INTERVIEW WITH THE MAVIN GROUP-----SOLAR PLEXUS( LOW BLOW)

Tell me about SOLAR PLEXUS what is it all about? It means a Low blow from a close buddy.

When we decided to do Solar Plexus it was just in the midst of all this problem and stuff so we didn’t want to be going front and back with the press or having interviews that will start to create insinuations, so we decided to channel all our energy into creating an album, so we all came together and created the album SOLAR PLEXUS which is out now.

I heard the title was from your dad?

Yes, we were in the studio the other day and we were having like a discussion. It was me, Wande, Don Jazzy and Dr. SID in the studio. It was a  little discussion when our dad came in and like always he was giving us advice, so in  the midst of our discussion he  used the word solar plexus  that this thing going  on now has to do with Solar Plexus and we just picked it,  and it was like wow!

*D'Prince

As expected DR. SID did a research on the word and it really fitted into the idea behind the album. And  we were  all like we should use that name as the title of  album and I think it has been accepted and it truly explained the whole event that has happened.  It’s funny, its crazy that  everybody seemed  to like the name SOLAR PLEXUS.

When the crisis broke out how did you feel about it all?

It’s natural that I’m going to be partial in the sense that it has to do with my brother and obviously when I see that someone was  trying to put my brother in a corner or in a nasty position obviously I will react naturally.

I really  appreciate the the way the whole story went because I believe we all tried our best to make and hold the label together but for one individual to feel otherwise it wasn’t a good thing to hear.  I tried to settle the rift before it went haywire but it did not work out.

Will you in any way blame Don Jazzy?

I wouldn’t blame him  because I know he was  only trying to help us all  to be on point and relevant  but the other party was not willing to compromise issues and he made us to  wonder if he knew what he was doing because we all started all these  things together and we believed in growing  together.)I thi8nk we should just leave the past and let the whole thing flow naturally. We are happy the way we are now, everyone is free as never before.

Could it be that you, your brother and others failed to see the big picture that D’banj saw?

PRINCE: That same picture can be achieved better with your family you understand what   I’m saying. You can’t just leave and say you want to go and achieve a big picture without the people you started with the small picture, I when it was like a passport- sized picture.

Now you want to fly alone without the people who helped you to start and develop the small picture. We all dream of the big picture but at least it will be done the right way and not a shaky way. This is my family and they are the one I’m with you understand.

I believe anything I want to do;   I will do with the backing of my family because that is how we started from day one.

Prince, do you think it’s all about money?

All about money? I think we should just let the matter rest.

From all indications you guys were just sitting on a time bomb waiting to explode?

Yes, it’s like six months long before now, the issues were there

(Cuts in) But you guys went to shows together and gave fans the impression it was one united house?

That’s because we were trying to be professional, that’s showbiz, yes, but at the end of the day we still have some members of the family with us which is what matters.  I feel I’m in a united family when I look around and see my people around me.

So when is your new album dropping?

In the MAVIN movement now, like there are no specific schedule  for dropping of albums we just intend to put out good music that our fans like, from now to the end of the year we are going to release a couple of mix tapes and singles before we decide on when  we will release our individual albums.

I feel honoured to be part of MAVIN – Tiwa Savage
You are the latest person to join MAVIN’s records how does it feel?

*Tiwa Savage

It feels great. It feels like an honor, definitely a privilege and I know it was many girls dream to be the first lady under this label so I definitely feel like, I have been blessed by God.

At the point you had the collabo, did you know you were going to be on the label?

No I didn’t know, it’s just that Jazzy and I have always been friends from long, like he said before he’s always there to give me advice and when he heard my song he actually liked the song  and we decided it will be a great for him to do the song.

So what are we expecting?

Well, my album, I  have been working on it for a while now so it getting ready to be done I just have a couple of more songs  to do we are hoping to put the album out very soon more videos and just  TIWA SAVAGE she’s building that name?

So how soon is your new album going to drop?

My new album, yea, my first ever album we are hoping within the next month or two that soon we are just putting the finishing touches to it.

‘MAVIN offers lots of freedom’ – Wande Coal
There were so many insinuations about the side you will go when the crisis broke but here you are in MAVIN.  What informed your decision?

It’s a new movement and at the end of the day I realized the only person that has helped me grow to this point in terms of my music and everything is Don Jazzy.  So I think this time he has it better than ever and the future is bright for me and I want everybody to accept the new record label I have moved to.

*Wande Coal

When the crisis  broke out, how much did it affect you as a person?

Well at the end of the day the only constant thing in life is change so you have to always change to the next level. I always try as much as possible to develop myself and fit into the next thing that is happening.

(Cuts in)In the heat of the crisis you released three singles and one of the singles was even produced by a producer outside Mo Hits.

Yea, because I’m not trying to eliminate myself, not really because at the end of the day I took direction and the concept from Don Jazzy first. He even listened to the song and told me it’s a great song and told me it will be part of my singles. Jay Sleek produced it the Private Trip was produced by Jay Sleek. Go Low and Be Long You Saw Me were produced by Don Jazzy. They were all good songs that’s why we put it on the singles.

In MAVIN, is it possible you have other producers on your songs?

