For Dolapo Amusat, the founder of WeTalkSound, he has always been interested in the artistic side of things despite building a successful career in tech. His interest in rap was spurred by his cousin, who loved hip-hop and was particularly into 50 Cent. With time, he got into Nigerian music as well; MI, Sauce Kid, Sound Sultan, 2Baba, P-Square and there was also Lil Wayne and Eminem.
With Wizkid’s “Flower Pads”, the last song Dolapo listened to, he jumps on a call for this exclusive interview with The RCJ Company; taking us on a journey through the process of creating WeTalkSound.
Tell me about your journey to creating one of the biggest music platforms in Africa.
I have always liked conversations around music and I think this is where all this stems from. In my last year in school, I created a Facebook group called Rap at its finest: Arguments Mainly. In the group, we talk all the time about rap, argue and dissect rappers’ punchlines. When I got into university to study Electrical Engineering, I came of age as a rapper and I started writing good stuff. The whole community I had created in Secondary school evolved and shifted into university. I did several projects around the art community within my school. I started this thing called “UI Writes” with my friends which was a platform to collect and publish written works like poetry, fiction, and plays, from students of University of Ibadan.
We collect, do compilations, convert to PDF and put them up for downloads. One day in my final year, I created a WhatsApp group and added my friends and said this group is to talk about music. I did not have a name for it then but I knew I was up to something. I looked at Nairaland and I wanted to build something like it, but with the aesthetics for younger people. After some days, the name “WeTalkSound” came to my head. I named the group WeTalkSound and created other groups: WeTalkFood, WeTalkPolitics, WeTalkSports, WeTalkMovies, etc. Most people don’t know this but all these existed, and still exist but because music is what I am most passionate about and what I put the most effort into, and WeTalkSound blew up. We’ve evolved, and have tried different things over the past years.
At the time of the company’s founding, what was the company’s vision and in your opinion, is that vision still true?
Absolutely! I stumbled on some documents about WeTalkSound I put together in 2017. That was when Universal Music just opened in Nigeria, I was chasing and trying to get to someone in Universal. I read this document and it is insane that I wrote it five years ago and they almost completely describe what I am still trying to do with WeTalkSound. I think the vision has always been clear and I am still on the journey. So, in terms of staying true, I think I have and the future I see is still tied to what I set out to do a long time ago which is to support the ecosystem and figure out a way to monetize it.
How did you overcome the fear and doubt that comes with being an entrepreneur?
It is slightly different in my situation. When I started WeTalkSound, I didn’t have it in mind to create a business. I started it as a thing I enjoyed with my friends. I have always pursued my career (I have a 9-5), and I just got to the point of seeing it from a strong entrepreneurial view a few years ago. Before then, it was something I enjoyed doing and I wanted to do an amazing job at solving the problems I set out to solve. So, I did not have to deal with the doubts and fear because I did not set out to build a business, it was passion-driven. The good thing is we’ve spent all these years building a brand people already know, love and want to work with, so there’s not much doubt. Another point is the impeccable timing; the position afrobeat is in at this moment is the best it has ever been.
What have been some of your biggest learning experiences in running WeTalkSound?
Community is so important; having a genuine group of real people that back and support what you do, and feel like they are a part of what you do goes a long way. You can’t buy this with money and it supercharges the growth of the business. Also, having resources – access to funding, relationships, and whatnot are important, but you shouldn’t feel like you can’t get to where you want to go if, in the beginning, you don’t have them, you can always work your way through. Patience is key and being able to be consistent even if the growth is slow is important. Knowing how to pick the right people for your team is also important.
What would you say has been your biggest moment for WeTalkSound so far?
This is a difficult question because there are few I can point out to. One of the early moments was in 2017 when Vader, a community member, won the Hennessy VS competition. It was so much validation for all of us and it spread a lot of positive energy among us. We also had Laycon who went on to win Big Brother in 2020. Also in 2020/2021, we had a Clubhouse community which became like an unofficial house for Afrobeats and we had a lot of artists come through; we had Ladipoe who premiered his song “feelings” ft Bnxn on the platform, we also had Seyi Shay, Ruger, DJ Tunes, Bella Shmurda, Moelogo, Ycee, and others.
That moment was a great one because we succeeded in bringing the fans closer to these artists that they have been looking at from a distance; breeding familiarity and connecting with these artists on a different level. Then, we did a campaign for Reminisce for his last EP “Vibes and Inshallah” and it was a big deal. The campaign still brings business to us today. I’d say these moments are some of the major highlights for WeTalkSound.
Where do you see WeTalkSound in 5 years?
When I think about WeTalkSound, I think about a conglomerate; a huge holding company, like Roc Nation. Roc Nation has a label, management, sports, events and live, and different divisions. They are like a behemoth that has several things under it, that is how I see WeTalkSound. A big company that has a big team, solving different problems. We are slightly zooming out of just music and zooming into pop culture and creativity as a whole. Currently, we are setting up a visual studio where we would create video and photo content, documentaries for brands, art, film, fashion (creating consumer items) and finally, a record label.
From the angle of a publisher; someone who is into the music business, not just from the sidelines but telling collective African stories through your community and blog, what do you think about the Nigerian music scene and where we are currently?
I think we are privileged to be a part of the culture at this moment, it is a very important moment for Nigerians, afrobeat and everyone involved. I think while the production is at its best currently, the music as a whole in my opinion is not, but I feel it is part of the journey. At this point, the focus is on commercialization rather than the purity of the art. I feel it is a phase that is natural and when commercialization helps us restructure properly and attracts the right number of investments overtime, we would get to the point where people start looking for emerging artists, indie artists and different sounds again. These days, people don’t really care about emerging artists. I remember when people used to care, people used to actively look for artists that are not popular but making awesome music. Now, we all listen to the same kind of music and it is more about who has the biggest budget and marketing power.
What publications do you read in your free time?
I read The Native, Culture Custodian, 49th Street, Turntable Chart. I read from other publications if the subject is of interest but these are the ones I check out the most. Most definitely, I read WeTalkSound but that goes without saying (lol).
If you are to listen to only one artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?
I have my favourite artist and I guess if it gets down to it, I could just listen to him and not listen to any other but my life would be boring. My favourite artist is Lupe Fiasco. I could listen to him but there would be no “gbedu” for me to dance to because his music is more intellectual and hip-hop.