You are welcome to Stars Connect Network, a Subsidiary of Jetheights Services. Stars Connect network is a programme that brings together entrepreneurs, business owners, inspirational speakers, pastors, and leaders in the society, upcoming artistes, NGOs, people giving back to the society and the world at large. We conduct interview sessions to find out everything we can about their journey to stardom, we hope to bring together stars who can be of benefit to one another and who can synergize with Jetheights in other to impact the community. Once again you are welcome to Stars Connect.
Could you introduce yourself to the StarsConnect Community? Who is MC Rapin daddy?
My name is Jolomi Raphael Oluwafemi, popularly known as MC Rapin daddy, am a comedian, MC, I sing, I dance, but am a child of God.
How did the name ‘Rapin Daddy’ come to being?
Rapin Daddy is a name that has been for a long time, in fact I grew to know that name, Rapin Daddy, even my parents today they call me Rapin Daddy, I met them calling me Rapin Daddy, so I just took up that name. It got to a point i had to ask them, why are you guys calling me Rapin Daddy, what’s the meaning? My mum was like when I was a toddler, you know there some children who doesn’t like strangers to carry them, I use to be one of those children, surprisingly there used to be this guy around our area like they told me, am always free with this guy, although he was a stranger, they everybody were amazed and they wondered why is this baby always free with this guy when he cries when other people carries him and the guy happened to be an electrician with the name of his shop Rapin Daddy electronics, along the line, it got to a point I got so close to the guy anytime he’s around, they tell him Rapin Daddy, your friend is around, it got to a point they just transferred his name to me ever since i was a baby, since then Rapin Daddy became an acquired name.
Mr. Olusayo welcoming MC Rapin Daddy to Jetheights Services
How was your childhood days like?
I wouldn’t say it is very rough, but it’s still rough anyway, because I grew up the hard way, I was born into a polygamous family and we are very many in our family, I was born into a family whereby when you fail, you are in trouble, when you succeed, when you pass, it’s just like a normal thing, nobody gives you credit but the most important thing is you must make sure you don’t fail. I was born when things were very hard, for a man to control 2 wives and a lot of children, individually all my father’s children had to be on their feet, since childhood have been very strong, when I finished secondary school, I had to stand on my own, have been independent ever since. I financed myself to the Polytechnic, I graduated, I got to Ibadan, now am here all by myself, but to God be the glory, I always pray one special prayer that anything I lay my hands upon should prosper, I thank God that His grace has been moving in.
Tell us about your Educational background
I went to Victory Nursery and Primary School, Sapele Delta State, then I went to Ijo Mimo Oluwa High School, Akure, Ondo State, Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, for my OND and HND, I studied electrical engineering, I came to Ibadan for my NYSC in 2012, right now am working on my Postgraduate Diploma at FUTA.
M.C Rapin Daddy at Jetheights Reception
Tell us your journey to the Comedy World
This is Nigeria where anything can happen; anything goes especially if you are good with anything you do. I wouldn’t want to say the Educational system in Nigeria is rough. Everybody wants to go to school, fine it’s good to be educated, but are we really choosing the best course that actually fits us. We have this problem especially when we are out of secondary school, our mates are in the University, we are still at home, we want to go to the University at all cost, we want to study the course they give to us. I was a Science student in Secondary School; I use to be very brilliant, best student in my Junior Secondary School class, my principal, and my teachers are always like this guy is brilliant, he should be in Arts class and based on the kind of person I am, people love hanging around with me, I make them laugh, I act, I dance, they were like for him to be this brilliant, he must be in Science class, so I went to Science class, I picked up a form after secondary school, I came out to be the best graduating student in my Secondary school with 8 credits, I picked just one Science course, Electrical Engineering, it wasn’t my thing, I knew right from time that Science is really not my thing, have always wanted to be a banker, why? Because I love the way they dress, they dress corporate, I love when I see them, am like woow, and Medical doctors too, I love the way they dress, and I just like their outlook. Along the line, I studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering, it was fun, it was good, I learnt a lot of things, I can still lay my hands on one or two things, and I can do something related to Engineering but after graduation that’s when reality dawns on us, I have friends who are working in banks presently because there’s no job anywhere, a friend