Spoken word is an oral form of performance art using poems as a prevalent means of conveying a message to an audience. It mostly focuses on the use of wordplays, metaphors, punchlines and the performer’s voice inflexion and intonation. Spoken word has become a subset of Christian Hip-Hop for years with the likes of dope performers such as Chris Webb, Ezekiel Azonwu, Joseph Solomon, The Perrys, Janette…Ikz, Tobi Toun, Fido…to mention a few, who have been wowing audiences with excellent performances and still spreading the message of the gospel in the process.
Fido is a Nigerian rapper and spoken word artiste, based in Lagos. Known for his clever rhymes and witty punches, he has done several spoken word pieces. Early January in 2017, he released ‘Being A Man’, a spoken word piece addressing the conceptions and misconceptions that comes with being a man. This year he decided to make a video for Being A Man.
In a recent chat our correspondent Ayor Moses had with him, he shared his experience upon shooting his first official video.
How are you Fido?
Well, apart from the fact that I need to relax and be taken care of, I think I’m good (looool).
Congrats on your first official video as a spoken word artiste
Thank you. What can I say? All glory to God. I also have to say that it feels good to have a video that embodies the message of the audio spoken word piece.
Why did you decide to shoot the video?
So that I can blow (loool) just kidding. The truth is I decided to shoot the video so that the message can come to life so that people can really see the emotions and pictures behind the words. Also to pass the message to men and that’s why it was released on Father’s day.
What were the challenges you encountered while creating or shooting the video?
Hmmmmm… It might seem like a petty challenge but the truth is, it is not petty when you have something in your mind and a tiny detail left out could change the picture in your mind. For example, we wanted to go for a white background behind me, you know… A flowing white as the background but we weren’t able to achieve that because we couldn’t get a bigger fan to do that. I also had issues remembering some of my words, so there were a lot of ‘cuts’ and it wasn’t easy bouncing well with the flow due to the fact that it was a piece I released close to 5 years ago.
What was the inspiration and concept behind the video?
The whole idea apart from the message the audio has was the video to paint men as royalty hence the reason I wore agbada and also had my brothers wear the same. I also wanted to use the video to honour my late dad where I wore his shirt and showed his walking stick or staff in the video.
What do you hope this video would achieve in the mind of people who watch it?
I hope the video helps every man young or old to see themselves as royalty regardless of what they are going through and help them see their worth in what God says. And that even the women begin to see the men in their life as an embodiment of strength.
Thanks, it was nice speaking to you?
Thank you for having me. It was great speaking to you.
Connect with Fido:
Instagram: @fidofisy
Twitter: @fidofisy
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWw4GX99N2mjfkUI8Zv3xSg
Watch Being A Man Video Below:
