Dr Money, a.k.a,
JKL 4 real is a music entrepreneur, a producer, a performing artiste , a
blogger and a philanthropist under the platform of Justin Kingland Foundation,
who has been touring the whole world making exploits with his unique blend of
dancehall, Afro and Asian sounds. A native of Agulu, in Anambra state, he is
currently based in Ghana with his Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, and branches in
New Jersey, U.S.A, and Lagos, Nigeria and has decided to introduce his brand of
music to his home, Nigeria. In this exclusive interview with O’star Eze of
Orient Daily, Dr Money talks about life as a musical artiste and entrepreneur
while shedding light on topical issues concerning the music industry. Excerpts:
How would you
describe your kind of music?
I am a dancehall
advocate. I created what I call Afro-Asia Rhythm. When I came to Nigeria and
played it the first time, they couldn’t understand it. I gave it a name –
ghetto gospel, because of the message. There was a show NTA invited me to in
Lagos 2010. During the show, a man called me and asked me whether I was Justin
Prophet. This was the name Nigerians know me by. I had to change the name from
Justin Prophet to Justin Kingland in Malaysia because of the environment I
found my self. I didn’t need anybody to advice me to remove the ‘prophet’
suffix in my name. That was why I came up the name JKL.
What is the theme
that you like to reflect in your music?
Mostly, it is
about life experience and I keep my message positive. There is a way I get
inspiration. I don’t just write songs. I listen to the tune, I jam it and I
deliver. And I don’t record when I don’t have inspiration. Because I own the
studio, I work 247. Whenever I pick up pen to write, I would be hearing a voice
saying, “Why are you forcing the music?” I would drop my pen. But if I hear any
sound I would be flowing and after recording, I would now listen to what I’d
done and write them down. This was the very reason Shirley B of Def Jam
remarked that I was real, that I should keep it up. So, it is all about
life experience, revelation I get from Jah. Although sometimes I might come up
with love songs but the love songs is to show my other part. But regardless of
my theme, it is always positive.
How would you
describe your religious inclination?
I am Ras. But, you
know, Ras is not having dread. Being a Rasta is not just because you put on
dread. Being a Rasta is something of the heart. If you don’t have a good heart,
you are not supposed to call yourself a Rasta. Because, if you are a Rasta man,
you should not have bad mind.
You have a record
label. Are there artistes you have signed that are doing well in the music
industry?
In 2010 I signed
Blackface. It was a project and we took him to Malaysia. We produced more than
16 tracks for him. After 9 months, everything went bad. We had someone like Def
Dog then. In Ghana, we had someone like Ras Kuku. Ras Kuku is one of the heavy
weights in Ghana. He was under For Real Records for some time. We are still
signing artistes and our doors are open. Only that we don’t want to rush. Right
now, 4real Records has only one artiste it is focusing its energy on and that
is jkl4real . We have D Q as well, and other underground artistes we are
assisting as well.
I understand that
you have this philanthropy. Would you like to talk about it?
Yes, we are into
charity as well. It has been in me from onset. It is inbuilt. Let me give you
an instance. When I was young, then I was still in primary four. Just in front
of our house, any time we have heavy rain, the road is very bad. I
saw this woman fall. A very old woman. I ran out in the rain to help her. I
carried her load. She showed me her house, I dropped her load. I made friends
with her children. Every time they come to our house, we play, I visit their
house too. They had this mud house and the roof was made with thatches.
Sometimes I would sleep there. And this usually gets my father to come there
and scold the woman how she could allow a kid like me to sleep under such
conditions and she doesn’t ask who the parents are and whether the parents
might be looking for him. She would reply that she knew I was his son and that
he had knowledge of my whereabouts. I stole from my father to change the
woman’s roof to zinc and put blocks on her house, at that age. So, it has
always been part of me. Dad would always complain that I would steal money from
him to give to others. Sometimes I would carry rice from my father (he was a
farmer) and give to those I felt were in need. So, when I grew and started
having my own money, I naturally continued my philanthropic ways.
I understand you
have a couple of singles and there is this one that is making waves. Tell us
about it
Yea, Ole is a song
that I used to show my fans the other part of me so they don’t feel it is only
serious messages that I sing about. I just want them to know that I am a
straight guy. It is part of us as humans to sometimes get emotional. We have
this thing in us that we have to talk to the girls and let them know that they
need to be loved. So, it is a song for all the lovers to embrace and serenade
their moments with. It is a song telling a loved one that the love you have for
her got other people jealous. It is a way to let men know how to love their women
for real and appreciate them.
Finally, what
should Nigerians expect from Dr Money in the nearest future?
Ole is a hit
single that is taking over the Nigerian air waves and we are open to work with
underground artistes in Nigeria, to work with them and assist them with their
musical ambitions, just as we have been doing with other artistes in Ghana.
There is show coming up; Anambra Peace and Security Concert, A-PAS. We are here
to partner with the organizers, Henry B Klassic Entertainment Crew. Henry B
also happens to be my manager in Nigeria. We want our people in Nigeria to
expect something big. We have other projects coming with the music like
promotional packages. We appreciate our people, we appreciate our fans; we
appreciate Anambra people and our fellow Nigerians.
