NEXT CELEB: Lil Lurge, the next ‘lyrical wonder’

Olufemi George wanted to be an astronaut. But just like a few his age with such huge ambition, it got tarnished when hit by the harsh reality of its rarity in the industry and the country. Left with no choice but to pick another line of career, that choice wasn’t music just yet.

Growing up in a polygamous home, Femi, the fourth child of his mother and the eight of his father, lived in a packed house that was part of what made his childhood splendid.

“It was a lovely experience growing up in a polygamous home,” he says. “The diversity really helped.”

His father, being a civil servant in the employ of the Nigerian Customs Service, had to constantly shuffle between their home in Akwa Ibom and Lagos, which affected the primary education he started back in the southern town. Finishing up primary education in Lagos, Femi returned to Akwa Ibom for his secondary and education.

Lil Lurge, a name he coined from the combination of his first name and surname (initially the idea of his older brother and manager), morphed into being when he was in JSS 1.

“I was walking down the road to my house when the lyrics came to me like a rush and I knew then that it was a song waiting to be written,” he say.

The appetite for music runs in the family. His older brother, manager and CEO of the management outfit, The Lurge Entertainment Company, had indeed tried his hands on music as well, which was how Lurge came about.

“Lurge is the combination of ‘Lu’ from our names and ‘rge’ from our surname. He’s the bigger Lurge and that’s why I’m Lil Lurge.

But the bigger Lurge soon decided the terrain wasn’t probably for him and it was time to focus on grooming his baby brother in the show business.

By JSS 3, Olufemi put his first work out as Lil Lurge when he recorded a track produced by Samklef and titled In the Game.

“I knew then that I wanted to do music full time,” he says.

The song was circulated on the Internet in 2010 after his high school graduation, but a time came when the artiste deleted it.

“I felt it was my first track and isn’t in sync with time right now. So I want to do a remake of it.”

Regardless of his love for music, Lil Lurge proceeded to University of Ilorin to study Statistics, a course he later settled for after he wasn’t awarded Geology, his first career choice. Now in his third year, the upcoming rapper couldn’t juggle both.

“I made sure that whenever I was in school I did little or no music. I wanted to focus on finishing my school work”.

When he’s not doing schoolwork, Lil Lurge is putting finishing touches to his upcoming mix-tape. Two of the mix-tape tracks, Genesis and On the Streets, have been featured on music sites and are already gaining traction on the Internet.

Titled Life on the Streets, the mix-tape is a 10-track album containing such tracks as Getaway, You’re Beautiful, Soro, Usual Suspect and more. Getaway, he explains, was inspired by the loss of two of his friends while On the Streets tells the tale of life on the streets with his friends.

The mix-tape also features producers such as French Konnect (Paris), PK (USA), St. Kay, Roadz and Chieff Ace as well as collaborations from fellow rappers such as Em’Storm, David hunter, Humble Smith, Sauce, Jayhaze and JayR.

With no record label yet in sight, when he isn’t making music, Lil Lurge is engaging in the competition of it.

He featured in a Cypher series called Young Stunners Anthem, recorded in Calabar, alongside fellow southern rappers Jay Pachino, Young Bricks, Sammy Jay and Big Game.

He was also an opening act for stars such as Olamide during his YBNL concert in Ilorin, Grenade Media Group (GMG) with Orezi and MayD during the Student Union Government (SUG) week.

Lil Lurge emerged as one of the best acts at the Calabar auditions of the Peak Talent Show. Although he didn’t make it to the final round, Pepsi Campus Challenge named him the best rapper of the show.

His songs get major airplay on the local radio stations, Royal FM in Ilorin and Ilorin FM.

“My music can be found online for download free of charge and it applies to the mix-tape once it’s out,” he says.

“I’m still relatively new in the industry and a lot of people are still getting to know me. I’d rather they start with a free copy. It helps circulate it better.”

He is also working on a new single titled Ololo.

When he isn’t doing any of music or school, he is reading a book, watching documentaries on rappers in the industry or listening to his favorite mentors such as Papoose, JCole, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, SchoolBoyQ, Meek Mill, Vector, MI and Damien Marley.