How Davido’s “Unavailable” ruined my last album – PEPP
John Paul Arabome a.k.a Pepp is everything that embodies art. Apart from being a music artist and a celebrity chef in the United States of America, he is also a restaurateur, a writer, a producer, a designer, a farmer and also a man of God, as he says.
Pepp is out with a new EP titled “Goat Daddy” and the reviews on and offline, according to him, are awesome.
In this interview with Potpourri, Pepp talks about his six-track EP and what each one of them connotes. He also gives an insight into his life as a celebrity chef, his music, the journey, the pains and the triumphs and how Davido momentarily crossed his path in the music space. Excerpts;
What are the reactions like, both online and offline to your EP?
People are perplexed, like huh, who, what, when, how?????
What inspired the EP and can you explain the vibes and reasons behind each track, listing them all?
Boredom. I am always motivated to create music when boredom wants to set in. It’s my auto trigger. Once I’m lit however, it’s like opening a door and being in a creative space where everything else becomes irrelevant in that space.
Ase – this was the first song I made on the EP. It was made on a sunday afternoon when my friend and longtime collaborator called and said he was in Las Vegas, and wanted to know if I was down to make some music. I said “Come on down, I got some fresh beats” he pulled up, the best inspired hook, and the verses naturally followed.
Come Over – I like to jokingly call this my Ashewo song. Basically, the beat gave me an old school dancehall vibe from the 90’s with the likes of Patra and Mad Cobra, and so that’s where I took it. I had said something about Sim Guobadia and his estranged wife Porsha, only for them to begin this divorce drama after the fact, but I wasn’t gonna go change my lyrics for that. Maybe my lyrics will send peace their way, and maybe a reconciliation is in their cards…who knows.
Eromosele – As the great-grandson of Eromosele the Great, I am most aware and proud of my ancestral footings. We are truly sons of Kings and to also bear the name, which I also blessed my son with made it an even more special experience for me. In the same spirit of gratitude that “Ase” was created in, i wanted to do “Ase” in my own native dialect, and it loosely translated from “Thanks God, we’re doing well and our stomachs are full” to “Thanks God my body/spirit is calm because my prayers have reached and have been answered by you”. Of course I had to call my childhood friend Osobase for help with the Esan translations on the verse. I literally sent him the beat and we went line by line till we got it locked in. That was a cool experience.
Girl From Ghana – The producer of most of the beats on this EP is from Ghana, so I basically wanted to give Ghana a shout-out. This was my way of appreciating Ghana. Again, I reached out to my homie, Martin from way back in college, who happens to be from Ghana. He gave me some pointers like “Odo Sronko” to diffuse the over saturated “Odo Yewu”. But yeah it was important that I had the word “Ghana” in the title.,
collaboration with Ishmail was inspired by all the personal things going on in my life and everyone else’s around me. I’m sorta like an empath so I take on unnecessary things. That’s my cross I guess.
Sexy Baddie – The last recorded song and one of my favorites. This was a collaboration with Hue C, aBbahamian and younger cousin of my long time friend from college, Alec. Initially, I wanted him to write me a verse with a Shaggy-type of flow. Once I received his take, I tried to recreate it but it was no use. So I reached out and asked him if he wanted to feature on the record; he obliged and the result was a masterpiece.
What’s the difference and reactions to your album released last year and this new EP?
Last year I didn’t package it so no one heard it. I just dropped it, then OBO (Davido) dropped his fire album the same week so the general population was “Unavailable” to listen to me! How sad! This time however, I decided to do a little packaging and the difference is clear. Four music videos were shot for the six records on the EP. Three of them in Atlanta and one in Los Angeles. I did a little more social media engagements and really just shocked people. It’s crazy to see your favorite celebrity chef showcase another side of him, so that’s the reaction I’ve been getting, but little do they know.
Does being a celebrity chef influence your music in any way?
I think it does. I found myself rapping about “Chebu Jen” which is the Senegalese jollof on my last project and I was like damn, I’m really having fun here. Every now and then, I’d make a reference to my food, my skill or my love for the culinary.
