WORDS GRACEY MAE
Cameroonian Lion, Stanley Enow, stands as an Orion amongst the stars. The journalist-turned-musician chose the other side of the mic and has been dominating the airwaves ever since. For over a decade, the multi-award winning Afro-Pop sensation, has evolved from being the nation’s most prominent rapper to being an all singing, all dancing national treasure. Recognised by UNICEF for his activism, the star continues to embody Afrobeats with purpose. Join us as Stanley Enow sits down with F Word in preparation for his next chapter as The African Gentleman.
Gracey Mae: Welcome to F Word. How are you?
Stanley Enow: Thank you so much. I'm doing well. How are you doing?
GM: I'm good. What brings you to London?
SE: Just exploring and learning. Getting to know the beautiful taste of the English breakfast and flirting around with the Afro-scene. I'm trying as much as possible to get acquainted with my people here, because this is a place that needs my energy. My first trip to the UK was seven years ago when I came in for a project with Olamide and Fuse ODG. So, I'm happy to be back meeting beautiful people, connecting and learning new things. Appreciating Garage music, as well as the London way of life. This is a place that feels like home. Except for the stabbings I hear about, I'm excited to be back.
GM: I hear your forthcoming project is called ‘African Gentleman’. What examples of this did you have growing up?
SE: Nelson Mandela is a great figure that everybody respects; his resilience, his power, and his love for the people. I do like and relate to people with emblems like him. When you come down to Cameroon, there's people like Reuben Nyobe who died, trying to fight for the liberation of Cameroon. It's old-school politics, but those are the people that fought in the Bamileke lands in the West, trying as much as possible to liberate Cameroon from the oppressors.
GM: Did you have any closer to home?
SE: My dad was a soldier. I dedicated my first album to him 'Soldier like My Papa’. He went to war in the Bakassi times. You could feel that there was that spirit of “I am who I am and I am for my family”. That's where I inherited the spirit of a conqueror because everywhere I go, I make sure I make the statement, no matter how small. It could be a hug or smile. Big ups, dad… Growing up, you tend to have a couple of figures that you look up to, I'll give big ups to people like Samuel Eto and Francis Ngannou, who are doing their thing for this generation.
GM: With a spike in incel culture, we see more pronounced themes of possessiveness and misogyny in art, online and in music. How do you use your voice to have a positive impact on men and their perception of women?
SE: It's very complex. The way people socially interact here and at home are very different. I was saddened by the current trial going on in South London, where a young man stabbed a girl because she refused his advances. It is insane to think it's okay to end someone's life over that. Did you really care for that person or did you want to satisfy your ego? I don't know if it's the upbringing or what the world has come to but it's alarming. As a young African man, I always respect myself, women, kids, and my elders. I try as much as possible to make people smile, and I practise what I say. I believe that it is great for me to use my star power to empower. I know that we can always make a change, and the change starts with you. As my brother Big Sean said, “one man can change the world”. We're working on the ‘African Gentleman’ project to bring content that will cultivate excellence, hard work and inclusion. Breaking financial, technological and social barriers, and embracing each other. The mission as an African gentleman is to always preach the values of how to work, respecting each other, protecting and loving. There's just so many things that the world needs, especially in this era where social media is at its peak and the influence is a lot. We have to try as much as possible, to multiply and build the generation of kings and queens, and protect our children.
GM: A little birdie told me that you pray for your fans. Are you a spiritual person?
SE: Yes, I'm a spiritual being. It's very important to be connected to a higher power. We all have gifts that we must be able to identify. I have the gift of just bringing people together. Besides being a gift, there is what you call grace, and grace can't be bought. You can maintain grace but you can't rely on your talent alone. You have to make sure those elements have been put in place for you to really thrive, not only for yourself but for everybody else around you. You have to pray that your legacy lives in such a way that your grandchildren will not need to work as hard as you did. Your name can open doors for them and that's one of the goals.
GM: Previously, you’ve spoken about gravitating toward people who have a good heart and who provide peace. Who would you say those people are in your life right now?
SE: My team. They have become family. There's a bunch of beautiful people around me that give me peace and inspiration so the energy has been protected. There's been instances where God took out a lot of people from my life. I have had some lows which could even lead to depression but events happen, and you're like “God, thank you, because this thing couldn't have happened with this guy on my side”. I'm just a product of grace because you can tell that God is working. My team, my family, my big sisters and my son. I would say the weight of the past can obstruct you from moving forward; sometimes you just have to let go and let God take the wheel. Work super hard and super smart as well. My dad has never seen Europe in his whole life but his son is everywhere. That's a win. You are living a better life than the person who gave you that life. It shows that something is happening.
