Meet Civilized Villagrr: A man expressing his ideas and views through murals and art on his city walls

   

     Art is like the sun,it shines and brings light to the dark corners of our society and in our country Nigeria we can't deny the emerging of young hungry artists on the rage to take over the city for good with their talented gifts of art. Today we spoke with Chibikem Obasi popularly known as Civilized Villagrr who is on the path of greatness expressing his ideas through murals and street art.

Tell us about yourself?

yo i’m civilizedvillagrr, i’m artist, street muralist and an art director based in Lagos, Nigeria. i love creating & designing what so ever comes to my mind to create, was born 14th Dec. i play video games & basketball just for the fun of it.

As an artist, what does art mean to you as a person?

Art is a means of self-expression for me, i express myself creating mostly on walls, canvases & digitally, i also doodle. 

In our society ,art is less or not appreciated enough ,why do you think so and what can we do to bring back our art culture?

the way things are going on it’s going to be a lot harder even, but i can’t really speak for the masses we have a lot we are facing in our society. the best way we can bring back art culture; me, you and every other person needs to keep doing what we are doing and do the least supporting for artists in today’s society.

A follower of your art will see that you never repeat your designs ,what bells the cat for you?

 

i just try not to put so much pressure on myself, i paint what i see. we all use colors but how well? and also consistency putting in that work back to back.

As a creative it's hard juggling your passion and real life issues, where do you get ideas for your art ?

the most high first off then my environs i go about & see things the colors in lagos yo!! everyday when you step out you’d see funny things so i’m that kind of artist.

Are you a self taught artist or you went to an art school?

i’m self taught.

How do you determine the prices of your art?

the content & the size.

Did you always want to be an artist? How did your journey of art start?

yh i mean i had the idea of studying something entirely different, started of 2017 a friend asked me to create some pieces for his event that he had faith in my works im like oh wow, from there the spark ignited.

What role does an artist have to play in the society?

 i can’t really say, i mean we have the tag artists so i guess it’s just to use our skills to pass messages to the society

What's your most embarrassing moment?

 

oh can’t say, that’s just for me alone

What memorable responses have you had to your work?

ahh i’ve heard a lot, i’m still hearing but all praise to jah for the ones that’s been heard in total.

Fast Rising Star Ganz releases his Debut Single “Story”

      Fast Rising Star, Gana Michael alias “GÄNZ”, is a singer, songwriter, recording artiste based in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja Nigeria,Born on the 1st of September 2002, he hails from Kwara State.

He is the founding father of his unique Genre “Afro Cruise” which has birth his Debut hit single “Story” which is available on all Streaming platforms,he recently dropped the Music Video which is available on YouTube.

The song titled “Story” tells a story about his life experiences, his journey to stardom and issues affecting his country Nigeria and the world at large these include; Rape,Police Brutality,Racism etc.

Click and Listen To Story By Ganz

Weed101: Beginners Guide For Smoking Marijuana

I know you're excited about this but let's not forget this special plant isn't legalized in our country yet but we ranked the 3rd most users of Marijuana in the world, who are the people using it? Me? You?the president?. Let's be guided, almost everyone you meet or have met smokes weed and as a beginner you should be aware of what you're smoking and how you should be smoking inorder to experience difficulties that might stop you from smoking forever or endangering your health or sanity. 

     One of the first things you should know about weed is that there is more than one high. Sativas and indicas are the two main types of weed. Both strains get you high in different ways and you should be able to differentiate between each without making mistakes. Sativas are mainly known for their "piney and cerebral high while Indicas are mainly known for their deep colors and body high. Some people choose sativas to get their creative juices flowing. Others light sativas up to reach that happy and cruisé mood while when you smoke an indica, the high's effects are felt throughout the body. Some people choose indicas to relieve pain or if you ever need help falling asleep indica has got the best trips for you. Some dealers in your city might be trapping (selling) on a low to avoid stories that touch so for you to have those numbers on speed dial you must appear to be trust worthy and a “sabi boy”.

