WeTalkSound sits down with Nigerian rapper & musician, Suté Iwar in a fun and insightful conversation including his latest EP, The Gift.

How would you introduce yourself to people that don’t know you?

I’ll tell them I’m a Nigerian rapper and musician.

What do you hope for people to get out of your latest project – The Gift?

The gift is a gift to my listeners. Everything in Nigeria is going to shit and I made the EP as a soundtrack to navigating all those complexities. It’s also a showcase of my gift, which is my rap ability!

If you could pick two songs from your discography that tell your beginning and where you are now, what would they be?

The beginning is ‘Let’s Start’ and right now is ‘original’

What do you hope to achieve with The Gift?

I hope people connect to it and it helps them heal, feel, etc. Music isn’t really about achieving anything – it’s about connecting – but you get rewarded when people connect with it.

How do you tap into your emotions to create your music?

I’m tapped into my emotions most of the time. I’m an introspective person and try to be very present all the time. Music is how I channel it. I design the music to communicate whatever idea, emotion, scenario I want to.

How do you balance Melody, harmony & lyrics in your music?

A lot of it is intuitive. Every musician has this backlog of musical influence they lean on when they are making music. After a number of years working on your craft you’re able to draw on it pretty easily. My earliest influences are soul music, r&b, hip hop, African music – so when I’m making music i’m tapping into the styles I’ve learnt from there. Those styles are the basis for afrobeats as well.

How did your family’s music taste influence your own musical tastes & preference?

Well like I said the earliest music I was exposed to was soul music, r&b, hip hop. Also lots of reggae, african pop music. All that is from my family – my parents, older brother, aunties, uncles. The usual. I’m also a MUSON centre kid, doing music lessons there from the age 7 with piano then saxophone so experiences have influenced my taste as well. Now my music is a mixture of all those influences as the musical bed but with Nigerian rap layered on top of it. I have a love for rock music that I haven’t explored in my music though.

Were there any sibling rivalries or competition that drove you to improve your musical skills? 

In secondary school, I was in a couple of rap battles. I’m a rap artist so as far as my musical skill, it’s situations like that that drove me. Proving I’m the best rapper you’ve ever heard type shit. Outside of battle rap, the music-making process is a collaborative one not competitive. That’s what I learnt from my family and the musicians we look up to.

If your music were a color, what would it be and why?

Green. Cause I’m flourishing.

If your music was a specific culinary dish, what would it be & why?

Sushi. It has layers of diverse things.

Which genre or era of music influences your style the most?

My raps are influenced by the Kendrick/Drake/Cole era and the Golden Nigerian rap era of M.I, Naeto C, Mode9. Those are my teachers in rap. Musically, I’m always drawing from the best of right now and mixing it with the best of other eras. I’m always exploring how to fit hip hop, soul, funk, jazz and whatever I like into afrobeats.

Advice for other creatives/artists like you?

Omo, I don’t have any advice right now. haha