I'm not a dropout, saysT-Code

T-Code became famous with the song, Hotter Than Fire. Since then, he has been waxing stronger and in this interview by OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG, he doesn’t beat about the bush as he declares that he’s the originator of fuji hip-hop, not LKT. He also explains why he and his Hotter Than Fire co-singers, Sheyman and Dr Pat, parted ways. Why did you choose T-Code as your professional name? Well, in this industry, you need a name that will make people want to know who you are and is simple and easy to pronounce and remember at the same time. And most times, we choose our artist name from our original name and that’s what I did too. My name is Taiwo Korodo so I combined the first alphabets of the two to make T–Code because I’m a coded guy. You are popular for your fuji hip-hop style. How did it happen for you? Well, I began singing professionally in the year 2000 with a full fuji music band. Later, I delved into hip-hop. I felt it was time to step up as an educated guy. As a matter of fact, singing just fuji wasn’t given me the recognition I wanted so I decided to modernize it and the only way was to make it hip-hop. I did so and it has paid off for me and I’m the pioneer of fuji hip-hop anywhere. You say you are the pioneer but people believe you are copying LKT. No. I’m not. I’m way ahead of LKT. I often wonder why people think I copy songs that LKT did or that I imitate his voice. That is a capital NO. I’m always amused when people think I’m the one copying him. Let me tell you, I can tell you when LKT started his career as a musician. But he can never come out to say he knew when I began singing. Except if he goes to do research on me. But no problem, it’s good to have someone who wishes to be like you. That makes you a role model. He is also doing fuji hip-hop but genuine music analysts can tell who is the original and better among us. See, I’m the king of the genre, and that’s not in contention. But I see everything as a healthy competition between us. After Hotter Than Fire, people expected more songs from you, Sheyman and Dr Pat, but you parted instead. Why, what happened? I left them because I rediscovered myself and realised I had to do new things on my own. I found out it was time to be myself again as I was before and not in a collective. Also, I know the value of being independent and I realised it more when people were saying I couldn’t survive without Sheyman and Dr Pat so I decided to leave them to stop people thinking that without Sheyman and Dr Pat, I couldn’t survive. What are the challenges you are facing? I don’t believe in challenges. I see them as paying one’s dues as it is impossible not to have challenges, even if you are the best at what you do. So I believe one will continue to pay his dues as long as he lives. Even mega stars like Chief Ebenezer Obey, KSA and others are still paying their dues. Once you stop paying dues, you are gone, career wise. So it is normal to me that I’ll keep paying my dues. Most musicians are uneducated or dropouts. How about you? I am different oh. Education is very important and I believe in it so much. That’s why I studied banking and finance at Kwara State Polytechnic and graduated in 2002. But I’ve always loved entertainment from when I was little and I was already trying my hand at music before I gained admission so when I graduated, it wasn’t difficult for me to decide to delve fully into music especially as the Nigerian music industry was really growing then and keeps growing fast even now so there are more opportunities for one as a musician now. There were also rumours about you and Laide Bakare. They were irrelevant and unnecessary rumours. What’s the big deal in being friends and colleagues with her? I’m not surprised that people insinuated about us, but that is the world for you. Anyway, I met her at an event of another actor, Saidi Balogun. That was in 2011. Funny enough, we were fans of each other. Even as at that time we met, one of my songs was her ringtone. Anyway, I sold the idea of us doing some things together to her and when we met again at another event shortly afterwards, she said she was interested in us working together and that was what gave birth to her record label project and so we recorded Azonto Fuji.