Yea, because Don jazzy is bringing in more producers, he will sign more producers and we will get to work with different people. Don Jazzy is not going to be the only producer. It’s going to be like in the past   that I worked with other producers like Q- beat on the song Kiss your hand with R2B in Ghana, yea as long as it’s  a good song.

A lot of people feel probably you guys are not looking at the international market, not able to see the big picture?

I wouldn’t say it’s like that because it takes time at that time  in  Mo Hits they were the  ones making the decision and we learnt everything comes in stages, process,  like D’banj comes first, Wande comes after you understand but this time it is MAVIN so like Don Jazzy  said  everyone  is putting out songs,  doing individual  albums for everybody  and push as much as possible (so he’s going to act as the executive producer  on any song ) yea, he tries as much possible to make things good so we try to bring in good songs if the song is not good we will not release it.

So how do you feel having Tiwa Savage on MAVIN with you guys?

I feel happy because I’m a fan of Tiwa and I love Tiwa so much probably because then we were all male singers but now we have a female singer, she too will have to sing a lot of songs.

Like more competition in the house?

No, I don’t think it’s about competition but compliment her. I’m a male she’s a female so I don’t think it’s a competition, and we would do a lot of things together, collabos definitely very soon it’s a thing I must do, she has no choice.

Are you missing D’Banj?

WANDE: Well we miss everybody, everybody miss one another.

Do you learn from him as your former boss?

WANDE: Yes I learnt a lot of things, but we thank God that everything is going on fine we hope the future will be brighter.

What do you think of the structure of MAVIN compared to that of  MO’HIT?

Yes, I think there is a lot of freedom in MAVIN like now am enjoying myself a lot. I love it because the structure is well put in place and a lot of things are in place.

‘Everyone in MAVIN  is doing well’  – Dr Sid
What difference have you seen from your movement from MO’HITS to MAVIN?

Nothing much, MAVIN is a movement. It’s a collective of young talented people, it’s the same ethics, principles we held and practised in MO’HITS which made it to work, I mean everybody working together.

What has changed in terms of the structure?

*Dr Sid

In terms of structure nothing has changed, still the same way we communicate, the same way we bring ideas to the table.  Someone will bring an idea and we all look at it.

In the heat of the crisis, you broke the silence and it’s like DON Jazzy or nobody?

No, the truth of the matter is, I meant that statement because there is a lot of people’s perception of who Don Jazzy is and his person. Some people have started downplaying and insulting his person and I took offence because as someone who knows how we worked and how things were put together and how we created music, he’s the driving force, he is the creative mind.

We come up with ideas but he is the one that sees how all the ideas come together to make the music and drive the brand the way it needs to be driven. So, I was offended at people down playing that though I understand that it’s their perception they don’t really know or have the information that is why I came out and said you know what?

Don Jazzy is the most important piece of MO’HITs Records and without him a lot of things will not come to be done.  Like myself, I used to be a rapper but Don Jazzy came and told me ‘’see come I don’t want you to rap, this is want I want you to do.”

At first, I was skeptical at the beginning because of the way and the change Don Jazzy made on me and my kind of music hence the title of my album Turning Point, because assumed I had to make that turning point from been a rapper to doing more singing and being more of an entertainer which is pretty much of what I enjoy to do.

So you being on this side is more like showing gratitude?

SID: No, it’s not about being on this side Don Jazzy is my friend, regardless of music, we  hang out, we chill together at least we still party together aside  the music  thing and all that but  I mean knowing the kind of human being  that he is, it’s kind of hard to think  otherwise. There are too many stuffs going on though we don’t want to focus on the past but on the future.

How much influence do you have on the decision of TIWA SAVAGE to come to MAVIN?

SID: To be honest  when Don Jazzy  mentioned it to me,  I thought it was a great idea you know we’ve talked about it in the  past even  from when she first  came to Nigeria, he said at that point in time that the label was still boarding and we still have to develop and release more so  now it’s the perfect time because you know we can actually achieve it  with the way we decided to do things, everybody has room to create and release music and she’s a friend.

One of the reasons we put her on is we don’t want to be you understand she is an established and grinded artiste and she’s got the foundation. So, it’s not the question of did you create this or that, she’s an established artiste we want to augment the work she’s done and take it to another level.

With this new company MAVIN, is Dr SID an artiste or a stakeholder?

SID: Elm! As an artiste I am a stake holder because my success reflects on the company, if am successful the company is and if otherwise its affect the company as well so am definitely a stake holder.

Are you a co- owner?

SID: No Don Jazzy owns the company.

You are an artiste of the company as well as others?

SID: Yes, everyone.

What do you think will make you leave MAVIN Records?

SID:  You know what? I said something to Don Jazzy and D’Banj a long time ago that “look MO’HITS Records is the last bus-stop for me, if am not in MO’HITS I’m not doing music.  For me, nothing has changed. The most important factor in the first place is still there which the creativity is and the drive to create good music and it’s still there so there is no reason for me to say I want to leave or whatever.

When the crisis broke, how did you feel?

SID:  I mean the truth of the matter is you feel happy and you also feel bad. I’m happy because in some way you feel, you have an opportunity to express yourselves a little more as side you coming to create something as the full force intend to do. Like I said God  have a reason for everything happening you know everyone is doing fine, everyone in MAVIN is doing exceedingly well and we thank God for that.

How much do you miss D’Banj?

SID: I miss him a lot. Let just put it that way. Thank you