Riz is a phenomenal artist who has wowed audiences around the world.  Jamati caught up with him to find out what makes him tick. 

Jamati: What advantage do you think you have as an artist who has been exposed to three cultural backgrounds (African, European and the American culture)?

Riz: I believe the ability to speak various languages and identify with various cultures on a very intricate level grants my music a diverse  broad appeal which offers a unique ability for anyone around the world to relate to my songs and rhythms. So it can be said that my music is world music.

Jamati: What was that one moment or experience that lead to you confirming to yourself that music is what you ultimately want to do?

 Riz: Growing up listening to musical greats like Michael Jackson and Prince, I always felt that the life of a perfomer is the life for me. Creativity has always been in my blood and as I grew I always searched for ways to express that creativity in a way that suited my personality. Music is the logical choice I grew to learn that it’s power of communication transcends language and culture. The ability for an African -American like Michael Jackson to speak to people of diverse culture and religious backgrounds amazed me and I wanted to partake in that awesome gift.

Jamati: Your style of music was birthed by listening to which artist from the past?

Riz: Just as I mentioned, the genesis of my music steams from influences like Michael Jackson and Prince. However I have to commend current artists like Usher and Akon who continue to inspire me.

Jamati: Is it true that you joined the “Konvict” family and if so please elaborate more on how it has been to work with Akon?

Riz: That is true. Akon heard my music through a mutual friend backstage at one of his concerts in Los Angeles and he approached me, put his arms around me and said “your melodies are sick”. He then asked me to join the Konvict family, help get a couple of artists’ projects off the ground, and write for other projects that are being thrown his way because he can’t possibly handle them all. That was over a year ago. Since then I have written over 20 songs and produced tracks.

Jamati: Tell us more about the birthing process of your album?

Riz: As I wrote for Konvict, and spent considerable amount of time in the studio with Akon, I applied the experience to my album, which has been an ongoing project for the last two years. I draw inspiration from everyday circumstances in my life from meeting a sexy lady in the club “Sexy Mama”, falling in love with her “Loose”, to having my heart broken “Its time to fly”. Songs like “Flex” came about as a need to pay homage to one of my favourite songs growing up which was originally titled “Flex” by Mad Cobra.

Jamati: In your contribution to plant a seed of change in Africa, you have said you will donate a portion of your proceeds from your album in order to help provide clean water to people in Africa. Thats amazing; we need more people like you to help make a change. Tell us more about that?

Riz: Firstly, its not just a portion but I’m donating 100% of the profits from my album and all my subsequents album sales to help fund water projects in African and around the world. To that end, I have partnered up with “Charity Water” which is a charity organization that dedicates 100% of the donated funds to water projects around the world. You can learn more at their site

Jamati: Igwe & Co, is the name of your establishment. Please share more about it with us?

Riz: I have partnered with Igwe & Co as a promotion arm to help furthur plant my roots in the African consciousness. Although I am not an Nigerian artist, I am a mainstrem artist who happens to be from  Nigerian. Igwe and & Co have proven themselves a formidable orginazation in reaching young Africans in Africa and in diaspora. So with their help, I aim to let my fellow Africans all around the world , know that there is something else or rather someone else to be proud of.

Jamati:  What is your clothing line called?

Riz: Very much like everything else I do, I choose to wait until I’m fully ready to unveil it before I speak about it. I’m not ready to publicize my clothing line yet, but rest assured that the wait is going to be worth it. However I can say that if you watch me closely, you might just guess the answer to your question.

Jamati: Which artists would you like to work with in the near future?

Riz: Prince……..enough said. They don’t call me ‘Riz aka  The Prince for nothing.

Jamati: Do you feel that as an African artist you have to work twice as hard expecially in the American music industry?

Riz: I don’t consider myself as an African artist but rather a record artist who is from Africa. When you look at it that way , the playing field is automatically levelled and it is  not harder for me than any other American artist. However I feel my upbringing in Africa and in Europe and the cultural values instilled in me, growing up in Africa, have given me a leg in the game. This can be seen in terms of my intergrity and sense of music being much bigger than me and thus a formidable force for change. I intend to change the lives of people in Africa and impoverished parts of the world through my music. Riz Music =Water=Life. My music is essential to the lives of more than 1.1 billion people around the world who do not have safe adequate drinking water. That gives me an upper hand when competing in the American music industry.

Jamati: What should the people planning on attending your tour, expect?

Riz: Expect to save a life through great music. Thats much more than any other artist living or dead can offer.

Jamati: Who has been your biggest motivater?

Riz: My parents are my biggest motivater because they made it through the suffering  and the hardships growing up in Africa. I am everything I am because of them. I love you mom and dad:)

Jamati: Your favourite all time qoute that keeps you going in life?

Riz: “We make a living by what we get, we make a life but what we give.”  

Jamati: Can we expect an African tour anytime soon?

Riz: Again I don’t undertake anything until I am fully ready. Africa is my home and I wanna make sure that when I tour Africa, I would have proven myself and my worth around the world. So it will be more like an anticipated home coming as opposed  to just another artist passing by.

Jamati: Anything else you would like to share with us?

Riz: Life is what you make of it; if you always see the negative in every situation, then the outcome will be always be negative. Life is much more fun when you are living for others as opposed to always [living for] yourself. To give is truly better than to receive and it only takes one person to impact a change in the world, however small the change can be the fact is change is change.

Jamati: One more thing, where do you see the African music industry in the future?

Riz: I see the African music in the future evolving to a plateau where it becomes formidable competition to popular music. Lets face it, the taste makers in the largest music market in the world (America and Europe) and mostly African, African American or urban influenced. So it is safe to say that very soon, these taste makers will begin to look to their roots for inspiration.

Jamati: Thank you so much for your time and all the best in everything you doing and are about to do. Ooh, your song “Time to fly” is truly a favourite amongst your fans and it is food for the soul

 Riz: You’re welcome and thanks for having me on Jamati Online. “Time to fly” is therapy …for my broken heart.

To learn more about this incredible man, visit his myspace page.