Wander Coal is considered “Africa’s T-Pain” by his fans, who also claim he has the best voice on the entire continent. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, the dancer-turned-recording artist is known for creating feel-good music.
In an interview with AllHipHop, Wander described himself as “an African sensational artist known for his unique voice and writing skills. And The Boss, that’s it.
Recently, Wande Coal released his fourth studio album, Legend Or No Legend , which is exactly what the title conveys. No matter what people think of him, Wonder knows his talent and continues to bless audiences around the world with his undeniable music. Guest appearances on the project include T-Pain, Fireboy DML, Olamide and Wizkid.
AllHipHop caught up with Wande Coal for a virtual chat to discuss his upcoming Duke Concept’s second annual Tribeville show in Houston on July 5th, as well as his A Night With Wande Coal tour in New York and Silver Spring.
AllHipHop: When did you fall in love with music?
Wande Coal: I’ve been involved in music since I was five years old. I’m in the choir. My dad used to play Michael Jackson to me all the time, so I had all the CDs and turntables at the time. And just like that I grabbed the hat. God bless me.
AllHipHop: Did you start dancing with Michael Jackson?
Wonder Coal: Yes. Michael Jackson, Usher. Around Mike, he was a whole package. Because I’ve seen his movies before, everything about him. I started to get involved with “The Jackson 5”.
AllHipHop: When did you switch from dancing to making music?
Wande Coal: I used to dance for different artists. I had the opportunity to dance in college. I’ve always dabbled between dancing and singing. I had the opportunity to meet Don Jazzy and D’Banj and my life changed.
AllHipHop: I love your song “Kpe Paso” with Olamide. How did you get in touch? Do you think you know what day it is?
Wande Coal: Olamide is a phenomenal artist, that much is known to all. He is number one. He can change everything. He makes party songs, he makes hardcore songs. He created everything. He is everything. I already know. We came from different sides of music and we all wanted to eliminate it. We love what we do. When you make a record with Olamide, it’s a hit. So I already knew that and I told him from the beginning. As soon as I heard the beat I told him: Yo, it’s over. As soon as he killed me, I said, this is what I want. Whatever you just did, that’s what I want. This is the origin of “Kpe Paso”.
AllHipHop: Favorite memory from a music video?
Wonder Coal: Everything. It was even an idea because Olamide even gave me the name of the director who shot the film. He gave me the idea and everything so it looked great.
AllHipHop: Some people say you are Africa’s T-Pain.
Wande Coal: I like T-Pain. [laughs]
AllHipHop: I know you guys have collaborated, how did that happen?
Wande Coal: That happened through Nina. The Empire did this and created this avenue. As soon as I heard this record, I thought what the hell! I’ve always dreamed of working with T-Pain. In fact, Nigeria has always dreamed of a T-Pain collaboration between him and me. It happened, the dream came true. Shout out to T-Pain.
\https://music.empi.re/legendornolegend
AllHipHop: Your last album was called Legend Or No Legend. Can you describe the title?
Wonder Coal: A lot of people say, “Wander, you’re a legend.” What I’m trying to say is, regardless of the title, it has nothing to do with who you are. It’s about music. This is about love. It’s about the love of music. That’s what I bring to the table and not get carried away. I just love music.
AllHipHop: What is Black Diamond?
Wande Coal: Black Diamond is a record label I founded in 2013. I own a record label with a lot of people on it. Me, my brothers, my managers, the people who believed in my dream. Now with Black Diamond, we have signed two new artists. We hope to have a lot of music out by October this year.
https://www.instagram.com/wandecoal/?hl=en
AllHipHop: What are you most excited about performing at Tribeville?
Wande Coal: Yeah. Everyone knows my energy. Everybody knows I have a lot of hit records. Now, it’s time to play from old school to new school. I would kill it back to back. That’s it, go crazy.
AllHipHop: How do you prepare for a festival like this?
Wande Coal: The first thing is rehearsal. I pray [laughs]. I put in the effort. I make sure everything is on track. When you love what you do, that’s what you do.
AllHipHop: Which song are you most excited to perform live at Tribeville?
Wonder Coal: Lots of Songs.
AllHipHop: Any fan favorites?
Wonder Coal: “Again”, “So Mi So”, “Gentility”, “Iskaba”, “You Bad”, “Bumper 2 Bumper”. Lots of songs.
AllHipHop: Are you excited to see anyone else on the bill?
Wande Coal: Yes, it’s a lot. Everyone. I want to see how it’s done. But most especially, I love little Jon. I want to catch him. I also want to see Davido perform.
AllHipHop: How was it working with Wizkid?
Wander Coal: Yo, wizards are in my blood. I always say this. Working with Wizkid is like working with me, the same energy. We work hard and we love working. We melodize, we do what we love. This is hardcore. Music to us, we are superheroes.
We wanna kill it and show the world yo I’m about to save you [laughs]. That kind of thing. This is who we are, ingrained in our DNA. That’s what we do and that’s what we do. That’s part of our struggle, putting our energy back into the music. That’s how we are.
