Museke: How are you?
Naija Nitemare: Gud men..chillinn workin hard on both mixtapes n da album cummin out early next year...

Museke: Can you tell us about your background and family?
Naija Nitemare: Yea...born n brougth up in NIGERIA(EDO STATE) moved down here wen I was 12 yearz wif da fam...started rappin wen I was 10..but didn't put out
nuthin till my big break in 2006..gettin signed under hoodridaz ENT.
now run a lable called "SLUM CITY BOYZ" so eva since den I've been doin
me.

Museke: How did you get the name Naija Nitemare?
Naija Nitemare: Da name naija came 4rm da luv of my country while nitemare was given 2 me by linzo my C.E.O, I added both 2gether n it came out hot n raw...

• View all from Faizel MC
  Artistes Faizel MC
  Album Kamata
  Year 2008
  Writer Fauz Bashir
  Language Swahili, Luganda
  Video URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z39TV9l1gis

Recently on Al Jazeera TV's One on One, Sudanese hip-hop singer and activist Emmanuel Jal was featured. Aged only seven, he became a child soldier sent from Sudan to fight in Ethiopia's brutal war. Through a lot of luck and determination, he managed to turn his life around, becoming one of Africa's hottest music stars.

Check out the interview and some of his music videos below

• View all from 9ice
  Artistes 9ice
  Album Gongo aso
  Year 2008
  Writer Abolore Akande
  Language Yoruba, English
  Video URL http://youtube.com/watch?v=R8WwrXvUohE

This is part 2 of the interview with Richie, Asem and OJ Blaq. Check out the first instalment at this link.

Museke: What is the inspiration for the songs you write?
Asem – Inspiration is divine, someone might say, you look at your environment and write songs. God inspires you to see what you see around. What people say through conversation and when someone passes a phrase, you catch it and use in the studio. You use someone’s experience - life experiences.

OJ Blaq – It comes from around, reality, what happens in the world and the people in the studio. Everybody around would give you ideas, it’s like a family. People give pointers, Richie directs most of the works I do. Anybody around who is also musically inclined chips in, and if it works out, we take it. We don’t mind who talks, if it’s good for what Lynx is doing, it’s allowed. You see realities around. If you feel what you bring (that) something out, it would make people comfortable, then you use it.

Richie – It comes from within and without. Music is inside of me so I get some ideas from divine inspiration and some from my environment and people around me.

Museke: Richie, where did you learn to make beats and what are some songs you’ve done beats for?
It was self-taught. I started making beats because I was suffering to find producers who could make beats for the kind of music I wanted to do. I have this belief that with determination everything is possible. I started when I was 17.
I have done beats for Scientific (Till Africa unites), Heated up (Irene n Jane), Tinny (Incomplete), Okyeame Kwame (Wo so n Mmaa), Amandzeba and Irene and Jane (Don’t want to be lonely), Tiffany (How we do it), Asem (Gimme blow), OJ Blaq (Me kura mu), among others.

This interview was done at Lynx Entertainment Records studio at New Achimota, Accra, Ghana. Present were Richie (executive producer), as well as Asem and OJ Blaq, two other musicians on the Lynx record label.

Museke: Can you tell us about your background, family and education?
OJ Blaq – I was born Nii Akrashi in Accra, and am the only child. I attended Motown (Achimota) prep, junior high and senior high school, through out. I also studied some ICM travel and tourism courses in the UK. I have also taken some Ghana Institute of Journalism courses.

Asem – My real name is Nana Wiafe Asante-Mensah. I was born in Cape Coast, and my family moved around and got to Accra when I was 6 years old. I attended St. John’s basic schools in Achimota and then St. Peters Secondary School in Nkwatia (Eastern Region). I am now at the Ghana Institute of Journalism studying communication studies.

Richie – I was born Richie Mensah in Accra, both parents are Ashantis. My mum is Alberta Mensah. I have 2 more siblings, a brother and a sister. I atteneded Christ the King school and then Achimota.

• View all from 9ice
  Artistes 9ice, 2Face Idibia
  Album Gongo aso
  Year 2008
  Writer Abolore Akande
  Language Yoruba, English
  Runtime 4:48

• View all from Weird MC
  Artistes Weird MC
  Album After the storm
  Year 2008
  Writer Adesola Adesimbo Idowu
  Language Yoruba, English
  Runtime 3:44

• View all from Banky W
  Artistes Banky W
  Album Capable
  Year 2007
  Writer Banky W
  Language English
  Runtime 4:27
  Video URL http://youtube.com/watch?v=dHPp53oQ9L8