GM: I can tell that you're an artist because that was very poetic. Let's talk about ‘Take Ova’, the global sensation that is blew up last year. Did you predict the success?
SE: To be honest, when creating that sound, I had a special feeling that it would help me bring my name and brand back to the spotlight in a big way. I recorded that track in Burbank, LA with my boy, Kayode. If you listen to my second verse, I'm giving a big shout out to greats that I uphold like Fally Ipupa. It's a track that I made to celebrate the Afro-descendants worldwide, our parents and the children. The music video was shot in Douala, Cameroon, and Lagos, Nigeria. So you see pan-Africanism in the project already. We didn't want to limit ourselves in any way, to make sure that we tell people that we have no borders in Africa.
GM: Where do you see African music on the global landscape in the next year or two?
SE: The ‘African sound’ is going to last forever but the genre that is dominating right now, if not taken care of, can disappear because nothing lasts forever. We can't deny Nigeria's dominance in African music with ‘Afrobeats’ but before that, it was Ivory Coast’s ‘Coupé-décalé’. Before Ivory Coast, it was ‘Ndombolo’ from Congo; or ‘Rumba’ from Congo with Papa Wemba. Before Congo, it was Cameroon with ‘Makosa’. Now the sound has been taken to another level, African music is mainstream. It's beautiful. I do believe that we need to rethink identity and not limit ourselves. I think we need to build ‘Afro-culture’. For instance, with Reggae everyone's like “Yah man”. There should be culture or merchandise around Afrobeats to make sure that, besides the music, you're inclined to it.
GM: Do you think that Cameroon has been forgotten in the Afrobeats story? If it has, why?
SE: I'll say neglected instead because forgotten is such a strong word. We're not here to complain, we're here to find a way and collaborate. If you listen properly to the guitars that are being played on most of the big songs, you hear Congolese guitars are infused with the Afrobeat sound. You feel Cameroonian baselines there. The Congolese guitar is very distinct. You can hear it in a lot of sounds, so there is no way that the conversation is going to be made without the contribution of other nations, at least sonically. ‘Afrobeats’ is regarded as all music from Africa. Everybody plays into that because, historically, we've already been divided by politics. If we don't fix those problems in the long run, our kids might find it difficult because where there was growth, there were also vultures who made sure that culture isn't at its best. The most important thing is Cameroon should be aggressive, musically, the same way we are with football. It's never too late to start anything; it starts now.
GM: Do you think that being from the English region of (pre-dominantly French speaking) Cameroon has helped or hindered your career?
SE: Being an Anglophone from Cameroon is the best thing that ever happened to me. The culture of respect, of being very straightforward and just being very gentle, it's an English thing. You don't get that from every culture. It's a heritage that I live for. So many Francophones of this age send their children to Anglophone schools because they know the education there is the best, especially basic education. I really bless God for being from there. It's true that sometimes we have to compromise. To appeal to the local market, you have to do a blend of Pidgin, English, and French. Some of us were considered sellouts in the beginning because if you truly wanted to speak to the masses, you had to mix. So it's going to be 30% Pidgin, 40% French, and the rest English. I started to migrate to full English and had the number one song in the region with no French words. It showed me that people just need powerful music. Speaking English is a big advantage because that's one of the most spoken languages in the world. Cameroon is great because of the diversity - you can find everything.
GM: As an OG, ten years deep, what's the one piece of advice you would to give to any new artists?
SE: Take risks. Risk-taking is a great aspect of life. Be calculated; never be comfortable because the biggest acts in the world, especially in the Afro-space, were once upon a time, the underdogs. Trust in your gifts. Trust in God, perfect your craft, learn, and never be overconfident. That's the day you start dying. Don't undermine yourself. When you identify your gift, work on it to the best of your ability. Never settle for less. Sometimes big things come in small packages. So never neglect anything, everything should be taken seriously. Work humbly. Anytime you have a chance to be seen, make sure people see you well because if you play with it, another person takes it, and he runs away with it. There's enough space for everyone in the sky but within the sky there's some congestion, and you need to make your way. One more piece of advice is learn, and use your star power to empower.
GM: Thank you for the motivation. To wrap up, I have to ask, what’s your favourite F-word?
SE: Faith
