Welcome to the media valvabox.com is an opportunity to have you here
please We want to know you better. Who is Jason Nkanga?
Well, I’m a Hip Hop/rap artist from Nigeria.
Please can you tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in Lewisham and raised in Nigeria. I’m currently 21 and like you know, I’m an artist.
What motivated /inspired you into your kind of music?
To be honest, It came like that. I mean, I was inspired by certain people but really I just felt like I could do it. Nothing drove me into making my kind of music.
Your biggest challenge as a well known artist in Nigeria?
Well I did encounter the challenge of my music not getting enough attention, even in my city. Sometimes I believe if I was from a different city I wouldn’t be on the level I am today, I’d be at a much more higher level. Thank you Lagos for pushing my music.
We will like to know as a rapper and hip hop fam what can you say about the rap culture in Nigeria today?
Well, it’s slowly on the rise now. At a particular time rap was not common in Nigeria, you would hardly hear of rappers. I only heard about two Nigerian rappers when I was younger, M.I. and Naeto C. People were doing Afro beats or just singing and not rapping so that took a toll on the culture cause nobody wanted to rap and it made it less popular. But now, I can count more than twenty rappers in Nigeria, both underground and mainstream so that’s progress.
Which of your song or project surpassed your expectations?
Good question. I would have to say the Book of Legends. That song went all around the world, people in South Africa and the US were bumping to it. That’s crazy, the video made it go semi viral. Not like I’m a pessimist, I expected something like this but not this much and It’s still going round!
Would you say your sound is different from other Nigerian artists?
Well, I’d like to believe this. People have told me this. Everything about my sound is quite different, not by a mile but it’s different from what other Nigerian artists make.
We heard you just released a project titled
Redemption? please Tell us more about
the inspiration behind the Project?
That’s correct. Well, I just felt like I had not given my fans the best side of me and there was a major dip in my career, so I decided to bring out something big irrespective of how much it would drain me. You know what they say, save the best for the last.
Apart from Redemption Do you have any
upcoming project or singles?
I just dropped a project so even if I wanted to drop a project it wouldn’t be anytime soon, the time span is too short to head back into the studio for that. For a single, it might be either after 5 months or when I hit my goal, we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully the journey would go on.
Did you encounter any challenge when
you told your parent about music?
I didn’t tell them, they found out just months before this project. They were supportive though which is dope.
Can you tell us a little about Your relationship status?
Well, I’m single
Do you have any female celebrity crush?
Yara Shahidi. Have you seen that girl? She’s Gorgeous!
Have you ever had any ‘crazy fan encounter so far’?
Not yet, but I know next year I will
Where do you see your self in the next 3yrs or more to come?
I see myself performing in the O2 and getting awards, that’s if I continue pushing myself like how I’m pushing myself now.
What advice will you give to the younger once looking up to you?
To the younger ones out there,
Look, sometimes you may get things wrong, you may feel it’s not working out but in reality, it actually is. The struggle is what shapes you, embrace the struggle, you need it. Nobody started off perfect, your favourite rapper started off like you, with doubts and all but he/she kept on going and that’s why today you can call him/her your favourite rapper. Never let anyone tell you what you can do and what you can’t do. There is no manual in life, nobody is built to dance, rap or act, they all selected what they want to do, so why can’t you?
What’s your comment on the Nigerian music portal valvabox.com?
Keep pushing out artists, we appreciate you. The industry needs more of you. Love to the team for showing me love!