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The Story So Far W/Jerome Totimeh

@thestorysofar____

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Conversations with those shaping culture.
Stories captured while they’re still being written.📝
Hosted by @jerometotimeh_ 🎙️
Produced by @oli_.garciia🎬

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I don’t know how you feel, but I feel like the internet has a way of making us believe that those in the spotlight are overnight successes. Maybe it’s the pressure social media puts on us to only share our wins, making it appear as though failure and disappointment aren’t part of the journey.

I’ve been interviewing people for some years now, and the most common reason people are reluctant to sit down with me is the feeling that they haven’t achieved enough to have anything valuable to say.

“I’m not where I want to be yet, so I’m not deserving of people listening to me talk for an hour.”

I resonate with that feeling, but I suppose it’s partly a result of interviews historically being reserved for those who are seen to have “already made it.”

This is where The Story So Far comes in: conversations that dive into the story whilst it’s still being written.

An opportunity for people I admire to reflect on what they’ve achieved, things they could have done differently, opportunities they wish they’d taken and more. But most importantly, I want to give people the opportunity to tell us where they’re going.

What will the climax of their ever-evolving story look like? What are they doing now to ensure they’ll get there?

I see these conversations as a timestamp in the guest’s story, but also in the listener’s. I remember Kanye’s famous “You ain’t got the answers” interview with Sway and the impact it had on me as a teenager.

I hope these conversations can have a similar impact on your story as you continue to write your own. 📝

Jerome x by @thestorysofar____

The confidence that uni bubble gives you on your creative endeavour is unmatched! I wish I had a creative muse during that time in my life, if I could go back in time I definitely would have started something! 🤔 by @thestorysofar____

Work with those around you! 🤝 by @thestorysofar____

So many of the biggest rappers started their journeys in studios just like this 😂 It’s almost a rite of passage!

Lock in to the full conversation to see how Gbenga’s story has progressed from those early days to where he is now 📖📈

Link in bio ⬆️ by @thestorysofar____

When you believe you’ve created something special, it’s important to build things around it to ensure it’s received in the way you want it to be. Gbenga did this excellently with the rollout of his project👏🏾 by @thestorysofar____

Them man that had the home studio set up in their uni dorms were the real plugs!😂🎤🎧 shout out Toch!

Who remembers @gbenga3k earliest music? I know he had some joints in lei going off‼️

Take in the full convo now! Link in bio ⬆️ by @thestorysofar____

Do people feel seen when listening to your music or engaging with your art?

I think art, particularly music has incredible way of giving a voice to those who feel voiceless or can’t yet articulate how they feel.

I’ve listened to a lot of Gbenga’s music and I have definitely felt seen in his! 👏🏾 #rapmusic #storytelling #interview by @thestorysofar____

When you listen to @gbenga3k music it’s clear to see that he has an array of influences so I wasn’t surprised at all by the names he listed! It’s funny because the dad was just collecting music who liked, little did he know, he was crafting his sons taste 👌🏾 by @thestorysofar____

I knew early on that Gbenga had to be one of the first guests on The Story So Far.

When I began conceptualising the show, I thought carefully about the tone of the conversations, the aesthetic, their purpose and, of course, the people whose stories I wanted to explore. It didn’t take long for Gbenga to come to mind.

I first met Gbenga a few years ago at a mutual friend’s event (shoutout TAG Agency!). I’m not sure what drew us to each other, but we struck up a conversation and I quickly noticed his burning ambition and passion for his craft.

Over the years, I supported him from afar and watched not only his artistry evolve, but also his community and career grow from strength to strength. His hard work and dedication have since led to several career-defining moments, making this feel like the perfect time to reflect on his journey so far and, more importantly, explore where he wants to go next.

Born in North London to Nigerian parents, Gbenga has always been surrounded by music and creativity. In this conversation, he recalls obsessing over his father’s diverse CD collection and how that helped him fall in love with storytelling through music.

Although he knew he wanted to become a rapper from around the age of 12, Gbenga didn’t always have the confidence to pursue it. While his peers bravely released music for the world to hear, he often kept his writing to himself and performed alone in his bedroom.

Today, rapping under the name GBNGA, Gbenga has developed into an ambitious, confident and deeply relatable voice in UK rap. His catalogue includes multiple cohesive bodies of work that even some of the most established artists would be proud of.

So, how did he go from the shy child writing and rapping behind closed doors to the artist you see today?

This is @gbenga3k story so far.

Out now! by @thestorysofar____