Kas, Says God Forbid am not broke

Fimile singer, Karounwi Olakunle,
otherwise called Kas, sheds light on how he
combines entrepreneurship with
performance, JAYNE AUGOYE writes
It's the beginning of the last quarter and
many artistes are doubling up to end the
year on a fruitful note. Indeed, it has been
a robust entertainment year, return-wise,
for the likes of Psquare, Omawummi, Tiwa
Savage, Wizkid, Dbanj, Kcee and new rap
sensation, Olamide.

While they did succeed in clinching
endorsement deals, some of which were
mouth-watering, and performed at high-
profile events for three times the sum of
money they used to charge as appearance
fees, others have different tales to tell.

Among such people, 9ice's Gongo a So
singer, 9ice has a mixed story trailing his
strides. He, for instance, has not been part
of the endorsement spree. While he also
not feature in major concerts, such as the
Star Trek, his latest single, Ike Kan,
produced by Don Jazzy, has failed to
generate the buzz that characterised his
previous hits, including Gongo a So, The
lanky artiste has been busy honouring
invitations to perform at shows abroad.

Another name that readily comes to mind
is that of Kas of Fimile fame. He too has
been quiet, and not partaken of the
endorsement feast. Yet, the artiste says the
perceived absence from the music scene
does not in any way translate to dwindling
fortunes for him.
Indeed, when our correspondent asked
him in a telephone interview on Tuesday,
noting that he is likely to have been broke,
Kas was very quick to debunk the notion. It
was
discovered that the seeming lull,
currently being experienced in music
circles by the likes of him, has led him to
discover an entrepreneurial side.
He says, "I have been busy. The truth is
that you cannot rely on music alone. Hence,
the diversification. So, it's amazing that
people can ever think I am broke. God
forbid, I am not broke.
Amidst laughter, he adds, "I'll run back to
London, if I ever become broke. I have a
sachet and bottle water-producing
company, which used to be based in
Maryland, Lagos. However due to an
overwhelming demand from customers, I
had to shut it down and open a much
bigger one in Surulere."
Citing God as his inspiration, the artiste,
who shot into limelight with his 2010 club
hit, Fimile, says he recently gave the movie
world a shot.
"Besides music and business, I played the
lead role in a Nollywood film titled Twin
Sword. I starred alongside the late Justus
Esiri and Ibinabo Fiberesima. The movie
bagged nine nominations at the African
Academy Movie Awards. That in itself is a
great achievement."
The artiste, who also runs an entertainment
outfit, sheds light on
the reason behind the
short-lived music romance he had with
Nollywood actress-turned-singer, Tonto
Dikeh.
"She used to be signed on to my label up to
the time she decided to do her own thing.
There was no fight or argument as we
both agreed to part ways."
Before the split, the latter featured on a
song titled Iyawo Mi, alongside Kas.
Although it failed to hit critical acclaim and
received more knocks than kudos, the
artiste, whose real name is Karounwi
Olakunle, defends his choice of Tonto Dikeh
on the song.
"Tonto Dikeh is a close friend and was in
the studio with me one of the days I was
working on a track. I already had a beat
and asked her to sing on one of them. She
initially resisted, but I convinced her to do
it. I didn't sign her on for hype sake, but
because I saw an innate music talent in
her."
After years of co-writing and producing
songs with the likes of Sir Shina Peters, M.I,
Nneka, Goldie, Naeto C, 2face, Dbanj, and
Wande Coal, KAS earned a name for himself
when he began to record his own songs.
However, three years down the line, he is
yet to break into the A list.
So, how does he feel losing out to other
artistes? In response, he waxes
philosophical, saying, "You see, the sky is
big enough for everyone to fly. While
some of us are doing shows here in
Nigeria, some of us are busy doing our
things abroad. I recently rounded off a
European tour. So, you see, I have been
busy. It is a good thing to get an
endorsement deal, and I am happy for
those of them who have."

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