Ahmedu Augustine Obiabo (aka Blackface,) a member of the now defunct
Plantashun Boyz, the group that comprised Tuface Idibia, Faze and him is
back on the block as he has just released a couple of singles with a
promise to release a full length album entitled The Defender soon. He
shares his stage experience today.
It has been quite a while, what has been happening to you?
I have been studying the music industry to know the kind of music people
want and also to create a kind of scarcity for my brand of music so
that people will yearn for it because it is a special kind of sound.
Can you remember the first time you performed on stage live?
That was during my secondary school days at St. Gabriels School in
Makurdi and later, at the Institute of Management & Technology
(IMT), Enugu. But with the Plantashun Boyz it was in 1998 when I met
Tuface. I cannot remember the kind of show it was.
Did you panic?
The stage is a normal place for me. I am used to it because the more the
crowd the better the show and the more excited I get. I am very
energetic when it comes to stage performance.
Do you take any stimulant before going on stage?
Drugs? No. What I do is to memorise my lines via constant practice but I
derive my energy from keeping fit by doing at least 20 laps of
press-ups daily.
So what do you do on the day of a show?
I try as much as possible to do light exercise and stay away from people
because the more you talk to people, the more you talk on top of your
voice and that could crack your vocal chords.
What of brandy or weed?
Not really but when the weather is cold I could take a shot or two but that does not mean I can’t perform without taking brandy.
Any special food?
Well, heavy food in the night and light food in the morning and I eat a lot of cheese so as not to feel heavy.
How do you relate with your fans?
My fans are the best things to happen to me because when some people
thought I was down and out, my fans kept on encouraging me, telling me
to keep going on.
So what crazy thing has a male or female fan done to you?
My male fans want my shoes, my jeans, my caps and anything I am wearing.
One crazy experience I remember was at the Naughty By Nature show
during the Rothmans Groove in Lagos when fans bombarded the stage and
were unstoppable; the security guys had a hectic time controlling them.
How about a female fan stripping for you or doing one crazy thing or the other?
I have been in the industry long enough to know when a fan wants to
start getting weird so what I do is to control them. But during a show I
did on Valentine Day, a very hefty lady jumped on the stage and before I
could say Jackie Robinson, pounced on me! I still don’t know how she
beat the watertight security. She was so heavy I went down immediately
while she was so excited dancing on me. Stylishly I gathered some energy
and stood up. I knew she was excited and wanted to show it because she
did not harm me. I saw the excitement in her eyes; all she wanted was to
get close and dance with me.
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