Olusegun ‘Mode nine’ Babatunde’s style of music doesn’t leave any hostages. Born in the United Kingdom to Mr & Mrs. Babatunde; a few years after his birth the family made the journey down to Nigeria where attended Agboju Secondary School with the likes of Twoface, Blackface, Def O’Clan, and Ruff, Rugged and Raw.  He later attended Bida Polytechnic where he studied Building Technology and graduated with an Upper Credit.

Mode nine’s official rap career started when he was introduced to Solo D by Ayo Animashaun; Solo D was the CEO of SWAT Roots (a rap group). After a few singles, the group members decided that they should try solo efforts and then come back for an album.

 Clad in a tee shirt and jeans (both of the large category), the battle cat emcee sat down with WRT’s Ezekiel Obonare for a special session and an exclusive dig. Class is in session…

WRT: You call yourself a lyricist but your fans and music lovers alike refer to you as a rapper, What is the difference between both titles?

MODE IX: I am not a rapper! Anyone who can put words like cat, rat, bat together is a rapper. What I do is spoken words, expressing intelligence over a beat that I like, so you can call me an emcee/lyricist. If you look properly, you will find out that people who call themselves rappers don’t know half of what they are talking about. They just get behind a microphone and shoot their mouth off; I don’t want to be referred to in that category. Unlike these rappers, I honestly appreciate words.
 

WRT: From whispers to croaking voices, there has been a lot of talk about your kind of music not being Nigerian and of being too influenced with foreign flavor, what do you say to this?

MODE IX:  The answer is NO. There is nobody whose music is as flavored with the Nigerian touch as mine.  How can anyone say my music isn’t Nigerian? Did they listen to ‘Cry ‘ with all the Igbo colors; Nigerian girls where I talked about Nigerian girls, Africa, Regular guy, Fellow Nigerians, Ogunsoye, Torongiwa but to name a few?  What I think people mean is that I don’t do my music in pidgin and it’s not like I see anything wrong with pidgin, it’s just not my style. After all not everyone can rap in pidgin.
 

WRT:  Back to your song ‘Nigerian girls’, Is there a girl in your life?

MODE IX:  My fans are my girls; I would rather not talk about that because it’s my private life.
 

WRT: So we shouldn’t look forward to hearing wedding bells soon?

MODE IX:  That’s my private life…
 

WRT:  Can you give us an insight on what led to the cold atmosphere that greeted your exit from Question Mark Records and how it led to the birth of Red Eye Music?

MODE IX:  There was no cold atmosphere between me and Question Mark.  Business is business, nothing personal, it was time for me to move on and I did. Between Question Mark and I, we had about three works which were Question Mark All-stars, Pentium IX and E Pluribus Unum, after which I looked at my contract which had a clause saying I could go. So I called them and told them my contract with them was over and I would not like to renew it, they did their own looking over and we came to an agreement. There was no disagreement of any sort or quarrels; we did not have any fights the relationship just stopped.

 WRT:  So what’s the dig on Red Eye Music?

 MODE IX:  Red Eye Music is relatively new and so I’m taking my time, putting things together at the moment. There is just one artiste on the label and that is me, I don’t want to get caught with the Napoleon syndrome and call a lot of artistes over only to  find ourselves in the middle of a river confused about what direction to take.  When you are on a label there are a lot of things that you expect your label to do for you, right now that kind of money isn’t available. So I’m just taking my time to do what is right, I do have my people who are not on the label though but still holding it down for me; people like Kraft, Terry D Rap man (who is on his own label called MEGAPHUNK), O.D., and Harry Okoh. I also have a mix tape with Jesse Jags.
 

WRT:  The Nigerian music industry has witnessed a significant measure of growth in recent times but there still remains a lot to be done, what do you think is needed to put the industry on the right course?

MODE IX: I will congratulate the industry on the heights it has achieved in this short period, but the fact remains that there still exist people in there who do not believe in the true art.  It’s like they have this code of conduct that leads to success and if you are not doing things by this code then you are not ready to be a success; This is the reason you have a lot of people in the industry doing what they ought not to, one minute he is rapping the next he is singing or attempting to sing!
 

