CUSTODIAN MENTORS CONFERENCE 2021 - OLUBANKOLE 'BANKY W' WELLINGTON

Banky W was born in the United States of America on the 27th of March, 1981 to Nigerian parents.

The family returned to Nigeria five years later.

He is a singer, songwriter, actor, filmmaker, businessman and philanthropist.

He is the CEO of Empire Mates Entertainment and Sooyah Bistro.

Sooyah Bistro, a restaurant, has branches in Ilupeju, Ikeja, Surulere, Lekki, Maroko and Landmark Beach.

He is married to Adesua Etomi.

Empire Mates Entertainment, abbreviated to E.M.E, started off as a Nigerian record label.

It was founded by Banky W and Tunde Demuren in 2002.

It was home to recording artists like Wellington himself, Niyola, Wizkid, Skales, Shaydee and DJ Xclusive who was the label’s official DJ.

Music producers associated with the label include Masterkraft, Jay Sleek, Cobhams Asuquo, Spellz, Samklef, etc.

On June 18, 2012, the label released its compilation album Empire Mates State of Mind.

In addition to establishing a record label, Banky W, Segun Demuren and Tunde Demuren established a production house, a publishing company known as Muzik Men Publishing and a charity foundation known as the I-AM-CAPABLE Charity Foundation.

In February 2018, Banky W announced that E.M.E was dissolved as a record label.

He said the label is now a talent management company focused on creative marketing, advertising, public relations and brand events.

He said that he quit the record label side of E.M.E because he realized that whilst been signed up as brand ambassadors via endorsement deals, he found out that he could do what the agencies were doing and that he enjoyed it.

I figured that asides from his ability to add value to brands via his creative branding skills, money could also be a key factor why he opted out of the record label side of this business.

It takes a lot to run a record label coupled with the stress of signed artists and other logistics.

This is one question that I would like to ask him when I get in touch with him.

I could not ask my a question yesterday because the master of ceremony was being petty with his microphone and star-struck mentees who wanted to take pictures with him did not give me the opportunity to do so during lunch.

Banky W at the Custodian Mentors Conference (C) Drumline Entertainment

HIS SPEECH

"I wonder what I have left to say now that the organizers have decided to humiliate me by allowing Leke Alder and Funke Bucknor to speak before me.

'I thought that I would be the first speaker. Anyway, let's get into my little contribution.

'My talents have always been there since I was a child.

'So, whatever career that you want to do today, you have been naturally prepared for it even before you went to school or while passing through school.

'I started singing and dancing from the nursery and primary schools.

'Other talents of mine were discovered as I advanced in age.

'Once, a twelve year old boy was given a writing assignment by his teacher.

'When he submitted it, his teacher told him that he detests parents and guardians doing his students' assignments for them and that the boy should desist from repeating such an abomination.

'The boy replied that nobody did his assignment for him and was downcast.

'When he got home, he told his mother about what his teacher said.

'The next day, his mother came to see the teacher and said,

'"Sir, I never do my son's assignment for him. The least that I do is to guide him through it but never to do it for him. While he was doing this particular assignment, I was not even at home and nobody was at home with him. I would advise that you give him another assignment and let him do it during lunchtime while you supervise him."

'The teacher thought that it was a good idea and accepted the challenge.

'He gave the boy another assignment that was tougher than the previous one and made him do it during lunchtime.

'The boy wrote the assignment and according to the teacher, this essay was by far better than the one in the first assignment.

'That was when he was vindicated.

'This twelve-year-old boy was me.

'From that day on, this teacher supported and helped nurture my talents in singing, dancing, acting and writing.

'Every year since I became a superstar, I make sure that I send that man money.

'Do not worry about fitting in. You are created to stand out.

'I sing rhythm and blues. I will not change my genre of music because hip hop or another style of music is in vogue because when they are looking for the person that does my style of music, I will definitely be remembered as the best fit for the job.

'A CAREER IS NOT A PAY THING BUT A PURPOSE THING

I studied Industrial engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York on scholarship.

'I never wanted to become an engineer.

'I told my parents that I wanted to become a singer and they told me that I must be joking.

'I do not come from a rich home. My family was middle class. Sometimes, we fell below the middle class because money was scarce.

