TIPTOPSTARS

“In music, the brain can do the trick” - Brainwork, Cameroonian world music star

Titus Banyoh / Friday, 27 April 2012 00:00

“Highlife na hard work, hard work na brainwork, life na brainwork.” Ojong Raphael said this in the lingua franca, pidgin, justifying his success and perhaps Mr Brainwork, the artist name by which he goes. The 1.78m-tall son of Limbe in the South West region of Cameroon, living in Berlin-Germany now flies his country flag in what the young singer calls Raphian Flavour. Unlike artiste who depend on manna and end up reaping nothing from music, Mr Brainwork is inseparably clichéd to hard work, but also hosts a strong belief that one’s brain, if active, can do more than half the job. In a discovery interview, TIPTOPSTARS sought to know about Mr Brainwork’s journey to the world of music. He spoke about his source of inspiration, his albums and his hope to work with a serious manager. Here are excerpts of the chat he had with Titus Banyoh

Titus Banyoh (TB): Hello Mr Brainwork, hope you’re doing good…

Mr Brainwork (MB): Sure, Titus, I’m ok.

TB: For how long have you been in music?

MB : About 15 years.

TB: What inspired you into music?

MB: Music has been my passion from childhood. I sang to the extent of of winning prizes in birthday parties. I also did a lot of club animations. Friends would go to the club for other reasons, but I went there for the mic. In the process, DJ Judex, a disc jockey to whom I owe my success discovered my talent. In collaboration with a music producer, he helped me in producing my very first demo, Brainwork. The album was good but not completely satisfy my desire.. So, I took it as a challenge to do all myself, maintaining the principle of DIYS, meaning, Do It Yourself. I started writing my songs, making my beats and dropping my voice…All na brainwork…

TB: What genre of music do you do?

MB: Well, I do drop hip-hop, rap, new age dancehall, afro-beat, R&B/black. I do term my groove Raphian Flavour. Raphian comes from my first name Raphael.

TB: How many songs have you composed so far?

MB: More than 50 tracks.

TB: What are the themes you often exploit in your songs?

MB: Day-to-day happenings including, love, fantasy, politics, racism.

TB: Any releases so far?

MB: Yep! Got two albums online, marketed and distributed worldwide by www.cdbaby.com .The first Album entitled Brainwork can be bought under www.cdbaby.com/mrbrainwork while the second album, Identity - Black Power can be bought under www.cdbaby.com/mrbrainwork2 They are also available as downloads in many online shops such as itunes.com , amazon.com .. rhapsody.com , napster.de just to name a few. I’m still working on the third album which will surely be released this summer. It’s really a summer album flourished by summer Afro - Americano - Caribbean grooves. I mean, party, party, party, dance, dance, dance! Some of the tracks such as I Like It, Don’t Rush are available online but not yet on sale. In short, just click on www.facebook.com and search for Mr. Brainwork.

TB: How many tracks in each album?

MB: Brainwork has 12 tracks while Identity has 17. My third album will comprise 17 tracks as well.

TB: How long did you take to package each album?

MB: Two years each.

TB: Where are your songs recorded?

MB: In Berlin, Germany

TB: Has been easy trying to put all of this together?

MB: It hasn’t. It requires a lot of concentration, determination, strength, inspiration, self-discipline and above all the work of the brain.

TB: Any plans to do public launches?

MB: I wish I had one, I don’t yet. I need someone to handle that part, for, I can’t really do all alone. Of course, I’m prepared to work with a serious manager with positive perspectives.

TB: Do you have plans to launch the album at home?

MB: Will be nice but as I earlier said, I really need someone to take care of that…

TB: Did you get support from somewhere to produce your albums or all is self- sponsored?

MB: Self-sponsored!

TB: Which is the production house or record label credited with your first album?

MB: It’s a home production called Raphian Flavour Production. Well, I do write, compose and produced my songs by myself.

TB: You worked with some artistes?

MB: Sometimes yes! I have worked with Rosy chicks, Nikalo and others.

TB: How do you handle promotion?

MB: I can’t really handle that part. Need to work with a promoter who can organize concerts, radio and TV shows and interviews and more.

TB: Any concerts so far?

MB: Not really.

TB: Videos?

MB: You can watch them on www.youtube.com/brainworkman , www.youtube.com/raphianflavour

TB: Apart from music, what other skills do you have?

MB: Acting.

TB: What are your hobbies?

MB: Music, surfing, cooking.

TB: Your ambitions in music?

MB: To hit the peak of course. It’s not all about money, but to let the world dance, .I mean to put a smile on sad faces and to have the opportunity to heal wounds.

TB: Any other thing you’d like to tell your fans?

MB: I love them and I’m promising to serve them the best which ius still in store. They should keep the faith.

TB: Thanks for talking to TIPTOPSTARS!

MB: It was my pleasure Titus, I admired your professional approach to this interview. Good luck to TIPTOPSTARS and remain the best!

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