of mine is a Mechanical Engineer, and he works in a bank, one is working in one of the Telecommunication companies, but now I started comedy while in school, I anchored programmes in departments but I never saw myself going deep into comedy but when I came to Ibadan for my NYSC, there was a particular day my LGI, Local Government Inspector, she announced a special programme the following week, and the Local Government Chairman will be coming, and they needed all hands to be on deck, traditional dancers, comedy, talks, so she was like if you know you can crack people up, come and write down your name, then I told her I can try, I went home, I rehearsed, I bought all these comedy stuffs, I listened to them, I crammed the ones I could and was just prepared, So I went for the programme, the Local Government Chairman was on seat, the whole place was filled up, then I was called upon, When I stood up to talk I didn’t even know I was the one talking, I did excellently well, the Chairman was laughing, the corpers were falling off from their chairs, it was like woow, so I can do this, then my LGI the CDS Chairman, and as the CDS Chairman, you have to anchor CDS every week, so every week, I had the opportunity to talk to an audience, I had the opportunity to crack them up, so I saw it as a training ground for me to build myself, along the line, corpers were getting married, they called me to anchor their weddings, some called me to join them in some hang-outs around town, to do my thing, I met some comedians that have been in the system, along the line that I learnt from. To God be the glory.
MC Rapin Daddy at Jetheights reception with a member of staff
You Studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Could it be the situation in Nigeria that made you become a comedian?
It is not the situation of the country, comedy is what I do at will without stress, and it comes from my inside. I didn’t go home after my NYSC because I got a job. Who knows I might not be into comedy today professionally, but God so good, by the time I finished NYSC, I was so confident that I could be a very good comedian, I only submitted my C.V once after NYSC, I went for the test, I passed the test, they called for the interview, I went to Lagos for the interview, I passed the interview, they called us for training, after training, shebi na to start work, till tomorrow dey neva call us, I was like what kind of stress is this, let me just forge it and at the end of the day how much are they going to pay sef. I just got fed up with the whole thing. There was a particular day I went for an event, I met a man in Lagos, and I was to perform at the event for just 10 minutes that was the first event I will go for that they will pay me N20, 000 in 2013. My allawee for a month as a corper was N19,800, so for just 10 minutes, 20 grand, I was like woow. The man called me afterwards and said, young man, where are you schooling now, I said am not a student, am a graduate, am serving right now, then he went further, after NYSC what is next, I said have been submitting my C.V to various companies o, he was so annoyed, what… submitting your C.V with what I just saw, that you just did. He was more like a family person, he sounded as if he has known me before, he was so aggressive, he was like guy, if you can channel all your energy into this for 5 years, you will see that there’s a future in it for you. It was more like he saw my future, so instead of running around fulfilling other people’s dream, why not spend 5 good years, dedicate my finance, my resource, my energy into this career and see what will happen; its 4 years now, since that day have been on my feet.
M.C Rapin Daddy having a chat with the CEO, Jetheights Services Limited
Do you write your own routines?
When I first started, there were times I write down my jokes, I just write down punch lines, so before I mount up the stage, I will just check it. But right now, I have over a 100 jokes in my head but it depends on the kind of audience i meet, the kind of joke i will say in church but along the line have been able to build myself, create more than enough jokes that will suit any audience and you have to keep creating new jokes, new styles every day.
M.C Rapin Daddy and Mr Olusayo during the course of the interview
M.C Rapin Daddy during the course of the interview
Where do you get your materials?
It depends on the audience, for instance, if you have an audience that has more youths than adults then you will know which joke to crack and that which you do not need. You have to select and re-select, there was a particular event I went for earlier this year, that day I had a different mindset of the show at Jogor Center, but when I mounted up the stage, I saw elderly men, you know, the youths were at the back, I had to balance everything, I could not talk about Wizkid, hip hop and the likes, even though there were youths present, if you are too far from your audience a times, it throws you off balance, so your immediate audience has to feel you so you can move on, it’s in stages, you start from the bottom, then you move to the peak where you sign out. So I asked them to play the song.