'At our home in Lagos, we did not use to arrange our electronics on the ground because when it rained, water would enter into our home and we would begin to mop the ground. There was no money to move.

'So, I saw all this and I did not want to remain poor because I hate poverty.

'I thought that I would have my earnings from engineering to fall back on should my music career fail.

'DREAM IT. DON'T GIVE UP ON IT.

'HARNESS THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS

'Once, I went to eat at McDonald's in the US.

'I saw an advertisement for a job opening as a waiter.

'So, I walked up to the manager to ask if I could fill the position and he hired me on the spot.

'It was a job that required me to be on my feet all through my shift hours but I did it regardless.

'I lived with relatives in New York but I was uncomfortable.

'Sometimes after returning from my job at McDonald's, I would not be able to gain entrance into their home.

'Even my younger cousins had the code to get in.

'On days that I would not be able to get in because nobody was at home, I would begin to pace up and down the street in order to generate heat.

'Usually, I would wear sweat pants underneath my jeans, wear about three pairs of socks and more than two shirts underneath my cardigan and coat just to keep warm.

'When I could no longer take it anymore, I decided to take on more jobs at the library and other places that I could find jobs so that I would be able to afford my own apartment.

'After graduation, I got a job as an engineer.

'My pay was fine but I kept thinking about my purpose in singing.

'Still, I did not want to be broke. Remember that I hate poverty.

'So, I called on my best friend, Tunde Demuren and told him about it.

'We decided to start going to barbing and hair salons so that I could get a chance to sing.

'Tunde and his cousin acted as my backup singers. They tapped along to my music. His cousin was my first manager.

'Many times, we would be thrown out of these salons.

'We performed on the streets.

'We were able to afford a demo and then we would go to DefJam Records and wait for a record executive to pass by.

'We would run to him and give him our CD.

'Many times, these executives did not even look our way or bother to collect our CD.

'We decided to come up with a strategy of registering our own record label if none would sign me.

'After all, Jay-Z did the same thing when he could not get signed.

'We wanted to call our company name Empire Entertainment but we discovered that it had been taken.

'So, we went back to the drawing board and came up with the word, 'Mates' because Tunde, his cousin and I were all mates.

'So, our record label was registered as, Empire Mates Entertainment which became E.M.E for short.

(At this point, I knew that we were in sync because no record label wanted to sign me too and so, I started Drumline Entertainment. My star will not be dimmed with or without a record label).

'After a while, I decided to change strategy.

'I thought, "Instead of trying to be like an American, why don't I patronize my folks at home?"

'So, I decided to do a cover of UMBRELLA by Rihanna and called it EBUTE META.

'It rocked the airwaves in Nigeria and I was invited for a show.

'I told my mother that I was relocating to Nigeria and she was beside herself, 

'"Relocating to where?!"

"Are you out of your mind?!" 

"Can't you do your music in New York?"

"Why do you have to go back to Nigeria??!!!!!!"

'I told her that if the plan did not work out within one and a half years, I would come back to the US do a masters and get another job.

'I returned to Nigeria.

'After the first show where I earned N250,000, nothing else was coming.

'Luckily, a family friend who is like an elder brother to me, gave me accommodation and one of his cars.

'That car has stopped in every area of this Lagos: Awolowo road, Lekki, etc you name it!

'Once, a conductor saw me pushing my car and called out to me;

"Èbúté Méta! How far na? Mr Capable, you no capable o!" but he and others still helped me to push the car to life.

'Once, I was attacked by armed robbers.

'My car was used to rob whilst I was in it.

'I begged them to allow me to go and keep the car but they told me to keep quiet.

'I was their hostage and not a thief should in case the police catch us and decide to arrest all of us.

'That car was supposed to stop as usual but on that day it kept on working till they eventually allowed me to go.

'The next day, one of my friends rode the car and eventually crashed it into a fence and that was the end of the car.

'No car. No shows. No money.

HIS SPEECH

"NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR BUSINESS, HAVE HUMILITY

'I opened shows for top music acts like 2face, D'banj, PSquare, etc and kept true to my style of music.

'There was no way that I could compete with D'banj with his larger-than-life style of performances or with PSquare's energetic dance steps.

'I jẹjely stuck to my R & B style and I did not allow ill-treatments by show organizers to get to me.

