Kelechi Ohia, the 400 level economics undergraduate of the Lagos State University (LASU), who many have come to know and address as Kel in the Nigerian music industry is one lady, who knows her onions and what she wants from the industry, which she ventured into as a result of a friend’s influence during her secondary school days.

“Rap for me started way back in 1999. I initially didn’t like rap but at that time there was a friend of mine who was always around me and enjoyed playing rap songs. And that influenced me because all of a sudden, I started listening to rappers like Bone Thugs and Harmony and Eminem. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with the rap genre of music,” the sexy lady, who has been dubbed the Capital Hill rapper said.

Kel, who slowly crept into the rap industry has in a short time become the darling of many singers and rappers alike, after her debut in Ill Bliss’ track, ‘U Go Wound.’

Kel, whose debut album has 13 tracks and is entitled The Investment, believes that rap music is not only a way of expression but a tool to appreciate and tell it as it is.

“Rap music for me is a means of expression and there is a way I express myself with rap music that I doubt if I can do with any other genre of music despite the fact that I listen to songs aside rap music. I’m not the kind of rapper that only listens to hip-hop all day but it’s rap all the way for me because I honestly know I can’t sing. But I also listen to R&B to help me in my writing abilities,” Kelechi, who would preferred to be called Kel, said.

For the 24-year-old sexy rapper, a normal day with no camera and the buzz around her would see her going about in a T-shirt, jeans and a pair of slippers.

“A normal day for me would see me putting on a T-shirt, jeans and slippers. I actually like snickers but I sometimes like my feet to breathe. The bottom line is I like to be comfortable in whatever I wear,” was her reply.

Hinged to the Osagie-managed Clarence Peters-owned Capital Hills Records, Kel, who has been getting several commendations from industry watchers even after her superb delivery of the second verse of the recently held HHWA4 theme song-‘How Much Do You Want It’-the Igbo-born artiste is not letting the hype get into her.

“I’m trying not to focus on the hype and all that because doing that might make me lose focus as regards what I’m here for. I’m here because rapping is what I enjoy doing and I derive joy from delivering my bars, which come as hard as I can drop them.

“I’m trying my best not to dwell on all the hype though I can’t deny that it’s cool and I appreciate the fact that people are watching and taking note of every step and music that is being dropped in the industry,” she said.

With an album, which is due for release in collaboration with several established stars and underground acts, one would be moved to ask her expectations for the album and reasons for names like MI, Shank, Terry Da Rapman and Illbliss being on the album.

Her answer goes thus: “Reasons for those names and others on the album is because I just don’t want to have album fillers, but a track with established acts, which will bring a new dimension to bear in the overall coloration of the album.

“Aside this, I wanted all the songs to become hits just as I thought that it is not a bad idea doing songs with other artistes, who are already established. At least one can have their fans buy the album because of the collaborations.

“Most importantly, you’d agree with me that many of these people on the tracks are talented in their own right and they have no doubt brought a new feel into the album. Since it’s my debut with several people investing so much time, effort, energy, sweat and tears in making it a reality, it’s worth being worthwhile and thus is my reasons for the album title, The Investment,” Kelechi said.

What does the new entrant have to say regarding the industry, which she has high hopes of achieving her musical dreams and aspirations in?

“The Nigerian music industry is fast growing because we are definitely not what we used to be five years back. I strongly believe that the fast growth of the music scene would make the industry very big in few years to come. The whole world would at some point stop and marvel at the amount of talent being churned out from the shores of Nigeria,” Kel said.