*The rape joke helped sold my show tickets...
*Speaks on his new comedy project...
By Fakoyejo Olalekan
Nigerian comedian, Bright Okpocha, popularly known
as Basketmouth, yesterday in an interview on Rubbin
Mind,on Channels TV, cleared the air surrounding an alleged beef of ego battle of who is
better between him and Julius Agwu, while responding to a question thrown at
him by the show’s host, Ebuka O'Chendu.
Basketmouth who was the celebrity guest denied the
rumor, stating clearly that there was nothing as such between both comedians.
“I am not trying to be political right now, but we are
friends. We have never had an issue. People have this perception that when you
are not hanging with someone for a while they believe there is a beef. We are
cool; infant I’m actually owing him money” He said.
The comedian who also doubles as a rapper, address
the jealousy in the comedy industry, saying there is a truth in it. “I would
not say that I am happy, but I’m proud of my achievements, so people that think
this way are people that are intimidated by my confidence”......
Explaining that rich people don’t have time for
that, “You would never hear Mike Adenuga talk about Dangote like, that guy too dey
feel. Rich people don’t talk about that kind of crap, do you understand. You
will never hear Chris Rock talk about Kelvin Hart like, he’s feeling too much;
only when you are intimidated by someone’s confidence, growth and success;”
“And for me, I love the fact that people beef. You
can only judge your success by the amount of beef you have”. With the Comedian
hoping the beef some comedians have for him will grow from about 10% to 30%.
“When you are up there, they try to drag you down, and trust me, the view from
the top is beautiful”
While answering some series of questions, He revealed that truly there are clicks in the comedy industry and he is
not a fan of such life, “I am allergic to such, I stay with the real people;
the people that are friends that appreciate, the likes of Buchi and Bovi, these
are my friends beyond comedy”
“I know these people(that talk crap) and I stay away
from them and I move with people that are close to me like Oke Bakassi, Julius
Agwu, when you see us, you will think that we are brothers, so the people that
you don’t see me around with, I am allergic to them” He said.
The multiple award winning comedian also spoke about
his relationship with fellow comedian friend, Bovi. “My friendship with Bovi is
very unique. It started as a mentor, now it is like a brother. And I’m happy
with his career, I’m happy that I was there. He is exceptional intelligent, and
this is the type of person I love to hang with”
Basketmouth also advised up and coming comedians not
to emulate anyone and avoid competing with anyone in order to be successful. “I
don’t do competition, that’s why I tell the comedians never to try to be like
someone, because if you are aiming someone’s success, you are limiting
yourself; you don’t know your journey, you don’t know where you are going to”
While responding to the popular controversial joke
about rape, the comedian said the uproar the joke caused has taught him a
lesson and that such jokes are now a no go area for him. “Most people are
hypocrites in this country. It was only a joke; I wasn’t trying to make an
abusive joke. And I am really sorry about it, but I didn’t let it suck up my
creativity, because I can’t stop talking about this or that”
Basketmouth pointed out the fact that he crack jokes
about his death and people laugh over it, and make it clear that he would not
venture into such jokes again, “I am not even going to try a joke about rape
again because I have learnt my lesson. I am not going towards that part ever
again and I am sorry. There should be a limit”
He also chipped in that, he was happy that the
controversial joke came because it helped him sale his shows ticket. “I sold
out my show and the London Guardian carried the news and they compare me with,
Jimmy Cow”
Meanwhile the comedian said he is preparing for his
next project, Dysfunctional Mind
which will feature, Bovi(The Host), Buchi, Salvador from Uganda and some other
foreign act, with 2face, Olamide, Wizkid and many more performing on stage.
LISTEN TO AN AUDIO EXTRACT FROM THE INTERVIEW BELOW...
[courtesy of ChannelsTV/Ynaija]