Terry G
Afro hip hop singer, Terry G, sheds his ‘weird’ image, JANE AUGOYE writes
It is no longer news that Gabriel
Amanyi, a.k.a Terry G, has been described as one of the world’s
‘weirdest’ singers. What is news – a big one at that – is that he has
finally overcome his addiction to hard drugs, especially Indian hemp and
cocaine.
The artiste made this known in an online
interview with our correspondent. Recalling his long and bitter
struggle against drug addiction, he says, “I will say that it is not an
easy thing to quit such a dangerous habit. What I did was to avoid
contact with all those who introduced me to the it.”
Earlier, he had caused a stir in the
entertainment circles when, in a moment of desperation, he fingered a
popular Nollywood actress as one of those who introduced him to hard
drugs. Now that he is free from the clutches of addiction, he is no
longer eager to keep their friendship going.
“Nowadays I try to avoid her. We are no
longer as close as we used to be. The only thing that is constant is
change and I am a changed man now,” he says.
This very popular singer, who also
doubles as a producer, single-handedly evolved a new music style that
caught on like wild fire among music fans and has remained quite
successful till date.
Unknown to many of his fans, Terry G
actually cut his teeth as a backup singer to ex-Plantashun Boi, Faze. He
was about to be signed on to the latter’s records label, Independent
Entertainment when a rival company dangled a ‘juicy carrot’ before him
and he fell for it.
That was a long time ago. Now, with
several albums to his credit and a ‘swag’ that has made him one of the
most liked Afro hip hop artistes in the country, he could be described
as a successful musician.
The only snag is that Terry G regards
Tuface Idibia as his mentor, not Faze. Explaining why he made this
choice, he says, “Tuface inspired me long before I came into the
limelight. I have always admired and appreciated his talent, zeal and
unique style. He made me to understand that success in show business
does not necessarily depend on individual talent or ability to sing.
What matters is that you have to stand out in a crowd and be in a class
of your own.”
Lately, the singer has been carrying on
in such a manner that suggests he might be considering a change in his
image and career. But he says that he is not thinking of rebranding yet.
“I am not rebranding. I am only honing
my skill as a singer and producer. I have to be versatile because it is
very essential to the progress of any business. That is what I am doing
now,” Terry G says.
A few days ago, the artiste was the
guest of Cool FM in Lagos and, in a lighter mood, he had playfully
declared that he deserved to be celebrated as the “most controversial
musician” in Nigeria. Later, he waved the statement aside and said that
he was just joking.
But, to those who accuse him of
deliberately courting controversy, Terry says, “Apart from the fact that
in show business, we are bound to make mistakes, everybody loves
positive controversy. I am happy when people associate me with positive
controversy. I have never investigated any. So I’ll just accept it as
one of those things.”
Although he commands a larger fan base
than many of his contemporaries in Nigeria, Terry G has not been
fortunate enough to land a major advertising deal yet. But he is willing
to wait for as long as possible
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