Were poetry and puns your childhood dream?
No, they weren’t. Ironically, I was a science student and dreamed of becoming a doctor because my parents, siblings and relatives wanted me to be one. They thought I was too ‘academically smart’ to do anything else, and the ideology back then was that if you’re smart you should be a doctor.
In Junior High, something changed. The skills my literature teacher, Mr. Christopher Dede-Orlu, taught me left an indelible mark on my growing love for literature. In fact, I can still recite a few lines from Incorruptible Judge, The Gods Are Not To Blame and Joys Of Motherhood after many years.
When I got to high school, I had to get more literature there, we didn’t have a literature teacher again. The closest to Mr. Dede-Orlu was our science teacher, Mr. Fyneface Orubibi. So that’s how I got sidetracked into the sciences.
However, in college, I returned to my first love, the arts, my steps.
How did you feel the first time you held a microphone?
I felt very nervous, scared and anxious. This was proof of stage fright. I trained myself through books to overcome it, because I knew I had a call to the microphone, and if I didn’t kill the fear/stage fright, it would kill the greatness in me. I won!
What show would you say you’ve done?
Chapman was to be a series of holiday shows I gave while promoting my first album of spoken word poetry. That was around 2018 and 2019.
It was a series of shows I did when I was a resident spoken word poet at the Royal Music House in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the same time. I also performed at the Rivers State Golden Jubilee Celebration.
In Lagos, there was the Zenith Bank Fashion Event, Eko Atlantic; Mc Abbey Comedy Club shows in 2019 and between 2020 and 2022 with the Lagos Theater Festival and a series of “Poetry Specials” with the Lagos Fringe Festival.
Now, I am working for the British Council in Nigeria. I recently performed at The Finale of Art Showcase hosted by Creative Hustle.
Has it always been pink?
It has been a seasoned journey: bittersweet moments. But, it’s all worth it.
What motivates you to keep doing what you do?
Impact inspires me. The testimonies of what my poems have done in people’s lives motivate me to keep pushing despite the odds. I saw the possibility of greatness from the moment I started.
When did you realize you wanted to be a spoken word artist and what was your parents’ reaction?
That would have been at the 200 level when I was studying Human Anatomy. My small efforts in spoken word poetry made me famous on and off campus. Meanwhile, despite the hours of night classes, I still collected a legion of “reports” (empty courses).
That was the turning point for me. I had to choose my destiny: graduate with nothing as a human anatomist or create an army of poets for a city. I chose the latter.
My Nigerian parents did not like me, but by the grace of God, I have set and broken many records as a spoken word poet.
How did you come up with your name, 2’Wyth Gbedupoet?
It is a creative name created from the two words ‘Tutu’ and ‘White’. “Tutu” is my pet name, and “White” is the color I love so much for its purity. Another reason for choosing “White” was because of a prominent figure in Rivers State, Karibi-Whyte. I loved every time his name was mentioned on the radio and he is a great man. ‘Tutu’ means ‘King’ in Usokun-Degema, Rivers State.
‘Gbedupoet’, on the other hand, was the title I created after I came up with ‘GbeduPoetry’.
What did the star take away from you?
Nothing. My reason is that I have understudied many famous people who can take things away from fame. So I decided to enjoy fame and enjoy being a normal human being at the same time.
This has helped me stay humble no matter what feat I achieve. I have mastered the art of interacting with the lowest and the highest of people without getting lost in between. I’m a realist. I’m not pretending to be something I’m not. I stay true to who I am and separate myself from what I am not in order to relate to people so they can be themselves.
What’s the biggest stage you’ve been on and how did you feel?
Having performed in ‘The Finale’ of the British Council’s Art Showcase/Creative Hustle, Lagos means a lot to me and those who were there felt that I gave my heart because it was a gift that I did not expect. he wanted I felt blessed to be blessed with my GbeduPoetry.
