The name puffyTee is no doubt an household name when it comes to music production in Nigeria,Ghana and some parts of the world.
PuttyTee to Meet Da Next One on a ride through his musical world,reason behind going into music production,personal life among other with a #SpecialFreestyle to show he's dynamic in the industry...let's read and watch the freestyle.
Can we meet you?
PuffyTee is Babatope Temidayo Joseph an indigine of Ekiti state. A bit Ghanian, that's why I've always been in Ghana...a music producer and I'm also music.
Who's puffyTee and why the name puffyTee?
Cuts in!!!PuffyTee is a music producer and music itself. Years back I used to like eating Puff-puff and tea as breakfast and people around me started calling me Mr Puff-puff and Tea. so I coined PuffyTee out of Puff-puff and Tea.
Since when did you started this musical production and what prompted you into it?
Professionally, I started in 2001 though I have been in the studio like 5years back and my first major production was YAHOOZE by Olu Maintain. I remember at age 9 I do stand to watch my dad play 'organ' in the school. In 1997, I joined evenedal studio and also went to Ghana, South Africa to learn production.
How was your first working experience like and which artist did you work with then?
Hmmm!!! Well, well, professionally I can't remember the first artiste but I can recollect working with an artiste called 'African Angel' at evenedal studio. The song which is an afro-music titled 'Sleeping Open Eye'..... he sings its chorus. I remember someone was gonna slap me because the baseline wasn't sounding too well...chuckles... but the experience has been good and bad, ups n down. You know it has to be like that.
How many artist have you worked with so far?
Ah... omo...I can't count them Oooo. At this point, I do forget the number of artistes I've worked with. although I've worked with a lot of people in the past but let me count from the new millenium (2000+) something, Artquake, Olu maitrain, Xproject, Idris Abdulkarim, Blackface, Lkt, Oritsefemi, 9ice, JJC, Jibola, Kabbar, E2m, Skales,myself and fast rising artiste ZAYO.
Which do you think is your best so far?
omo...Gbabe! its still Yahooze, although I have done better beats, better production, better ideas, I did my own song. but anytime I hear Yahooze, I'm always like 'wow who produced this jam'.
After Yahooze, Any other Hit Production?
After yahooze, I produced Lorile by X-project, Away by VIP, I wrote No Away for Becca ft M.I to mention but a few.
What's your relationship with Olu maintain after Yahooze?
The relationship is cordial. we talk when we see, we don't do the calling tingy. It was business and it didn't go down well but everyone have been cool. The experience was very good... we can still make money together...You know how it is between artiste and producer. But that's all behind now, I've got new project I'm working on and a new life I'm living.
Any plan working with him anytime soon or in future?
Cuts in...Yes this year! Hopefully April we should be doing something together.
What has been peoples comment when they see 'Produced by puffyTee'?
For a while I wasn't really functioning in the industry, I was away in London and from there to Ghana. I set up a studio in Ghana and you know in Nigeria that out of sight is out of mind when they don't see you. 2013, I came back, started some productions and people were like 'seriously is this guy coming back for real' when people hear the name 'puffyTee' they ask questions like "where dis guy dey since". People were actually looking for that PuffyTee but most of them don't really know the face but know the name. so when they see me on the street, they go don pass sef and be like 'chairman abeg no vex ooo, so na you be puffytee'. I remember when I went to David for one of his job and he was just looking at me, everybody including Shizzi. probably they thought puffytee is a very old person so they were all surprised to see me still looking Hip-hop. Well, the response is always very good...kids born some 10years ago might not know puffytee, but they are getting to know him because puffytee is back for real. Most people don't believe I still got my place in d industry.
Sometimes past,we read it in the Media that puffyTee in ghana...What's the relationship and the idea behind you moving to ghana, can it be as a situation of the High level of competition here in Nigeria or what?
Hmmmm, the idea about moving to Ghana was because back then I had a deal with VIP which include setting up a studio and doing business
together. I was going to bring naija things into Ghana and see how we can make money together. it actually worked for a while but later the other way round. I had to come back home due to beef over there among producers feeling like 'dis naija dude come here wan dey rule things for here' then I said to myself 'dem no pursue me for house' moreover there's no place like home, so I'm back.
Apart from Musice production,what other things do you do?
puffyTee is a cook, hoping to open my restaurant soon which will be called 'Gogo cafe'. I'm also working on my Gogo noodles...at the same time, I'm a business man who buys and sell anything except human being. you have to do other things to get funds for yourself.
What's the plan for 2015?
To drop 4 singles and its videos which I just dropped one titled 'Your Lover' ft Ara...expect the other 3 smashing singles yet to be dropped. Just expect puffytee the entertainer (producer/artiste).Watch Special Freestyle > http://youtube.com/watch?v=KpB4za2Rt3o&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Where should we expect puffyTee in the Next five years?
In the next 5 years, puffytee should be everywhere which include having a studio in Ikeja, on the island, back in Ghana because I'm hoping to spread my tentacles all over Africa. Puffytee should be a megasuperstar producer all around the world.
Any beef or crouch with any in the industry?
Beef? Haba!!!...Me I no get beef with anybody ooo...The sky is big enough for every bird to fly, you do your thing while I do mine. my beat can sound like Don jazzy's and masterkraft's beat, it doesn't make any shade. I can sing like Don jazzy doesn't mean I should fight him because I see him as been better than me or vice versa. In this industry, we don't have permanent enemies, work towards having friends. we all want to make money...as I said earlier, I have none...mehn owo ni koko.
Your advice to upcoming producers?
Upcoming, be original...you can't go wrong when you know where you are heading to. you know your destination, just take the right route. there's no shortcut to success. Be optimistic and aim at achieving success in a legal manner, don't cheat, don't mess around and don't do drugs. its does no good to you.
Now to your Personal life... What's your marital status?
Puffytee is a father but single and
searching...a single dad looking for single mummies to mingle with.
Favourite food: Akara & bread... I changed from puff-puff and tea because its hard finding it around. I take 'spaghetti' when I wanna claim posh #lol posh#lol
Production fee, friendly or not?
its very friendly.
I'm actually not the aggressive type. If was one one, I would have made a lot of money for myself. I believe in giving talented persons opportunity to express it. If I see an upcoming doing good in the studio, I just work with the little fund you have.
The most important thing is to affect the person's life positively. Then if he/she comes back to show appreciation, fine but if not, someone else would appreciate all I've done. When I see say you carry... hmmmm...I get d fee.
Hobbies: I love playing video games.... from soccer wf 15 to mention few.
What's your take on Babymama issue by male Celebs?
Music and marriage is spiritual and also rivals to each other its hard to see a married artiste doing much in the industry because family takes a lot and music does the same. Both are a very jealous institutions...to do both, its either your family lives apart from you so you can concentrate on your music career. Imagine during this interview and one of my kids walk in reporting the other, at the same time my wife walks in to get my attention for an issue or something. Why dem Psquare go keep their wives for lekki? Though they go to see them...but they understand they needed to get married and do music. You can do both but not together at the same place.... you have your family and studio at the same place, bro to blow go hard somehow ooooo. My advice to celebs doing baby-mama
tingy is to get married, keep your family apart but be responsible to them and do your music. Not giving this idea for immorality sake.#Gbam.
See more pictures from the interview after the cut........