"More Than A Homie": A Conversation with THEHONESTGUY

Interview by Imani Dominique Busby

Photography by Barrett Potts aka Fifty (@fifty.jpg)

Born in Nigeria and raised in Toronto, Juno award-winning artist, THEHONESTGUY has been immersed in music for as long as he can remember. Blending jazz, funk, and R&B into what he calls “funky soul,” his sound reflects both his roots and his journey of self-discovery over the past seven years. Influenced by legends like Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, and Fela Kuti, he continues to carve out a space that bridges his Nigerian heritage with contemporary R&B. Here, we learn more about his music after his exciting performance at Some Kinda R&B Festival.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your introduction to making music?

I was born in Nigeria and I’m from Toronto. I’ve been interested in music all my life, but I started taking it seriously about seven years ago—just loving it, discovering it, and finding my own voice. I like to call the music I make a bit of funky soul. It has elements of jazz, funk, and R&B.

I feel like that really came through in your performance as well. It was really incredible. How did it feel performing at Some Kinda Festival today?

It felt great. It felt good convincing people, strangers, about the music that I made. Music that I created in the studio and in my bedroom, even while I was taking a walk. It feels good to be able to express it, get the feedback from people, and see that they enjoy that type of music. Because lately, I've been trying to delve into… because I'm Nigerian, I've been trying to delve into my African identity and make music that isn't Afrobeats but is influenced a little bit by the upbringing I had, which is highlife, even funk and disco from Nigeria.

You spoke to some of your influences in terms of genre, but which artists did you grow up listening to, and how have they influenced your music?

My major influences right now and all my life have been D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, and Fela Kuti. Fela Kuti is Nigerian, and he was a multi-instrumentalist. He had a moving band of almost 30 people, and he was fighting for freedom, almost like the equivalent of what Bob Marley was in the reggae world to Afrobeats. He actually coined the term Afrobeats. I just love his music.

You also recently released “More Than A Homie.” Is there anything you can share about the creative process behind that project?

That's the first single from an album that I'm working on called Don't Disturb the Groove. It's a project influenced by trying to make stuff that's a little bit more happy and upbeat. I made it in L.A. with two producers. One named Ryan James Carr, another named Jeremy, and with a songwriter named Rome Castillo, who's talented. We made the song in two hours, and it just felt great. I just wanted to make something that feels good and makes people want to be in love.

There's one song that you just performed that I really liked, “Jungle Fever.” Is there anything you can share about that song?

That song is actually very important because I always wanted to do something influenced by my upbringing, which is Fela Kuti, and that's the vibe. I didn't know how to do it. Jungle Fever is the first time I'm finding how to add my Africanness into R&B. I'm African, I'm Nigerian. I was born in Nigeria, and I only moved to Canada about 15 years ago. So I still have the Nigerian-ness in me. Jungle Fever is the first time that I was able to blend the R&B I love so much with my roots. And there's going to be more of that sound coming.

Aside from yourself, is there another Toronto artist that you've been listening to or whose music you love?

There's a lot. There's Devine, there's Zen Soul, there's Dylan Sinclair, there's John Vinyl. There's a lot. I love everything that's coming up from Toronto.

That's a great lineup. If a listener could only hear one song from your catalog, what would you recommend and why?

Jai’s Song because it's the most connected I've been to a song. I’ve been able to add all the influences, making something that's R&B, that's upbeat, but has a lot of jazz influences. It's a song that sticks, and I always perform it. I think it's going to be a song I perform for the rest of my life.

What is the message that you hope to share through your music?

I just think I want to make it… When I was growing up, it felt like it was cool to hear songs that were about love that popped. I think now, sometimes I feel like a lot of the songs seem like they have to be toxic. But I just want to make songs that make people happy, the way Stevie Wonder did for me or Marvin Gaye did for my parents. That's the message I want to put out.

Awesome, thank you so much.

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