Fast rising hip-hop, DJ Drex, in this interview with AKIN SOKOYA, shares his journey through music, his passion and future aspirations in the Music Industry. Excerpts…
How long have you been in music
and what were the challenges you
faced and still facing?
My journey into (DJ) started on
December 24th 1999 after church
service; you know it’s a Christmas eve
day, I heard there was a carnival going
on in the next street and I decided to go
there and had a nice time. I met the DJ
mixing up the beat and I fell in love with
what he was doing and I said to myself ‘I
can do this and I will do it’. From that
day I started looking for the place to
meet with a DJ who would teach me
how to DJ. For the love I have for the job, I would move from Alimosho to Lekki beach, then there was this show there tagged (DTD) jam show every Sunday 4pm to 6pm, there I met with lots of DJs. DJ
FX2, DJ SHA SHA SHINA and so on. They never gave me the chance to express myself, I kept going there until
2003 when I met with DJ TREX. He was
DJING in one of the hotels in my area
and I asked a friend who is close to him
to introduce me to him and he did and
we became friends and I told him my
love for good music and my interest to
be a DJ. He accepted and I started
working with him as an apprentice. When my father knew about it he said I would never be a DJ. I want you to finish your school and go to the university. But
the love I have for the game kept growing and my father used to beat me because of my passion. In 2004, my parents moved to Ayobo while my school was still in Alimosho. Looking at the stress and logistics of going from Ayobo to school, I told my parents that I would stay with a friend and would be coming home every Friday, then I was about entering SSS3. My request was granted to stay with my friends and that helped me to focus on my training more. I learnt the craft in no time and better than those who were ahead of me and that put me ahead of them as their
senior. In 2005, I started working with
one of the hotels in my area (Jaguar Hotel) where they used to pay me N2,500 monthly. For the love I have for the job, I kept my dream alive by seeking for job at other hotels and in 2007 I was employed at one of the biggest hotels in Alimosho (Okiki Hotels Gowon Estate). I have been privileged to work with lots of hotels. I’m currently signed to a label called BM
ENTERTAINMENT. DJ DREX is a professional VDJ/DJ with a live performing energy to move any crowd; I have worked with a lot of reputable organizations in and outside the country. Not just being a DJ, I am also a professional sound engineer. I have built myself to be one of the household names in Alimosho Local Government.
What is your type of music and how
much are you doing to push your
brand to make an impact on fans of
your genre?
As a DJ, I love all kinds of music with
good message and a good beat to back
it up.
Who among the star musicians is/are
your role model/s?
American artiste (Mary J, 50cent, 2pac,
snoop doggy) Nigeria Artist (Paul play,
DJ Neptune, DJ Snoop da Damaja, DJ
Mondollar, DJ Khoded, DJ Faze, Femi
Kuti, Flavour, Tekno, 9ice).
Have you ever been featured in a
concert show and, if you had, what
was your first experience like in front
of a huge crowd?
A lot of shows, my first major concert
was not that bad because I had
someone with me to cheer me up.
Who among the star artistes are you
looking to collaborate with?
I have worked with 9ice, Rayce, Olu
Maintain, YQ, Artquake, Breezi, 2baba ,
Late Dagrin, Marvellous Benji, Bigiano, Small Doctor, Clever Jay, Plantation Boys,CDQ etc.
What is your ultimate target in
music?
My ultimate target is to be among the
top Nigerian DJs.
Tell us about your family and
educational background.
I was born into the family of Mr & Mrs
Onyemaoke. I am from Imo State, Orlu
LG, born in the 80s and brought up in
Lagos, Alimosho (LGA) and as we all
know, Alimosho is the biggest local
government in Lagos. I am the second
child in the family of four, three boys and
a girl. I attended primary school and
moved to the State High School,
Alimosho for my secondary education. I couldn’t further my education because
of funds.
Who is your celebrity crush?
2 Baba, Don Jazzy, Eve, Di Ja Niniola,
Seyi Shay.
What else do you do outside disk
jockey to keep body and soul
together?
Swimming, watching movies and
listening to other DJs.
Share with us a moment you will
never forget in your career.
In 2004, I went for an event and they
were giving food to other guests and
they did not give me. I approached the
lady in charge of food and I told her that
I have not been served and she said
“who are you?”. I told her I am the (DJ) and she replied “what a low class
occupation.
What is your relationship with God?
I am nothing without God.
What’s your opinion about the
Nigerian music industry?
Nigerian music industry is getting better
and with the competition, everyone is
really working hard to become better.
It’s just a matter of time; the foreign
artistes will also be looking up to us
here.
