Chinagorom Onuoha, aka African China, ruled the airwaves in the mid-2000s and is now regarded by younger artistes as an “old” musician.
While many of his contemporaries would take offence with the appellation, African China has said that being called “old” is an accolade rather than an insult.
He said, “I actually feel happy being called ‘old’. Yes, I am a musician of yesterday because I am not a child anymore. It is not an insult; it is an accolade. It is a good thing these young guys are here now doing their stuff. For me, you must be a good role model. We should not forget that everything that has time has season. Their time will pass too.
“You know in Nigeria, once you keep quiet for some time, people feel you are old and there is nothing new coming from you. But if you are able to show them that you still have that creative mind, it goes a long way. The business is all about creativity. So, over the years, I have been working under ground doing my stuff. I have come to realise that my kind of music has its time and season and I think this is the time.”
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African China added that he made very good use of his time in the limelight, something that he said some of his contemporaries could not proudly say.
“Many of the people in my generation cannot work with their heads held high like I do today. I did not spend money lavishly on women, drinks or drugs. I now have something to fall back to. I don’t go all over the place to look for sponsors; if I want to do certain things, I will do it.
“I made good use of my time. I partied a lot, I drank too, but I used my head and I did not abuse my time. I only partied when I was invited to a party. I don’t just follow friends to the bar. I don’t smoke, I never smoked,” he said.