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Veteran Nigerian singer Baba Fryo has reflected on the struggles that shaped his early career, revealing that widespread piracy and poor royalty structures significantly affected his earnings despite the success of his hit song Denge Pose.
Speaking in an interview with TheCable Lifestyle, the Ajegunle-born artiste discussed his rise in the Nigerian music scene, the origins of his stage name, and how he eventually discovered that fame did not always translate into financial reward.
He explained that his stage name, “Baba Fryo,” originated from a local naming culture in Ajegunle, where shortened versions of names were commonly used among residents.
“In Ajegunle in those days, anyone who bears Friday, you’d call him Fryo. You abbreviate the name,” he said.
Baba Fryo also used the opportunity to clarify misconceptions surrounding the popular Galala movement, a dance style strongly associated with street music culture in Nigeria during the 1990s. According to him, the dance was originally created by fellow artiste Daddy Showkey, even though many people later linked it broadly to the street music wave.
“Galala is a dance. That dance was created by Daddy Showkey,” he said.
He further explained that his own musical identity differed slightly from other Ajegunle artistes, describing his sound as a fusion of Afrobeat and reggae influences.
“For my own style of music, I would say I just chose to create different kinds of music… mine is an Afro Reggae beat because my song has been mixed with Reggae music and Afro music,” he added.
Reflecting on Denge Pose, the song that brought him widespread recognition, Baba Fryo said he had always believed it would gain attention, but he never anticipated the massive impact it eventually achieved across Nigeria’s entertainment landscape.
“Well, before I released Denge Pose, I had it in mind that people would hear it. But I did not have it in mind that it would go that far,” he said.
He noted that before the breakout success of the track, he faced several challenges in gaining industry acceptance, despite his dedication to rehearsals and music training. According to him, recognition only began to come after the song gained popularity.
As his fame grew, Baba Fryo revealed that live performances became his primary source of income, while revenue from recorded music remained minimal due to piracy and lack of proper royalty payments.
“The first show I had was N100,000. But my company lied to me and said it was N40,000,” he alleged.
He further claimed that although his songs were widely circulated, he did not receive any meaningful royalties from them.
“I made money through performance. But the main money is supposed to be through my music because that’s like an asset. But I did not gain anything,” he said.
The singer also criticised his former record label, Ultima Records, accusing them of failing to properly compensate him while piracy further worsened the situation at the time.
Despite these challenges, Baba Fryo expressed pride in the current success of Afrobeats globally, praising younger artists for taking Nigerian music to international audiences.
“To me, they are pushing very well. Because if they are not pushing very well, people won’t know them and they won’t recognise Afrobeats all over the world,” he said.
However, he noted that modern street music does not always reflect the raw realities that defined earlier generations of artistes.
When asked about younger artistes he would like to collaborate with, he mentioned rapper Odumodublvck, explaining that the interest was sparked after the rapper recently referenced his classic hit Denge Pose in a video.
“I am not choosing anyone apart from Odumodublvck,” he said.
He concluded by expressing gratitude after learning that music executive Don Jazzy and veteran artiste Daddy Showkey had previously acknowledged him as an influence, describing the recognition as deeply fulfilling.
“I feel good because someone like Jazzy, who has produced a whole lot of artistes could say such things; that means we too are great. It is something big,” he said.
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