This week on Musicians’ Corner, I will be featuring an interview I had with Surgeon, one of the well known music producers in Jos city. Surgeon, whose birth name is Pankyes Istifanus, is Rapper, A Music Producer, an Audio Engineer, Coach and a Businessman. He is the brain behind ‘Talent Help’, and the founder of ‘Skool of soundz’. He is also a husband and father. In 2007, Surgeon won ‘The King Of The Mic’ a rap battle. He has also won two JOGAMA Awards as ‘Producer of The Year’ and ‘Best Afro- Hip pop Song of The Year’, respectively. You cannot talk about Hip pop in the city of Jos, Nigeria without mentioning Surgeon. So let’s get to the interview:

Spirit: For how long have you been in the music industry?

Surgeon: I have been in the industry since 2003

Spirit: So what inspired you to go into music?

Surgeon: Actually, I was inspired by a talent- based group for Young Christian guys back then in Jos. They were known as ‘Armageddon Soldiers’.

Spirit: What challenges did you encounter in your early days in the music industry?

Surgeon: Basically, my biggest challenge back then was Finances. It took us close to 1 year to get our first demo, because we had no money and no financial support from anyone. Also, there was the challenge of having very few platforms for Rappers, back in the days. Another challenge I had was that my parents were not really fully in support of what I was doing then, mainly because of the level of exposure they had as of then.

Spirit: So, how did you scale through those challenges?

Surgeon: One word; Persistence! I have to admit it was not easy, but I persisted.

Spirit: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far from all your years of experience in music?

Surgeon: One of the great lessons I’ve learnt over the years is that hard work, persistence and consistent training coupled with the right knowledge will eventually yield great positive results.

Spirit: What do you still hope to achieve using your music in future?

Surgeon: I still hope to inspire and influence a great community of young talents in the future.

Spirit: If you were to advise an upcoming artist/producer, what one thing would you tell them?

Surgeon: Be patient, committed, persistent, plan, strategize, set goals, train, seek new knowledge, and have mentors.

Ok that’s it. I hope you learnt a thing or two from the interview. You can follow Surgeon on Instagram @surgeondabizguy . I’d love to get feedbacks from you too. Please drop your comments below. Thanks.