Hip Hop artiste, Phyno, denies having any relationship with Rita Edmond in this interview with JAYNE AUGOYE
Rapper Phyno’s decision to move to
Lagos in 2008, after dominating the music scene in the Southeast for a
while, appears to have paid off. In less than four years, he has
justified his rise to stardom by single-handedly pushing indigenous Igbo
rap music into the limelight.
Phyno, no doubt, is on top of his game.
After dropping successful singles, like ‘Ghost Mode’, ‘Man of The Year
(Obago)’, ‘Multiply Remix’ and ‘Shut Down’, music fans cannot help but
compare him with the Yoruba rap sensation, Olamide.
The artiste, who recently disclosed that
‘Phyno’ is actually a nickname given to him in secondary school, has
always managed to stand out in a crowd.
“The name originated from the word ‘phenomenal’. This is because I always liked to stand out back then in school,” he says.
With such achievements, the
light-skinned rapper, best known for his eccentricity, has enjoyed a
scandal-free career. However, a report which has since gone viral is
threatening to rob off negatively on him.
He has been alleged to have joined the
league of Nigerian celebrities with children out of wedlock. It is also
being alleged that his alleged lover, Rita Edmond, is currently carrying
his baby.
Ever since the news broke, tale bearers
have been persistently at work. On Thursday it was rumoured that while
Phyno appears to be excited about the development, Rita has not been
very happy.
But the same artiste, who has worked as a
producer with the likes of Timaya, Flavour, Ruggedman, Bracket, J
Martins and Mr. Raw in the past, describes the story as false. “Believe
it or not, I’ve never met or spoken to anyone by that name. I haven’t
made any woman pregnant either. If people need three seconds of fame I’m
glad that my name could help,” he says.
Meanwhile, when E-Punch contacted
Rita for her reaction, she was evasive. After much persuasion, she
decided to open up. But she ended up saying, “The only information I can
give you is that I am in love with a rap artiste. I don’t want to
mention his name. Since different stories are flying around, I am trying
to understand where everybody got their story from. Of course, I had a
vacation in Dubai and I am back in Nigeria.”
Although both parties deny ever meeting
each other, a reliable source says they are indeed lovers and their love
affair started in Enugu when Phyno was yet an undergraduate at the
Institute of Management and Technology.
Yet, in spite of the controversies,
Phyno remains undaunted and says he prefers to focus on his music
career. He tells E-Punch that he has great dreams for his brand.
“My greatest wish is to be successful
and to touch lives somehow through my music. Although my fan base in the
East is bigger because I started my career over there, I get a lot of
love from the West too and I’m grateful,” he says.
Phyno, who has denied the rumour that he is from a wealthy background, says he would rather prefer to take things in his stride.
“I always keep it real and I am never
under any pressure to be what I am not. I have gone through struggles
like everyone else. It is just God’s grace that has kept me from going
down. I don’t consider myself a king because I’m just a guy doing what I
love. Much respect to Mr Raw and others always,” he says.
Phyno describes the Nigerian rap scene
as a breeding ground for talented rappers. “We have rappers that can
compete favourably with their contemporaries anywhere in the world. The
industry is developing. Olamide and I are friends and we have a good
working chemistry. He is one artiste that I admire a lot.”
The Headies Awards may have come and
gone, but Phyno will forever relish the moment he was announced as the
winner of the Best Rap Single award. As far as he is concerned, the
award will boost his career tremendously.
“I felt honoured and humbled at the same time because these people are really talented people that I respect,” he says.
He beat Ill Bliss, Olamide and Reminisce to win the award.
No comments:
Post a Comment