Nigerian record label boss, who has stayed true to the crusade of promoting Nigerian Afrobeats music to the world, Prince Idowu Adegbite Tella has reeled out candid advice to Nigerian music stars, particularly, the up and coming ones to deflower their mind of any romantic feeling of making music, describing the art as purely business.
In a recent interview the label boss who is also a serial entrepreneur speaks on Nigerian music and its impacts on the world stage, critically analysing the weakness and the strength. He affirmed that Nigerian home-brewed music has bought its way into the hearts of the world pop culture and advises the artists not to be complacent with the attention they are getting but rather leverage on it for prosperity.
“I think all African artists should understand that they are in demand now, so they have leverage. It is a business, and everyone isn’t as kind as you are. Some people are looking to get ahead or misuse you if you’ll let them. Don’t take the first opportunity that comes your way but if that first opportunity is the one you’ve been dreaming of as an artist, do your best to negotiate the best deals with an attorney, a lawyer or legal aid” she advises
Idowu Tella’s passion about pushing African music has him well aware that aside the music giants such as Davido, Burna Boy and more getting their music played internationally, there are a lot more undiscovered artists waiting to be heard and his desire to be a part of the voices amplifying the genre is what birthed Billionaire Mafia Records, to lift the new talents out of obscurity by giving them a platform to express their creativity.
According to Idowu Tella who is also a CEO of a logistics company in America , artists need direction and financial support to express their talents without any limitation or inhibition. He says he wants to make happen in Nigeria what is obtainable in the US, perceived as the home of entertainment.
“Billionaire Mafia record is a record label with a vision to become an international record label like Sony, ROC Nation and others in the US. The big idea is to provide a platform to nurture and develop talents in the music industry. We are concerned with the talent and business growth of the artist. While we focus on all the artists’ affairs the artist can take care of the creative process of making music without having to think about his life. We simply take the stress of life off the shoulder of the artist while the artist concentrates his energy on making good music,” he said.
Prince Idowu Adegbite Tella studied Business Administration at the University of Georgia where he was the President of Nigeria Students Union and President, International Students Union. It was from this position he started to work for the university from 2012.
He holds both Bachelor’s degree and Masters degree in Business Administration from University of Georgia.