How I Grew From Gentleman To African Prince
“WHenthe NBC banned my song, I was so happy. I am still so happy. It is such a great thing,” Ric Hassani says. Hassani is a very funny and optimistic person. His laughter and excitement beamed in his vocals and sifted throughout our virtual call. His sophomore album, dubbed The Prince I Became, was recently released and the 17- track project gained intense critical acclaim. But the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC) banned its lead single, Thunder Fire You, from receiving radio airplay.
“Nobody had given me that much attention before in Nigeria, so much that the NBC bans my song. That’s incredible,” the singer notes.
With his debut project, African Gentleman, Ric Hassani, originally known as Ikechukwu Ahiauzu, rose to prominence back in 2016. At that time, the Alternative music scene was still in its green stages, with the Hassanis, Funbis, Blackmagics, among others, trying to rear their unique sounds in a pop- saturated industry.
While Hassani’s African Gentleman debut showcased his vocal strength, The Prince I Became flaunts his songwriting prowess more.
The entire project feels like a masterclass on love. The 32- yearold River State native delicately explores the subject of love, taking the listener through many classes on professing affection, fidelity, breakups, and toxicity.
Interestingly, he throws in a Christian Gospel record, Victory Belongs To Jesus, which not only feels nice on the album, but would also do well on even secular performance stages. Apart from the album’s track listing, which continually climaxes at several points and distracts the listener from mid- point towards the end, the entire project is brilliantly and intentionally crafted.
“I really wanted to make people see how I have grown. I really wanted to listen to people more. With the first album, I was like ‘ this is how I want to do it and I really don’t care what people say’, but with this second one, I wanted to listen to people more,” he says.
Interestingly, Hassani exclusively announced that he is set to drop an 11- tracker deluxe album in two weeks, which would be laden with more party popping ‘ bangers’ as he connotes. Collaborating alongside A- list singers such as Peruzzi, Reekado Banks, Waje, among others, he affirms that the project would be as enchanting as it would be energetic.
From his days as an emerging rapper, under the moniker ‘ Rico Slim’, which he also describes as an unfortunate period, to his struggles “sleeping on studio floors” and spending “N150, daily, on food” pursuing his musical ambitions, despite attaining a Masters degree ( M. Sc.) in Energy Economics, from the University of Surrey, in England, and a first degree in Economics from Covenant University, in Nigeria; down to why he switched up his musical personae from Afro- soul to Popsoul; and on losing his dad the very day he released the album’s controversial lead single, Ric Hassani breaks it all down in this interview with CHINONSO IHEKIRE, intimately illustrating his transition from the African Gentleman to The Prince I Became.
Congratulations on the new project, how has the experience been like?
IT has been great just to see the reception. I was honestly very nervous, because on this album, there are so many newer sounds and subjects that I tried that people are not used to, subjects like ‘ Thunder Fire You’ and ‘ Victory Belongs to Jesus’. I was scared of how people would take it, but the reception has been great.
What was on your mind when you started out to make this album?
Honestly, I just wanted to show people growth; my last album was almost five years ago. I wanted people to feel like this guy actually had growth. If I had given them an album that had my normal sound, they wouldn’t complain, but they would say I haven’t really grown. I really wanted to make people see how I have grown; I wanted to make it bigger, like bigger vocals, choirs and instrumentals.
How would you describe your typical sound?
It is like Afro- soul. I wanted to go more Pop- soul; Afro- soul is a lot more niche, it has that alternative vibe. I wanted to make more pop- records.
People know you more as an Alternative singer. Tell us about your early days into music?
I had some songs back in the day like Dance, Dance, Baby Dance or Double Double; I was trying to be an Iyanya or Flavour. That was what was pop at the time. It got to a point where I got fed up, because I was trying to do and not actually doing. I just told myself to just do. The ‘ do’ was Gentlemen; and that was the first song that I actually really just liked. Sometimes, we artistes make songs because it is hot or trending now. We hardly just make songs we like or that makes us feel nice when we sing it. Gentleman was the first record that I made that I liked. I was like, ‘ Leave it like that.’
At some point you were rapping?
Unfortunately, there was a time I was rapping; it blows my mind as well. Yes, I was actively trying to go into music at then. This is my excuse for rapping: Back then, rap was the reigning thing; it was Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr Dre, G- unit. At that time, if you were doing music and you were a guy, you had to rap; the only cool singing guy was Micheal Jackson. Me, being that my voice is high- pitched, if I sang then, my guys were going to beat me up. So, I had to learn how to rap, just because I knew that I wanted to do music.
What was going on in your life at then?
I was probably between 11 and 13. I entered school really young, so at this point, I was already in senior secondary. I was in the boarding house.
What were you aiming to study then?
I wanted to be either an architect or engineer; I ended up doing Economics. It was my dad who woke up one day and was like, ‘ I already have an Engineer in the house, and you are going to do Economics.’ I didn’t like Economics, but he made me do it and now I have no regrets.
Do you think that decision influenced you into doing music full- time?
Honestly, now that you say it, it really did. If I had done Architecture or Engineering, I would have been so engrossed with it that I wouldn’t do music. I didn’t know what Economics was, so, it was just about cramming and passing. So, in my free time, I had to do something that made me feel alive; that was what music was. So, this is the first time I am saying it, but honestly, if I hadn’t done Economics, I would not have been a musician.
Your parents are both academics. When did they find out that you were into music?
That was after I graduated from Covenant University. I grew up in Port- Harcourt, but immediately after I graduated, I moved to Lagos to live with a friend of mine. So, they were like ‘ Where is this guy?’ I called them and told them that I was in Lagos and was rapping. They were opposed to it for like two years; this was from June 2009 to September 2011.