This Namibian rapper at one point announced an imminent departure from the music industry.
Fortunately for his fans, Nga-I has reiterated that he will still be making music for a long time to come.
Sitting down with #TheTribeExclusive, the chief of Ovi-Trap talked about his new direction in music and his new role as a father.
Doing it for Nation and the nation
“It’s different, it’s special. It’s real, she’s really there,” he says on what fatherhood has meant in the first few months of his daughter’s life.
Fatherhood impacted him so much that he dedicated his project ‘Nation’ to his daughter who goes by the same name. Clearly smitten with the little one already, he says; “I want her to have some sort of letter from me something that will show her what I was going through at the time because we never know what the future has in store so this is a kind of ‘will’ that I’m leaving her with.”
The legacy he wants to leave for his daughter is not the only one he is working on. Nga-I is also passionate about mentoring young artists following in his footsteps. He especially wants to work with young rappers who are passionate about Ovi-Trap.
“Ovi-Trap has always existed. I was just blessed enough and lucky enough to be used as the vessel to bring it out. So even if I leave the industry, the legacy must continue. There are still messages that have to touch people out there and these messages need to be delivered by someone. Maybe even a child from Omaheke has something to say.”
Time out
Nga-I’s decision to quit music came after the rapper went through a rough time in his life and needed to take time out to remember why he was doing what he was doing. To remember and rediscover the meaning of music to him.
“I just wanted to quit, I wanted to be more responsible. It comes with growth. I’ve studied the game, I’ve seen a lot of people, we’ve had the little wings, I’ve seen people have the flame and then let it die out, you know what I mean. I was moving a bit too fast. You know if it happens too fast, easy come, easy go,” he says.
While music has its perks, the rapper did not want to be part of the music industry anymore. He points out behind-the-scenes issues that made him lose interest in being part of the industry.
“It’s a lot of scheming. It’s supposed to be about passion but now it seems a bit too artificial. You know if you do certain things if you say certain things if you work with certain people. It doesn’t leave any room for passion and passion is what is going to inspire a child somewhere.”
Looking to the future
With his talk of leaving the industry in the past now, Nga-I plans on continuing on a path of authenticity. He wants to start a record label of his own one day and groom the next generation of musicians in Namibia. He also plans on taking his album ‘Nation’ to all corners of Namibia and most importantly, he plans to put his family first. Always.
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Click here to hear the full interview:
https://soundcloud.com/99fm/the-tribe-ft-nga-i-1