'Once, I went to open for 2face. It was an event where a new-kid-on-the-block and a veteran would open for the star act.

'Majek Fashek was the veteran.

'After my performance, I sat alone on one of the tables.

'Majek sat alone on another table.

'2Face's management team and some guests sat on the VIP table with all of the goodies.

'Eventually, after performing, he joined his team and other VIP guests at the table.

'When he saw that we were sitting alone, he told the organizers to invite Majek and I to join him at his table.

'2Face has his shortcomings but this act of his is one reason why he will be forever relevant in the Nigerian music industry.

'HAVE MENTORS

'Your mentors do not need to be close to you or know you one-on-one or even know about you.

'During my sojourn in the US, I took time to study how Jay-Z and other music industry buffs started their music careers.

'I studied them from afar.

'I have also been following Leke Alder's teaching from afar for many years now.

'Today is my first time meeting him physically and I am star struck!

'DO NOT DISCOUNTENANCE THE VALUE OF YOUR WORDS

'WRITE DOWN YOUR VISION AND MAKE IT PLAIN

'I say to myself, "Bany W is going to be relevant in the Nigerian music industry and the world.

'However, your goal may not also be achieved directly.

'Your dream may come true in a different way by re-strategizing and re-inventing yourself.

'Even though I have not gotten to the peak of my music career, I have raised music acts that have gone ahead of me.

'E.M.E. has gone international because it raised international acts like Wizkid that are known and respected globally.

'Delayed gratification: You cannot have everything that you want.

'Put your best foot forward because you never know whom you will work for that will announce your job.

'Be authentic.

'Strive to add value always.

'Whilst been hired as a brand ambassador via my music endorsement opportunities, I was always looking for ways to add value to my employers.

'I strived to add value to a brand by being more than just a face of that brand.

'This is one reason why I was made a brand ambassador for Samsung for eight and a half years.

'Find something to be committed to that is bigger than yourself.

'When I decided to start Sooyah Bistro, I just wanted it to be a small restaurant where people could just come and eat and go.

'I wanted to simply put into practice what I had learnt as a restaurant staff whilst working at McDonald's in New York from age eighteen.

'However, Sooyah Bistro is growing and now we have about six branches in Lagos.

'Soon, we will begin to license franchises.

'So, no knowledge is lost. What you learnt in your struggling days could make millions for you in years to come.

'Also, people attacked me for joining politics and contesting but they keep on complaining about bad leaders.

'How will the situation of Nigeria change if we keep on allowing bad leaders to rule us while the good ones fold their arms and watch because they are afraid to die?

'Do not let your validation come from the comment section. Your validation comes from inside of you.

'I cannot please everybody. The same goes for you.

'Those who praise you today will be the same ones to boo you tomorrow.

'Even Jesus Christ was praised on Palm Sunday and nailed to the cross a few days later after a thief was chosen over him.

'Great destinies require great character.

'Have integrity.

'One way to posses integrity is by arriving for your meetings and performances on time.

'Never be late.

'Yearn to stand out from the crowd.

'Once, I went to perform at a comedy/music concert.

'After the performance, I was hosted in the green room.

'There, I saw that it looked as if the guys were in a boy band.

'They all looked the same with loud graphic designs on their T-shirts and the reigning check Arabian scarves folded around their necks.

'I did not like it.

'So, I told my manager that I needed to stand out.

'The next day, I called on a tailor and we purchased suit materials which I used to sew three-piece suits.

'I also bought hats.

'That was how I created a style for myself.

'I do not really dress like that anymore but at that time, you could never confuse Banky W with anyone at a gathering.

'Develop a stomach for failure. Things that you think will work out may not work out but you would never know except you try.

'The pain of failing is better than not trying at all.

'Invest in people.

'Add value to people.

'Be humble.

'Invest in your future with integrity.

'Trials come. Embrace them.

'Pray for the wisdom to overcome them.

'Some time ago, I suffered from skin cancer. I did not let that stop me from my achievements.

'I sought to get myself treated and I moved on with my life.

'The cancer is gone now and I thank God for that.

'Find a way to put God first.

Before the year ends, my music album titled, THE BANK STATEMENTS will be released.

Try and stream and purchase it.

Thank you for having me.

Musically yours,

DJ Irawo