M.C Rapin Daddy with the CEO, Jetheights Services Limited, Mr. Ayo Alex Alao
What happens if they don’t laugh?
No good comedian will tell you that he had not have just experience before, even the likes of Basketmouth, Ali Baba, there are times when what your audience are so frustrated and what they need at that time is not you coming up stage to crack them up but it now depends on your understanding and your professionalism, there are times when I mount up stage I don’t just rush into jokes, I do something that will catch their attention, sometimes, I sing, or I ask the DJ to play a trending song that will appeal to them at that point in time, and they are like wooww, by then have succeeded in getting their attention, so they will listen to you. So, the DJ played Baby mi jowo o, je ka ma jo ma gbadun……. I danced to that song, the elders were dancing, and they were singing along, I won their hearts at that point, so I asked the DJ to stop. It all depends on the audience; you should be able to read the audience as a good comedian.
Who influenced you, and how did they influence you?
My journey into comedy was not planned, I never saw myself as a stand up comedian, but I always see myself as a super star, am not there yet, but when I was asked as a young boy, I will always tell them I want to be a super star, even though I don’t know how that will happen. Along the line I have met a whole lot of comedians, I met Peteru, I met Koffi Da Cruzu, I met Bash, when I see those guys perform, i buy a lot of comedy CDs and watch, when I see those guys perform, I try to learn from them, I learn the way they handle their microphones, and act their jokes, the way they talk, there are times when you don’t have to be funny, for example, corporate gatherings where the audience don’t want you to make them laugh, I learn the way they dress, I learn the way they package, I like the way Teju baby face dresses most times, he’s a role model to me in that aspect. Peteru is one of the guys that influenced me so well, there was a time when he was running a particular show, but I now run the show now at GQ.
M.C Rapin Daddy with Jetheights staff members
Share the challenges you’re facing in this profession?
Comedians are many than they use to be, both good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful, everybody wants to be a comedian, you know Nigeria is a country that if Tomato business is yielding good profit, your next door neighbour will like to be a tomato seller. And he put his shop near your shop, so people come into comedy these days not because they are talented but because they are seeing their friends doing well in comedy, that is one challenge because it is more like a deface to the system, when you pay a comedian to come on stage to perform at your event and he messes up your event, you wouldn’t say that particular comedian messed up your event, you will just generalize it and say something like, all these Ibadan comedians are the same. That’s one challenge on its own, but thank God some of us have been able to come out as a com, forget it we go to Lagos, we tell them we are from Ibadan and they see the quality of what we are able to deliver and they are like wooow, so there are good guys like this in Ibadan. Then, sponsorship is another big problem except for the known brands, likes of AY, Basketmouth, Ali Baba, those guys who don’t have much difficulty in getting sponsors, we that are just springing up, it is a whole lot of hard work, we have to work hard, like my show now, I have done 5 editions on my own, 4 in Ibadan, 1 in FUTA we still hope to get sponsorship for that show, but we are not bothered because we know we need to pay, it is a sacrifice we need to do in order to get to the top, that is another challenge on its own, then number 3, as a comedian individually most comedians will tell you especially those comedians that are not married, people don’t take us seriously even when we are serious, when it comes to relationship, ladies don’t take us serious, if you woo them, they will laugh, to some extent, that is a challenge but the major challenge is the issue of sponsorship, and you know these days money is very difficult to come by, so before you can put your money into anything, you have to make sure that it is worth it, that is why we are working hard to project ourselves to a certain level, so that investors we know that we have tried.
Are you married?
I’m not yet married.
How do you handle female fans?
