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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT — BIKEY
The superbly original Bikey will astound you with his originality . But this uniqueness is unique in its own right , in that Bikey not only embraces his individuality as an artist , but he is equipped with the raw talent to back it up . Born in Lagos , Nigeria , he migrated to the United States in 2001 for studies and has since stayed and rebuilt his career here . Fast forward to 2009 when Bikey remixed " Brooklyn We Go Hard " by Jay-Z and made it " Cleveland We Go Hard " alongside " Dapper AJ ". He also remixed " Heartless " by Kanye West but included a reggae twist that was an instant local hit . Bikey was back .
Bikey recently released a few tracks including Dancing Girl ( perfect club hit minus the cheese factor ) and Antigravity , a track that highlights Bikey ’ s deep vocals beautifully .
I had the opportunity to speak with Bikey this week , here ’ s what he shared .
You have such a distinctive voice , sound and style ! I love it !! Is this a quality you were striving for or did it naturally happen ?
I would have to say it is natural . I have a deep thunderous voice that is very unique and I am blessed to have such a gift . I remember when I was a young boy trying to sing like Michael Jackson and a couple of other cool RnB singers . My sister , Nneka used to tell me to sing with my own voice and stop trying to sound like somebody else . I never forgot that , and after that I would sing along to music in my own range as opposed to the pitch the artist sang . I was slowly developing my skills and it really helped me a lot when I started writing professionally . I was able to carve my
own identity . My Dad also has a deep voice and I definitely got it from him .
What artists inspired you when you were in Nigeria ? Did you also create music there ? What artists inspire you now that you ’ re in the U . S .?
When I was in Nigeria I was inspired by a lot of artists . Artists like Fela , Onyeka Onwenu and Sade amongst others . I also listened to DPG , BBD , De La Soul , including the two best rappers ever ; Biggie Smalls and Tupac when I was
there and couldn ' t figure out who I liked better . I liked Biggies lyrical skill and Tupac ' s Philosophical ideals .
When I was in Nigeria I only did live shows . I did not record anything professionally . So I did create music there , I just didn ' t go to the studio to lay out the tracks . Now that I am in the U . S ., I am inspired by artists such as Wyclef ,
Jay Z and Enya .
What have you learned about the American music industry that you would change if you could ? How is it different from the music industry in Nigeria ?
The American music industry is very very huge . I can ' t tell you that I have covered every aspect of the industry but I will tell you that there are a lot of good artists that are being left out . The music industry in Nigeria is also growing rapidly . The artists there are recognized internationally and are leading the musical revolution in Africa .