I have two degrees.
I have a first degree in business and accounts.
My second degree is in music, I studied jazz at Berklee College of Music.
So it's like I'm letting people know that, yeah, you might see me on the red carpet in
a miniskirt.
I like to have fun, or whatever.
But there's a serious side to me as well, and I want them to be able to know that there's
a balance.
So that's important for me to show young girls, that you can make your own.
You can make your own money.
I don't have two heads.
I'm the same as you, and if I can do it, you definitely can do way better than me.
The track was produced by Pheelz, and it was written by myself and Alamaty, who's an amazing
artist from Nigeria, it's like an indigenous rapper.
I would say most of the record was already done before I even got there.
I had to obviously add a little bit of myself into it and change some things, but everything
really took maybe an hour and a half.
And literally recording the song was maybe another 40 minutes.
And it was that first take that I recorded, that we ended up using, what you have out.
The term 49-99 was coined by, I would say the godfather and originator of Afrobeat,
which is Fela Kuti.
And it was from a song called “Suffering and Smiling,” where you have a transit bus,
which is we call it Molue, and it has 49 seats.
However, because of the poor economic situation in Nigeria, you have double the amount of
people standing.
So the song basically is speaking tough towards poverty.
The term is obviously specific to Nigerians and they would understand it a lot more.
Which is why this platform was so important for me because I get to explain it to non
Nigerians, and they get to understand the real meaning behind the song.
Don’t live off of past glory.
Like money comes and money goes.
And you've seen even in life a lot of artists have been so successful, and they haven't
managed their money properly and then they've gone broke.
You can’t also live off of an inheritance, like if you come from a wealthy background,
that doesn't mean you have access to that.
That's what your parents worked for.
And they've put you on a good platform, but you still have to make a name for yourself.
So that line is really just talking to everyone and to myself.
Like yo, every day you wake up, don't take anything for granted.
You need to work like you don't have nothing like yesterday doesn't matter.
Yeah it's good to be able to encourage yourself with what you've achieved, but don't let it
get to your head.
Money doesn't necessarily bring complete happiness.
It's a metaphor for, I want to have good health.
I want to live a healthy, balanced life.
I want to travel.
I want to just have a full life
They're jumping from tree to tree, and the trees are very close, so they're not coming
out of their comfort zone.
If you put the trees really far apart from each other, that monkey ain't jumping.
But because they're so close to each other, he's going to jump from one tree to another.
So basically that line is saying, listen, don't let people's opinions limit your dream,
because their opinion is limited by their environment.
If you have a big dream, you need to go for it.
You can't stop at every barking dog.
I could've said anything else.
I could've said Ferrari, I could've said I want to buy a house or whatever.
But it's just basically, I want to do good.
I want to be successful in whatever field it is.
It's not even just about a lot of money, it's about affecting people's lives.
It's about making a change, making an impact, whether it's worldwide or your immediate community.
I want to leave behind a legacy.
I want to live good.
I want to be a good person.
I'm the apple of my mom's eye and my dad's eye.
I know where I'm coming from, so you can't bully me, you can't intimidate me.
I'm here to stay.
Growing up I always felt like I was part of royalty.
My mom used to say, "You're part of the Savage family."
Savage is my real name, by the way.
For real, my real-real last name.
She used to be like, "Your dad is a prince, which means you're a princess," and I've always
felt that.
Not in a cocky way, but I felt like I belonged somewhere, I felt like I was coming from something.
I'm going to use that money to destroy you.
It's basically saying like, I'm going to work hard, and when I get that money, I'm going
to be loud with it.
My house is probably going to be on the Hill with lights at night.
Basically, it's just a tongue-in-cheek line.
Basically just saying like, "I'm going to wear all the chains in the world.
When I walk into the room, you're going to know that money has walked into the room.
I'm not going to be humble about this."
The second verse is moving into, God has done it.
He's, come and see what he's done in my life, or what he's doing in my life.
You guys doubted me and yo, I'm on top now.
I'm unstoppable.
Being close to God is very important.
Whether you're Muslim or you're Christian, spirituality is really important.
I really don't know how I would get this far and be this grounded without that foundation.
The industry is not only tough, it can be very dangerous.
There's so many influences that can really derail you.
That side of my life has really just kept me grounded.
It just seems like it's not adding up.
And you're seeing again, the rich people just like, it's just circulating amongst that group.
So you're like, "Where's it going?
Where's that money going?"
Where's the money to circulate, and in this economy, why is it not reaching everyone?
Why is it not spreading further than those elite.
Everyday you're hustling.
Every day you're working just to get a pay.
And that's not enough.
You need to get wealth.
Because when you get a pay, it's just like paycheck to paycheck.
It's just paying bills, and you're not really gathering wealth for your children and generations
to come.
So that's what that part of the song is referring to.
Yeah, I do get called the Queen of Afrobeats a lot.
I'm not going to run away from it, but in the same breath, there are so many Queens
in the genre, not just in Nigeria but across Africa.
So yeah, shout out to all the beautiful female artists doing it in Afrobeat genre.