Chocolate City Young Star Speaks Of his Intention

Diles Ailes is the latest signing of Chocolate City, a record label which is arguably one of the biggest in Africa which produced A-list artistes such as MI, Ice Prince, Ruby Gyang, Nosa and former label mates like Brymo and Jesse Jags. ROTIMI IGE caught up with the talented youngster, who spoke about his signing and plans for his growing fans. Word on the street is that you are not fully Nigerian. Who really is Dice Ailes? My real name is Shasha Damilola Alesh and I am a first-born of two children. I was raised in a Christian home and I am of Nigerian and Ghanian descent. I am also an Afrocentric/Hip-Hop/R and B/Pop artiste. I am a dream-chaser! Tell us a bit about your early years? Growing up was filled with a lot of exciting and sad experiences. I moved around a lot of with my parents and changed schools often. I was involved in a lot musical activities like beating drums, playing the harmonica, playing the recorder etc. I loved fashion a lot such that I always strived to be the best dressed in every setting. I was also very athletic and in fact had dreams of becoming a soccer player at some point. To top it off, I was really bright at school. How did you get signed to one of the biggest record labels in Africa, Chocolate City Music, especially seeing that you are quite young? In 2013, I took a trip to Nigeria from Canada with my manager, ‘Tee Tash’ to promote a single. Tash and I hooked up with his veteran musician friend Frank d’ Nero for a recording session. Along the line, Frank, introduced us to Chocolate City’s Vice President, M.I and history was made. What do you think of the other artistes on the label ? Aren’t you intimidated? I think they are all very wonderful people. They have shown so much support since the announcement of my signing and I am more than grateful. They also are all renowned and have lots of industry experience; so much for me to learn from. I am proud to be the newest “choc boy”. Which International and Nigerian artiste would you like to work with now? Well, I will like to work with any artiste who’s also willing to collaborate. Any family musical background and are they in support of your venture into music? Growing up, my mum was part of her church choir. She always sang while she did house chores. All of my matrilineal uncles wrote songs and played some sort of instruments. They and some of my cousins had dreams of becoming professional recording artistes. So, it gives everyone of them joy that I have taken up that line of profession. They give me all their prayers and all the moral support they can possibly give. Which famous musicians do you admire and why? I admire Kanye West and Jay Z. I am a fan of their confidence. I admire Wande Coal. I think he is a great artiste. I also admire M.I, he made such a huge impact on Nigerian hip-hop. Were you influenced by old records and tapes? If so, which ones? Growing up, my uncles played a lot of Fela, Next, 112, Lighthouse family, Outkast etc. My mother played Marvin Gaye, Ebenezer Obey and I witnessed it all. But did their records and tapes certainly influence me? I really cannot say. I could have been influenced unconsciously. Who are your favourite musician(s) or groups? I don’t like to say that I have a favourite musician as it changes from time to time. I also, most times, listen to anything that suits my ears at a given moment. But lately, I’ve been listening to music from Young thug, Migos, Schoolboy Q, Wande Coal, Nosa etc. What are your goals? My goal is to shape the Nigerian music industry in a way that music listeners become very receptive of so many different genres of music in existence. It is my goal to be a source of inspiration to a lot of people who believe in the idea that success can’t be achieved by everyone. I believe that anyone can become anything they want to be. Furthermore, is my goal to win musical awards and sellout tours and concerts across the globe. What would you regard to be the biggest achievement you dream about having? Someday, I hope to be celebrated globally as the biggest recording artiste that Nigeria and the African continent had ever produced. I also dream about graduating from college in due course. What is your educational background? For my primary school, I attended Nigerian International School (Benin, Republic) and Aunty Ayo International (Lagos, Nigeria). For my secondary school, I attended Mercy College and Lagooz College (Lagos, Nigeria). I am currently a third year undergraduate at the Health and Society Major at York University (Toronto, Canada) with a 4.5 GPA. How do you balance your music with school? It certainly isn’t an easy job. But, I am very passionate about schooling and music. I know how essential they both are to humanity. So regardless of how much of a task it is, my passion drives me.