Their kind of music and energetic dance is one that will thrill you and set you in the right mood. They are never caught in different wears and when they appear in public, you marvel how God created two individuals with so much look alike. As married men, Anthonio Akpos and Andre Andos Dixon live together with their wives, a set of identical twins. In a chat recently, Mamuzee say they are expecting a set of twin babies.
Where have you been?
Basically we are working and you all should know that. If you are very conversant with CNN and BBC, there’s currently an advert running on the biggest reality show in Nigeria and Nigeria, is organized by us. We’ve done a bit of traveling to some Europe countries like Canada and other African countries, trying to make sure that this show becomes the best reality show in the world. So far that’s what has been keeping us busy and we are trying to release our album as well in July. Show we are all choked up.
What’s the reality show about?
The show is a surprise, it’s called twin Africa, show you guys should watch out for it; it’s about twins all over Africa.
The Album
We’ve released a single called sweet Gbedu; it was on UK and the Caribbean chart number one for about six weeks. It was a new song by Akon that knocked it out. So far the comments about the video are okay, we are trying to experiment, and we are trying to be modernized and move with time. Our song is African music and if you look back whether you like it or not, African music is dying, we want to do our music a little bit of hip hop so that it can appeal to the youths as well and that’s what we are doing right now.
Why hip hop?
Whether you like it or not, hip hop is here to stay because of the youthful appeal to it. So what we are trying to do is to mix hip hop with African music, make it a contemporary African song, as even as you dance to it, it’s still part of African that you can relate with it.
Challenges
Well, we are working on four projects and we want to make sure that we unveil them before the end of the year so, it been pressure here and there but we are just praying that God will give us the strength and make this dream come true.
What has kept you both together?
It’s been grace, God’s grace, honesty and love.
Are you guys married?
Yes to the most beautiful set of identical twins and we are expecting twins.
Dating before marriage
When we were quite younger, we used to date different girls. Can you imagine, you are in the room with a girl and she is looking at you, asking if you are sure you are Akpos or Andos? It was crazy. Later, we actually wanted to get married to one girl, but it didn't work out and we then opted for twins. That is the fun of it, and in our house, there is no sadness. Two sisters from the same house, there is no quarrel, no problem. We are both expectant fathers and we pray that when the children come, they will not be asking who their father is between us.
Life in Ajegunle
Growing up in Ajegunle (AJ) was a struggle. Ultimately, what we experienced in Ajegunle “opened” our eyes and we then released an album entitled, “Born to Reign”
“Life in Ajegunle was a do-or-die affair. Most people would be surprised that we grew up with the likes of Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo and Daddy Fresh. We grew up in the same neighborhood. They were always in our house, we all hoped and dreamt together because in Ajegunle it was either you became a thief or you do something meaningful with your life. For us, we decide to go into music and never looked back and today we are celebrated. We remember a lot of other young men, many of them our bosom friends, who choose to live on the other side of the law and were mauled down in their youth by the law enforcers; many were also killed through jungle justice. For those of us that are successful today, we deeply thank God for his mercies because we saw so many things in AJ that opened our eyes to wickedness but God refrained us from the way that led to destruction and granted us his great wisdom to get to where we are today”.
Oppositions
After secondary school, we were determined to become entertainers despite ours parent’s insistence that we studied Law or Medicine. Our parents pushed us to a private Law school and later to a Para-medical school and when they saw that we were not ready to budge, they forced us into the NDA in Kaduna, but somehow we found ourselves in Ogoja. And in 1999, we came out with our first single entitled, Bobo followed by a gospel track, Abi you no know say Jesus na God’.
Growing up in Ajegunle (AJ) was a struggle. Ultimately, what we experienced in Ajegunle “opened” our eyes and we then released an album entitled, “Born to Reign”
“Life in Ajegunle was a do-or-die affair. Most people would be surprised that we grew up with the likes of Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo and Daddy Fresh. We grew up in the same neighborhood. They were always in our house, we all hoped and dreamt together because in Ajegunle it was either you became a thief or you do something meaningful with your life. For us, we decide to go into music and never looked back and today we are celebrated. We remember a lot of other young men, many of them our bosom friends, who choose to live on the other side of the law and were mauled down in their youth by the law enforcers; many were also killed through jungle justice. For those of us that are successful today, we deeply thank God for his mercies because we saw so many things in AJ that opened our eyes to wickedness but God refrained us from the way that led to destruction and granted us his great wisdom to get to where we are today”.