WRT:  How well do you think you are accepted on the local scene considering the fact that you have won more awards outside the country?

MODE IX:  I performed at the Star Mega Jam at the Polo Club and I must confess the response was very good, the crowd was feeling me and they made this known by cheering my name all through the duration of my performance. Now I don’t know what you mean by how I am accepted, but I do know that when I’m on the stage I get a warm welcome from the crowd, any stage anywhere in Nigeria. You can also look up the list on every big show in Nigeria today, my name is on it! If I wasn’t accepted I wouldn’t be on those lists.
 

WRT:  Music has become the new source of livelihood for some, a means of putting food in their stomach and cloth on their back, while for some it’s the glitz that is the attraction. What is mode IX’s reason for delving into music?

MODE IX:  If it was about the money I would have stuck with my degree, which is very much intact for a fact; I was on the dean’s honor list, I also spent a short while in Abuja and I’m familiar with some people in the construction industry. But, this is what I love and so what I am doing is looking for means to make money from doing what I love. One thing I know is that if you spend a lot of time online and make your presence felt while you are at it, believe me, you will get rewarded.

Some people I have met who are helping in moving my career forward, I met them online. An example is this outfit that has a show lined up for me in South Africa and Europe; I made the connection with them online. There is another one in America slated for MARTIN LUTHER DAY celebrations next year and one also in Asia in the next few weeks.

WRT:  The typical Nigerian musician will attach a name to whatever he plays and brand it his genre of music. For example, recently there has been an increase in what many call Afro hip-hop, what is your view on this?

MODE IX:  What is Afro hip-hop? That’s nonsense, it’s all tautology. Hip-hop is African! let me take you back in time to that era in African history, when town criers went about doing their work, they were equipped with a gong or a talking drum with which they would work a rhythm from. Upon hitting out this rhythm they would pass along whatever message they had, it was from here that hip-hop was born, do you know that Fuji has a link to hip-hop? Till date you will still see Fuji artistes on street corners or at parties exchanging banter lightly over instrumentals while the audience is dancing or simply watching. So saying Afro hip-hop is like saying African African, there is no such thing as Afro hip-hop. The man who is considered as the father of hip-hop: D.J. Cool Herc is from Jamaica and it is common knowledge that Jamaicans are descendants of African slaves, so to me hip-hop is African.

WRT:  What would you do if you stopped performing, would we see a mode IX holed up behind a desk or what?

MODE IX:  If I leave eventually, I will not be leaving completely. I will still be relevant in the industry in many ways; there is this super talented producer who also raps, his name is Kraft. I will be working with him, also a couple more artistes and I will be involved in shows and entertainment, both within and outside the country; but all this is based on if I ever stop being a lyricist.

WRT:  Would I be wrong by insinuating that KRS One had a heavy influence on your music?

MODE IX:  You would not be far from the truth; I grew up on KRS One, Big Daddy Kane, Master Ace, etc. I have every album and mix tape KRS One has been on, though I don’t like his last attempt which I consider whack. But I listened more to Big Daddy Kane and more of Master ace than both of them.

WRT:  What Nigerian artiste would you like to work with, and what foreign artiste would you also like to work with?

MODE IX:  If there ever was a Nigerian artiste I have forever dreamed of working with, that artiste would be Fatai Rolling Dollar, I have always dreamed of doing a song with that man; and as to a foreign artiste it would end up being with a couple of them amongst whom being Master Ace, KRS One, produced by Pete Rock and scratches by D.J. Premiere and intro by Soul Williams.

WRT:  That is so rich, what is your parting shot?

MODE IX:  No matter what you are doing, just endeavor to keep it real at all times and stay true. Don’t waste time hating or envying someone else and their efforts. There is this girl who hates my guts cause I once set her straight, the said girl is a dancer for a popular artiste, why should I be bothered if she is going around talking trash she did something wrong and I put her right I advise that she too learns to keep it real.