I'm not arrogant as people think, says Kwam 1

                      Fuji icon, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal is a respected Fuji musician who has done well for himself in the music industry. He recently cleared the air about several rumours milling around town about his person

How do you take public perception about you? Some believe Alhaji is arrogant, others believe you are tough and a no nonsense man. Do you hear hear these comments too? Who is real Alhaji?

Yes, I hear these comments. But I know it is because people don’t know me. People only see me at shows, on TV but they don’t know me, and they don’t know the real K1. There is K1 the musician, K1 the father and family man, K1 the politician, K1 the business man and K1 the star to mention only a few sides. They are different people. Unfortunately, the whole of the people cannot know you. Once I enter here and I close my doors, it is a different K1 that is in here, you won’t believe it. I also don’t expect all the people to know you or follow you or see you from the right perspective that you are trying to place yourself. Some know you but still ignore you, like they don’t see you. They choose to see what they want to see. I don’t get to react to what people say or how they feel about me.I let people form there opinion. But where it is necessary for me to come in and correct some misconceptions, I will. You can’t convince people by word of mouth, or by your action alone. Let other people speak for you too. I let people know me, speak for me too. And people do that. If you are able to correct 2 or 3 people around you, they will in turn correct others. They will say nooo. K1 is not like that. SK is my friend, he knows him and he says his not like that ooo. And the word would spread like that. You can’t be good to everybody at all times. Those who don’t like you, won’t like you, no matter what you say or do. How can you begin to bend your purpose or rule for everyone, it’s not done? I am not rigid. If I see reason with you view point, I will bow to superior reasoning. If you try to want to be good to everybody, you’ll get bad. Some for a reason will not want to acknowledge seeing the good side of you. They are just like that. They feel there is no big deal for them to appreciate your good sides. They don’t care. All they want to do is to judge you. Whereas some would see some small good thing about you and acknowledge it and they will say keep it up. So I don’t get to react sometimes. I see it as a price to pay for being popular. There are times I read somethings about myself in the papers that are not true and I laugh it off.Some, I correct at times. But really, how many wrong things that are written do I want to correct? The beauty of it is as much as some see the mistakes in what am doing. Others see the good sides to it. The whole world can’t really like you and the whole world can’t really condemn you as well. And the truth is K1 is human. Wasiu Is a human being and he has the good, the bad and ugly side just like every great man who has lived in history.



Are you truly not too tough and uncompromising at times
It is only those ones that are totally bad that will not accept you for what you have. I have had to bend my rules several times for people. You can’t be in the kind of job I do, where you meet all sorts of people daily and not bend backwards at times to accommodate either in terms of their not fulfilling promises, not keeping to their time, or they asking you for favour which ordinarily you won’t grant but you find yourself doing it for them.

I am not trained to lie. That is why I hate liars. I can never like you if you meet me for the first time and I find out you lie. You and I can never get on. We can’t be on the same page if you are a liar. We can only be friends if you accept to change. And no liars change. Appearance shows the man. When people criticise me that I always act according to my mind or that my mind is formed in a way, it is to be expected. I like to live structured life and I cannot change. I maybe a musician. I maybe a showbiz person but in the midst of all these, I have my principles that I cherished I cannot change. People should not even bother to change me. Accept me the way you see me. That is what is called understanding. I thank people for whatever they do to me. When you do well for me I say thank you and when you do bad things I also say thank you. I leave it to your conscience to ask yourself if you deserve the thank you. I am just like that, I can’t change.But I try as much as possible, to blend, to tolerate people to some extent. People ask me why I live in Ijebu-Ode, it’s because it’s peaceful. Ijebu-Ode people don’t disturb me. They see me as added value, as pride. The same thing when I go to Ibadan, they are so accommodating of me. But if I go to places where they don’t welcome, I will just do my business quickly, play and entertain those who invited me and leave. I will tolerate the situation and manage it. I’m a deep thinker and I am good at analyzing situations, so I know how to read the situations of things.


Tell us more about your Lekki house, Have you finally moved in
The time is not right to talk about that. There is nothing that I do that people will not definitely know about. The truth of the matter is that I live here in Ijebu-Ode. I only go to places like Lagos, Ibadan, Akure, and Abeokuta to work. This is home for me. I will leave it at that. Yes, I also have a house in Lekki. But the truth is that i live everywhere now. I have a house in Canada, America. But, where did you meet me now? Ijebu-Ode. I don’t want to change my base. In Ijebu. It is central to going round the South West. But I have a house in Lekki.


When is your next album coming out
Yes, I write it down long hand. I write songs a lot. I still do. I also keep it on tape. That is what my mini-studio is for. I go in there to record it down. I run it and run it again and I balance it. When I am okay with it, I call people to come and listen to it and we would fix it how we want it fixed
Q: IS ALHAJI A FOOD PERSON? DO YOU LIKE FOOD?
Oh yes, I like food. I love food .I can’t be a workaholic and not eat well. I cook food myself. I am a good cook. Passionately, I love cooking. That is part of the training I got from my mum. It has become part of me. I have developed it so greatly. I can cook any food. I find being in the kitchen very enjoyable. I love food. I can eat 6 times a day. I don’t joke with food.