Rapper, singer and songwriter Vector the Viper has revealed that his diverse musical background has been instrumental in his ability to stay relevant in the industry.
In an interview with Arise News, Vector credited his Yoruba heritage and early Christian upbringing in a white garment church for shaping his unique sound.
He emphasised the importance of versatility in music, noting that every artist should be free to express themselves in their own way.
“Every artiste has the right to affiliate with music how they wish. Let’s not box anything in. I have been honest with my music and as a Yoruba boy, I was raised with words and proverbs and wise sayings. Those things form like the core background of what you do. But then, I was also exposed to music properly in the white garment church. So how do I box myself? Which is why I say I am just within the confines of music,”he said.
Vector also discussed his fusion of rap and Afrobeat, dubbed “Rap-frobeat,” which he believes allows artists to maintain their originality while experimenting with different styles.
“With Rap-frobeat, I realized that the majority of the things that we claim will always lead to foreign intelligence to define and also even with Afrobeat, I have done a little bit of academic inquiry into it, but musically speaking. But Afrobeats as a music genre is probably in the recent past, the only genre of music that can embody different genres of music and still maintain its original identity,” he stated.
He explained that he pioneered this genre to prove to critics that he possessed vocal talent and a gift for words.
“So, yes, there is Afrobeat like the one Fela has done which is legendary but the way that the contemporary artistes have been able to fuse things together. So, I then made Rap-frobeat because I feel like, especially those of us that came into the rap game, there is this misrepresentation that says because you are a rapper, you can’t sing, whereas in my head, as Africans, we are blessed with words,” Vector added.
