Meet Mercurial Rapper; Boogey

He is amazing. He is the discovery of the year. His song 'beautiful mind' which was presented by DJ Klem of Knighthouse earned rare reviews. He went on to feature in three major mixtapes this year; that of M.I, Terry Tha Rapman and Modenine. He has rocked a handful of rap competitions. He recently released his own version of Davido's Dami Duro. As usual austiNaija caught up with the light skinned rapper; Boogey. Read the interview after the cut

Hello Boogey, can we meet you? Tell us a little about yourself

Hello. Government name is David Iye Odey, i'm from Cross River State and I'm a hip-hop artiste by day, defender of the galaxy by night

What’s your educational background like?

Primary education was at Crown Gate School, Shomolu, Lagos. My secondary education was at Federal Government College Lagos, fondly called "IJ" because of its Ijanikin location. In 2003, I got a University scholarship that took me to The Kingdom of Morocco, where I achieved my fluency in French language and a BSc. in Biology.

How did music begin professionally for you?

I wouldn't say it's kicked off professionally because I'm not getting that cheese yet, but it started to pick up while I was in Morocco. Recorded verses with my phone, instrumental playing in the background. First time I stepped in a booth to record was in 2006 or 2007. It 

was a feature on what later became a hit song over there. That's when I said to myself ,"You can actually do this."

How do you wind down after a hectic day in the studio?

Food+Shower+Massage from about 12 beautiful women + Sleep. Okay, as hard to believe as this might seem, the "12 beautiful women" part was a joke :D Basically, I just chill, replay the series of studio events in my head and hope that it brings good results. I could listen to music (Yes, more music) or watch TV.

You hit us with ‘beautiful mind’ and went ahead to feature on M.I’s, Terry Tha Rapman’s and Modenine’s mixtapes. How did it feel working with these rap giants?

I felt blessed. Beautiful Mind was the second episode of DJ Klem's "DJ Klem Presents" series, still going on now. He's a talented producer and we made beautiful music. I hope to work with him again. My guest verses on these mixtapes have given me some exposure. Before my feature on MI's IM2, I was practically invisible. These three rappers you mentioned are also icons in Nigerian hip-hop, so to go from being invisible to being featured within a few months, by rappers I had only gotten to see on TV daily..It was an awesome feeling. They gave me a platform that many other people refused me and I'll always be grateful for that. Helped my self-confidence a lot too.

What are we expecting from Boogey in the next few months?

Couple of songs off my tape should be out in a bit. Right after that, the Art-ificial Intelligence mixtape will be released. No date set in stone yet but very soon. Probably one or two features here and there too.

doing what he is known for

Aside rapping, what are your hobbies?

I play basketball, I love scrabble, I like to read novels but lately I haven't had the time. I also play video games (No they're not for kids only)

As regards music, how versatile can Boogey be?

My versatility can be noticed in the diversity of topics. I can talk about anything. Any emotion I'm feeling at the time is expressed on a track. I hate to be put in a box like being called hardcore, soft, conscious, dark or funny. There's no need for definition. It changes each time the same way emotions fluctuate. In summary, my versatility can be found in my lyrical content.

What is that thing you wish you can change about the Nigerian music industry?

A whole lot; I wish I could kill the monopoly. I wish I could prove that any genre of music can be made "commercial" to its fanbase. I wish I could make Nigerians respect hip-hop much more than they do now. I wish I could get the general public to call more rap songs TUNES, even when they can't do freshly invented and in-vogue dance steps to them. I wish I could get them to LISTEN., and oh one last thing.I wish I could get artistes to use the word SWAG much less. Thank you!

Which Nigerian female celeb do you have a crush on and why? (You must answer oh. Laughs)

You want make my girlfriend vex? Kai (I'm single sha). Let me answer it like this; On my verse on AQ's newly released joint, MGF (also featuring Morell), I said "..and I see scenes from Eva's thighs in the High video, my **** gets hard." Go figure. :D (Bubu, If you're reading this, it's all jokes. I still like you.) *LAUGHS*

What’s your favourite sport team?

The NBA's Miami Heat. KING JAMES!!!! And no I'm not famzing them just because they're champions.

Do you think we the Nigerian youths are living up to expectations in the quest for a better Nigeria?

We living in hard times. Not just poverty stricken but violent hard times. Sad to say but sometimes, it feels like majority of the youths don't even know what the expectations are, let alone live up to them. Hopefully, this will change and we'll produce wonderful leaders in the future.

How do you think we (youths) can be empowered?

Definitely not by some attention seekers posing as activists on the internet (Not a sub..or is it?). We probably need a focused few to lead. We need to believe that we can bring change. More than half of the youths (maybe including myself) believe that Nigeria is a lost cause. All it takes is for a select few to prove that it's not, then lead the way.

What’s your favourite meal?

Off the record, it's Beans and Dodo (not the one for fools), then anything that has chicken in it (don't post this o), but since everybody's a cool kid these days I might as well go ahead and say Shawarma or pizza, or maybe Bacon and eggs or some ish like that. Errr No I'll go with the first one.

Please, can you drop few words for your fans?

Oh Wow! I didn't even know I had fans (laughs). I'm grateful. Thanks a lot for the support. Keep spreading the word. Stay in school, kids. Don't do drugs. Peace!