Veteran singer, Ras Kimono, is over 60 years yet he exudes energy that could easily rival that of any young guy.
His dexterity on the stage is incredible and that has endeared him to so many fans.
Speaking to Saturday Beats during an exclusive interview, the singer disclosed where he draws energy from. He further hinted that he saves his energy for two things – the stage and s*x.
“I don’t smoke or drink, so I am able to reserve my energy for stage performances and the ‘other room’. I am also a vegetarian and that has helped me stay healthy and energetic. I have not eaten meat for over 36 years. What changed my diet was that as a rastaman, I read a lot of Bible passages and I learnt that meat is not good for human consumption. Even though they said Jesus Christ came and cleansed everything for our consumption, I still chose to stay away from eating meat. Since then, I decided to live my life as a vegetarian. If you are a vegetarian, you would be stronger and you would not be prone to certain illness. The same way I have not eaten meat in the last 36 years, I haven’t also cut my hair for that same number of years. To be honest, I have never thought about shaving off my dreads.
“I still have the strength for the ‘other room’ and people should not be surprised about that. If Buhari can have the strength for the ‘other room,’ then who am I not to? So I reserve my strength for the ‘other room’ and stage,” the Rastaman said.
Ironically, Ras Kimono’s wife has been based abroad for years but the singer said he does not live a lonely life.
“I am not staying alone in my home even though my wife is based in the US because man shall not live by bread alone. However, when it comes to talking about my family matter, I am a secretive guy and I would not want to talk about them on the pages of the newspaper. On that aspect, sorry I would not give you details on that,” he said.
Ras Kimono whose debut album, ‘Under Pressure’ led by the hit single, ‘Rum-Bar Stylée,’ was a big hit in the Nigerian music scene in 1989, however, in subsequent years to come, disappeared from the scene after travelling to the US.
He told Saturday Beats that his sojourn in the US had a negative impact on his music career.
“It is true that my career was affected negatively when I travelled and stayed in the US for about six years. I thank God that I had made my marks already in the industry before I travelled. The reason I left Nigeria was that I wanted to know how life was on the other side of the river. I wanted to broaden my horizon. When I went there, I saw, conquered and came back to my country. However, any youth who has made one or two hits in Nigeria and feels he can travel abroad to continue his career would only kill his career. Now, I have an album which was released about three weeks ago called ‘Senseless Killing.’ I would shoot videos after this festive season,” he said.