No matter your urge to try out new strains as a newbie, PROCEED WITH CAUTION especially if you're new to smoking.

   If you're taking an edible for the first time please  DON'T EAT THE WHOLE THING AT ONCE. Many first timers make the mistake of gobbling down an edible and becoming overwhelmed by its effects, you might not cross back the line of sanity and you're OYO (On your own).

    For a city like Lagos where Marijuana is not legalized but we use it like it's legal, as a newbie you should know some ultimate rules to follow when trying to smoke a bud so you don't end up in the wrong hands.

•Please be mindful of your surroundings when you spark a blunt, you don't who is watching.

•Don't be the one that pressures others to smoke.

•Make Sure to Inhale but don't be scared to cough when necessary.

•Always ask before smoking in other people's houses. 

•Don't be the guy who ONLY talks about weed. 

•Be mindful of your limits: you CAN get too high.

•Don't smoke in front of kids you're not MAD.

•Respect people around you who might not like marijuana.

•Hydrate Like an Athlete.

•Never Smoke With Sketchy People.

•Build your smoking pack.

ABC Of Weed

A- Ashtray, Awesome Adventures

B- Blunt, Bowl, Baby Oja

C- Cravings, Crusher , Colorado 

D- Dry mouth, Dealer , Drags

E- Eye drops

F- Forgetful friends,Fagbo 

G- Green Grass

H- Happy, Hit, Herb, High

I- Ideas

J- Joint , Japa

K- Kronic , Kush

L- Lighter , Loud ,La-La 

M- Munchies, Mary Jane, Marijuana , Mexican Airlines

N- Nuggets ,NFK (Not For Kids)

O- One love , Oja ,

P- Puff Puff Pass, Pipe, Pot

Q- Quiet time

R- Roll , Rizzla

Get To Know:Sara Bloom

Saralee "Sara Bloom" Payne, an upcoming artist from Jamaica, who is multi talented in song, poetry  article and speech writing, drumming, singing, cooking, dancing event planning, speaking and teaching. Born on December 25th, 22 years old and she have been writing since 13 years old, then I started writing more seriously at 18 years old and as time progressed she got the inspiration to start releasing my creations in 2018 at 20 years old. She made herself available to perform at whatever open mic events she could and The Apollo Series by Simon The Writer was always welcoming. Soon after recording my first official song with producer JLL, I decided to start building a fanbase by uploading it to my soundcloud. Every one was really pleased to see me make that move. “Sara Bloom is art in herself, as an essence that seeks to emanate peace, love, unity and good vibes. Everyone knows I'm good for that. My music and poetry can be about anything surrounding sound and unsound emotions, life experiences, controversies or just vibing. I would say I'm in the genres of Hip Hop, RnB with a little Jazz and Reggae bit not limited.  I’m a groovy person, naturally I just love to dance, sing, think and express, so it goes together for me”. 

I am also always interested in encouraging others to trod on a journey that allows them to discover themself and all they can do. Which is especially why I've decided to be a curator for art shows that are inclusive of multiple artists with different art forms, bringing forth vibes that are unusual from a typical party. 

While she's creating new songs and also pending a deal from a Record Label, I'm the director for the performing arts department at an Early Childhood School in Spanish Town, where she officiate Dance and Speech classes with 3-6YROs. In the meantime, I'm self developing in every way possible. I'm planning on releasing a poetry book and album in a couple months. I don't operate with a fixed team but there are people who I have been so grateful for working with, who recommend and assist me from time to time. Sometimes my content exposure gets delayed because of not being able to execute ideas with limited resources or not having a sustainable team but at the same time not having sponsors did not stop me from curating two events 9 months apart. I know time and opportunities can be mysterious and I'm very humble yet determined about where I am and where I'm going. I'm really looking forward to all the beautiful and talented people I will meet along the way. I'm hoping to have bountiful connections and endless playing records. To wrap up, Sara Bloom just Blooms, flows, and grows especially if fed worthy truths and hopes. Click Here to listen to her Songs