Over the last couple of days, there has been a lot of conversation since the passing of rapper Mohbad about the relationship between record labels and upcoming artistes. Now, veteran Nigerian singer Timaya is giving his own two cents about why a lot of exploitation happens, and what he advices upcoming musicians. He also talks about why he even laughs when people message him to ask about being linked up with Olamide or Don Jazzy. Here’s what Timaya had to say.

Speaking about young talents being desperate to sign record deals, and why he laughs when such people ask him to link them up with Olamide or Don Jazzy, Timaya said:

TIMAYA: Young talents don’t have to wait for a label to come to them. Keep working, if you dream big, you won’t submit to just any kind of label. Every label owner wants to make a profit, and they will use you in a way that you might not even be comfortable with. You might cry and no one hears you; you might even lose everything. Just like business people start small and grow big, you can start small and grow too. Many young talents are not even concerned about succeeding anymore. They just believe if this or that label signs them they’ll grow (blow). Have you ever asked yourself what the label stands to get from you? Do you think someone will put in so much money and might not make life uncomfortable for you? Start small and keep going. If you are talented, study the music business, invest the little you have, and stay consistent.

I can’t count the number of messages in my inbox begging me to link them up to Don Jazzy or Olamide. Whenever I see those messages, I laugh. You are looking for Olamide to sponsor your music career but you don’t have a single song you have recorded by yourself. You don’t even have a Facebook business page. You are still using your normal Facebook profile. How can someone believe you are serious? You claim you don’t have money to record a song, but the truth of the matter is that no one can give you money to record a song. Go and get a piggy bank, safe, and start dropping at least N500 inside every day. Within five months, you can realise money to record your song in a nearby studio. When the song is ready, it can only cost you N5,000 to place your song on online streaming platforms. Then start promoting your song

What do you think of what Timaya said? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment either below or on my music-wap.com Facebook post.

That’s All.