Some female fans can be very funny while some can be very strict, it now depends on you, business is business, pleasure is pleasure, so there must be a limit to how you relate with fans or else, you will mess up your career, I believe if you mess up yourself before one person, you’ve messed up yourself before ten people, because that person will tell one person will tell another person, so if you really know what is good for you it is better you create a limit to where and what you deal with when it comes to female fans. Some girls will tell you, you are my crush, I like you, this and that, and you need to use wisdom. One just needs to be very careful.
What skills are necessary for a successful career in Comedy?
There’s something we call Agoraphobia, the fear of crowd, you should be able to overcome that, once you are able to do that, you have the confidence to stand before anybody. Number two is confidence, you should be confident, don’t be scared of anybody because there are times when you say a particular joke, one crazy audience can just throw back a response, if you are not confident enough, such little distraction could throw you off balance to an extent that you will not even know what to say next, and it will affect your whole performance. Number three is you must know what to say, be prepared, don’t just climb up stage and begin to say rubbish.
Are you working on any edition of your comedy show presently?
Yes, we are working on the fifth edition of my show, Spectacus Comedy Show and we are gonna do that coupled with my 5 year anniversary on stage, I call it the first announcement, I see my first 5 years as child’s play, I want to start fully next year, that will be my first announcement. It should come up on May 1st or May 28th next year 2017, by God’s grace in Ibadan.
What is the most rewarding part of being a Comedian?
There is a whole lot of reward if you are hardworking, if you are funny, apart from the financial aspects; there are lots of morals, like today I am an oracle, I did not submit any C.V to become an oracle, I was called upon based on what I do. Fame is another thing but it can be very dangerous, fame is a reward, you can be very famous but if your fame does not tally with what is in your pocket it could be dangerous, that’s one of the problem we have in Ibadan, many people are famous but there’s nothing in the pocket, some allow that fame to overshadow them whereby they start bragging and doing all sort of things, when you now fall, there’s nothing to fall back on, so you have to use common sense.
What is the worst decision you have ever made in this Comedy business and what did it teach you?
There was a day I had two events in one day, I was meant to anchor a wedding in Lagos, I went to anchor another one in Abeokuta on the same day, I got the two at different intervals, at different dates and the price attached was different, one was more than the other, along the line, I just sent someone to anchor the other while I went for the other, not knowing that the bride was a stubborn client, I made a mistake of informing her about 2 or 3 weeks before the wedding, I told her a day before the event so she was angry, she told me to handle her event and I wasn’t there, she was right, ever since then I have stopped picking 2 events for one day no matter how small or how big, once I am been called upon , I don’t get any other event again.
What is your greatest achievement so far?
I just thank God because looking back from where I was coming from like I told you earlier, it was very rough but today people look up to me, other artistes look up to me, I sit down, I rate myself and am like woow, people see me as a role model, as a mentor, it is a big thing, it’s really big, there are times when enter an event and I climb the stage, and the whole crowd cheers me up, am like woow, I feel fulfilled, that’s fulfilment to me, it’s an achievement.
How do you handle your fans?
I don’t have a manager for now, I pick my calls when anyone beeps me, most times I’m on social media, Whatsapp, Instagram, I get most of my clients from Instagram handles and Facebook.
Phone Number – 07031373320
Instagram Handle – RapinDaddy
Twitter – RapinDaddy
Facebook – MC Rapin Daddy Jolomi
Charges – Negotiable, Considerate, I give you what you can afford. There are different types of events, we have grade B, class C and so on, and fingers are not equal.
What is your advice for young and aspiring people reading this interview?
Let me start with the upcoming Comedians, number one, if you want to do fine in this business, you must go to school, study whatever you want to study, have a back up, something you can fall back on, in case Comedy no work. Number two, be determined, you have to believe in what you do, learn and be vigorous, be stubborn with the hustle because nobody will help you unless you help yourself. Most upcoming comedians will tell me Rapin Daddy, you wan dey soo so level now, you no wan support us, I can’t support you because am still busy with my hustle, so you too work to some extent, let people see you, when I started nobody believed in me, I helped myself to some extent. Be prepared so that when opportunity comes you will be able to prove yourself in front of those people you asked for help, so that they will be surprised and be forced to help you.
