James Ikechukwu Esomugha professionally known as Jim Iyke has opened up on his failed career as a Rapper.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on HipTv, Nollywood’s ‘Bad Boy’ Jim Iyke spoke about his career and what he intended to do in future.
Jim Iyke began his own music record label, Untamed Productions, in 2007, He produced his first album titled, “Who Am I?” Featuring Nigerian top musicians, Sound Sultan and 2face Idibia
He said his music career was not successful as he expected but the experience actually made him realize what he was capable of doing.
“I just woke up one day and decided I can do everything in my life. So, I jumped into music. You know what? That’s a humbling experience because, at the end of the day, I discovered that I was probably the worst rapper even though I made a lot of money. I also enjoyed the experience,” he said.
Iyke, however, said that failing to make a name for himself as a music star didn’t really affect him, because he made bigger cheques than most musicians.
“I like to do stuff and fail. In failure there is a success, I understand my boundaries now. I understand where I shouldn’t go and I also understand there is a business in there, big business. I probably got a bigger cheque than most big musicians then. So, the business side was great and I made a lot of money, even if it’s the worst album of the decade,” he explained.
Speaking further on whether he would love to revisit music again, he said, “I now understand that it’s something I will love to revisit as a businessman. I’m a far better-evolved businessman now than then. What I was doing then was totally by passion and gratification. What I’m going to do now is strictly for commercial purposes and obviously, as a better capitalist, as a better businessman and I’m most likely to succeed now, using people that are truly gifted in this and I won’t try to put myself in front of every album and mess it up. So, there is no bad experience in anything you do in life, not at all! There is always a lesson to be learnt.”
Iyke studied at the University of Jos, Plateau State, where he got a diploma in Banking and Finance and then had a BSc in Physiology.
He is one of the highest-paid actors in Nollywood and has appeared in over 150 movies.