Oppositions
After secondary school, we were determined to become entertainers despite ours parent’s insistence that we studied Law or Medicine. Our parents pushed us to a private Law school and later to a Para-medical school and when they saw that we were not ready to budge, they forced us into the NDA in Kaduna, but somehow we found ourselves in Ogoja. And in 1999, we came out with our first single entitled, Bobo followed by a gospel track, Abi you no know say Jesus na God’.
Back to school
With the success that came with our first effort, we went back to school - College of Film and Broadcasting in South Africa - for three years.
We returned in 2003 with another single titled Awigiri, the African Esan dance.
With the success that came with our first effort, we went back to school - College of Film and Broadcasting in South Africa - for three years.
We returned in 2003 with another single titled Awigiri, the African Esan dance.
Miracle tour of Europe
We went abroad, with Africosa, a blend of Afro-beat, Makosa and African jazz, and we toured Europe recently and returned to call it a miracle. It was indeed a big miracle, there was this show called the Nigeria Fashion Show. As God would have it we played during the show and the Nigerian Ambassador to France loved our music and spoke to the organizer of the show”. Immediately, we were invited to Europe. “It was a dream of a life time.
We went abroad, with Africosa, a blend of Afro-beat, Makosa and African jazz, and we toured Europe recently and returned to call it a miracle. It was indeed a big miracle, there was this show called the Nigeria Fashion Show. As God would have it we played during the show and the Nigerian Ambassador to France loved our music and spoke to the organizer of the show”. Immediately, we were invited to Europe. “It was a dream of a life time.
Eye opener
We met a lot of Nigerians in Europe that were mere loafers out there; we saw a lot of girls who were into prostitution, involving themselves in all kinds of acts that is totally degrading to the African dignity. We met a set of Nigerians at the Metro and their palms were scarred red - burnt from washing of plates in steam water - we were compelled to give some of them money.
In Europe it is every man to himself, unlike here where you can see someone to give you garri to smoke no matter what, out there if you go hungry, you die. Many Nigerians living there are not doing anything but they are just too ashamed to come back home”.
We met a lot of Nigerians in Europe that were mere loafers out there; we saw a lot of girls who were into prostitution, involving themselves in all kinds of acts that is totally degrading to the African dignity. We met a set of Nigerians at the Metro and their palms were scarred red - burnt from washing of plates in steam water - we were compelled to give some of them money.
In Europe it is every man to himself, unlike here where you can see someone to give you garri to smoke no matter what, out there if you go hungry, you die. Many Nigerians living there are not doing anything but they are just too ashamed to come back home”.
Promoting African music
One thing we can’t get over is the way music promoters in Nigeria idolize foreign artistes to the detriment of the local ones. The idea of bringing in musicians from US or Europe and pay them so much and give Nigerians peanuts is bad. The big question is who really owns the money paid out to these foreign artistes?
When Sean Paul came here he was paid so much .But we met the same Sean Paul, playing in a Gay club in Paris and the audience was less than 20 people.
When Kofi Olomide met us in Paris, he requested that he would like to do something with us soon. Our artistes deserve more respect.
There are some radio stations in Nigeria that would frustrate you because you play African music. Some of them don’t like African music. We don’t let them frustrate us, we just keep doing what we believe in and now the world is taking note of us.
One thing we can’t get over is the way music promoters in Nigeria idolize foreign artistes to the detriment of the local ones. The idea of bringing in musicians from US or Europe and pay them so much and give Nigerians peanuts is bad. The big question is who really owns the money paid out to these foreign artistes?
When Sean Paul came here he was paid so much .But we met the same Sean Paul, playing in a Gay club in Paris and the audience was less than 20 people.
When Kofi Olomide met us in Paris, he requested that he would like to do something with us soon. Our artistes deserve more respect.
There are some radio stations in Nigeria that would frustrate you because you play African music. Some of them don’t like African music. We don’t let them frustrate us, we just keep doing what we believe in and now the world is taking note of us.
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