It was then that I asked her to take our relationship further. In 2016, we got married and we have two kids now.
Although Hollywood bigwigs like Hanz Zimmer and Nollywood heavyweights like Tope Alabi have made a name from it, making a film soundtrack is not a walk in the park, especially when that film is produced by Kunle Afolayan. Creating an original yet familiar theme through a simple melody which altogether pushes the story forward is consequential to an excellent soundtrack. Edunjobi says he immerses himself in the world of the film and brings his A-game to create a remarkable music backdrop.
When you’re doing a music job, whichever capacity you’re working on, you have to bring your A-game. And, of course, Kunle Afolayan won’t commission anyone who doesn’t have substance. So, you must have been good at your craft before being called on board.
Doing music for motion pictures is challenging. It’s a journey. Firstly, we ensure we are in sync with the story of the film. You have to first read the script even before the shoot. And most times we usually have more than one script: we have the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, at times, ninth draft. So, you must have read the script several times. This makes you know everyone’s line and immerses you in the story.
Secondly, you move to the set to record. I usually like to be on set so that at least I can get the experience: to soak up the emotions and get inspiration from characters here and there. From there, you move to the studio. Keep in mind that it’s not just something you do on your own, you have to liaise with the director to know how he wants it. At times we end up doing five to eleven songs before finally getting it right. That’s why most times we usually end up coming up with a body of work since we have recordings that don’t even make the film eventually. Because it’s a journey, we want people to be part of that journey so we release an album for the film when it’s done.
Before Anikulapo was released, Kunle Afolayan had promised that it would “stir up a hurricane that will blow off the roof”. Of course, it did blow off the roof as the movie started driving physical and digital conversations right from its debut and topped Netflix ranking in the first week. The master’s piece journeys through paths riddled with love, betrayal, myth and magic into the history and culture of the Yoruba people in the old Oyo kingdom. Therefore, the film score had to tap into culture and history, exteriorising a distant past.
Kent Edunjobi was up to the task, creating an aural experience for the audience to journey through time into a world that once was. And this aspect of the movie has continued to receive applause and positive reviews. Edunjobi told us how he was able to create the soundtrack for Anikulapo — a movie rich in themes and visuals.
It was a very exciting journey. Anikulapo is a project that Kunle Afolayan had been working on for a very long time. So it was obvious that it would be a big deal when it dropped. I loved the experience because I love epics. Seeing the environment on set; the location and the props put me in the mood and I was already recording on set.
Being in that location alone makes you inspired. No one spoke English in that environment; they mostly spoke the pure Oyo dialect of Yoruba. So, being in that environment makes you feel like you’re already living in Anikulapo. All of that helped me to slide into the Anikulapo world and communicate it to people through music. It was a wonderful experience.
When asked whether he thinks he’s putting himself as an individual out there as much as his movie soundtracks are, Edunjobi believes that one thing would cause a ripple effect on another. He believes that when you’re finding it hard to put your foot through the door, maybe you just have to try another door that leads to that same destination.
At times, when you’re trying to go through a path, you just need to re-strategize. When I met Emmah Oh My God, he was a fantastic singer. He still is. But he was able to break through with comedy to showcase his music. So, if the film score is putting my face out there, it’s fine. It is an avenue for people to want to check the other things I’ve done and they’d see that I’ve done a lot of stuff. It’s a win-win.
Again, the film score space is not crowded. Not so many people are paying attention to it. It’s a space that musicians can focus on in order to get into the mainstream. If getting into the mainstream means you have to devise another means, then, you just have to.
Edunjobi calls the genre of his music folk music with a little bit of R’n’B. Edunjobi has a studio where he produces his own songs and produces for other artistes. “I’m an artiste myself. I make music for myself apart from KAP, and I produce music for other artistes. I have worked with artistes such as Gabriel Afolayan, Niyola, Moses Harmony, Jodie — among others. I have a studio where I’m in at the moment,” he said.
Edunjobi told us his favourite character in Anikulapo is the anti-hero Saro. He likes Saro because he is a hustler who wants to make it by all means. “Once you put your mind on something, it would definitely work”, he said. This watchword is not surprising considering that Kent Edunjobi had to face his own fits and starts before his making as a star who paints pictures through music.
Edunjobi’s soundtrack in Anikulapo is the tip of the iceberg. The full album, based on the movie, has now been released on all streaming platforms. From ‘Aigboran’ (Disobedience) to ‘Ojukokoro’ (Covetousness), the album — folk music par excellence — evokes nostalgia, purgation of emotions and takes audiences through myth, history and culture through an artistic rendition.
No doubt, Kent Edunjobi prescribes his artistic excellence like drugs. And the audience gets their fix, basking in oral, aural and audiovisual intoxication.
The post Kent Edunjobi: The Folk Music Maestro Drawing Audience Into the World of Make-Believe With His Soundtracks appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
Source: TheNet