How do you describe your kind of music and what do you hope to achieve?
I find that I talk about God a lot, I find that I talk about some serious human experiences a lot, I find that I talk about women a lot. I’m still learning my music like the rest of you are about to, so let’s go on this journey of discovery together. Let us discover the discography together! (Smiles)
What are the elements that influence your music the most and why?
The beat…The beat usually speaks to me and brings out whatever it is it wants from me. Nothing else because I can fish out the ideas and melodies from my experiences or that of others from across a wide range spectrum at ease. I just need a beat to lead me. It does what it does.
What does good music mean to you?
Lord! Good music means an elevation of my spirit into a space of utter bliss. Now let that marinate…
What’s it like making music in the US, the challenges and benefits?
I guess you mean being an artist in the States…Man I don’t even know if I’m an artist in the States (Smiles). I’m a chef in the States who records music and posts online. I don’t have a road manager, or any of those other infrastructures of an artist. That being said, you can’t tell me I’m not an artist. To revert back to your question, personally, the benefit is that I get to be anything else I want to be. Challenge would probably be that I don’t get to share the material with a broader audience of people with a similar background – that would be you, my people!
Who is Pepp, musically and personally?
Musically, I love a strong melody. I love melodies that touch the soul. you just feel your heart connecting, you feel love, you feel the vibration. That’s me musically and personally I’m a regular guy, who really doesn’t believe in packaging. What you see is what it is. it’s too stressful being an idea when you can just be yourself. That’s why I don’t like getting boxed. You can call me a chef, an artist, a writer, a producer, a designer, a farmer, a man of God….I wear many hats and enjoy creating, period.
How do women influence your music?
Quite a bit I must add. I find that for every 2 records I make, I’m talking about women in 1 of them. Whether it be a love song, a heartbreak or me just trying to get her attention. I mean it’s only 2 genders on earth so it’s not much to talk about after them.
How do you see the influence of Afrobeats in the US and do you think it can sustain the rave?
Everything is cyclical. I remember when dancehall was the trend with Sean Paul leading the pack in the early 2000’s. The thing about the States is that they will always bite from cultures around the world, but always come back to what they know. It will take the efforts of the Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora to keep that fire burning. There has to be a demand locally in the States for this to happen and only true Africans or Nigerians if you may create such a consistent demand for our material. The one thing I’d like to add though is that the lead acts of the genre distancing themselves from the “afrobeat” moniker is not a good sign for the longevity of the trend. Yes it is a trend and all trends come to a dip, an end or whatever it is where the demand depletes.
They say Nigerian music is all about beats and no lyrics. What’s your opinion on this, regarding the importance of lyrics and beats in music?
If you look well you will see that Nigerian music is way more than what you just described. It is true that most of the more popular tunes are created on a faster BPM to keep up with the trend, and it can be really hard to talk about anything serious when you’re on that tempo. But there is a plethora of Indie artists in Nigeria churning out lyric-heavy music that never gets the attention because people would rather focus on music that elevates their vibration than one that will make them think. Abeg, the country too hard jare, and there is too much thinking already, so the music serves as a reprieve of some sort for the average resident Nigerian. They just want to dance. May I also add that good beats are also very important, shout-out to sound producers cooking sound tunes.
Which Nigerian music artist would you like to collaborate with and why?
A good collaboration is usually based on good energy and right vibes. I”m a fan of many artists but haven’t really thought about this aspect of creating a piece with anyone. I’m sure that will happen at some point, but for now nothing in sight.
Should an artist stick to one genre of music or not, and the reasons for your position or view?
No one should tell an artist what to do, period. it’s either you appreciate their work or you move along. We spend too much time forming opinions about things we know nothing about.
What’s your ultimate goal as a musician?
That’s a simple but yet loaded question….In a nutshell, I’d say personally to satisfy my personal creative urge, and socially, to have an impact in society. Isn’t that what most hope to accomplish with anything we do.
