Foremost Nigerian Rapper, William Orioha, with stage name 2shotz and his wife, Precious Orioha, sat down with Punch to give an insight into the thrills of their 12-month-old marriage.
Read the interview below:
How long have you been married?
2shotz: We have been married for a year. We got married April 12, 2013.
How did you meet?
2shotz: I went to see her at a restaurant in Ajao Estate, Lagos. We had been talking on phone for a while before then. We ate, I went to drop her at home. Her family and friends knew who I was. Apparently, she did not know me until they started to hail me. Later, we went to a bar, had drinks there and we just clicked. It was not planned neither did I have it in mind that this was what I wanted to do. At that time, I was not trying to be in a relationship.
Precious: I met him on Twitter. I can’t remember who followed who first, but I remember he put up a picture of his apartment and I commented without knowing who he was. He thanked me and we got talking. We moved the conversation from Twitter to phone, then to Skype. I was in Ireland, came to Nigeria for Christmas and we met in person.
What were the qualities that attracted you to him?
Precious: I was eating when he walked in for our first date and I was put off by his bald head and beard. People say guys with such looks are not good and I felt was trouble. Even though I had seen him in pictures, seeing him up close was quite different. But I found him to be very sweet.
What were those qualities that attracted you to her?
2shotz: I like dark-skinned women and like I said earlier, I was not looking for a relationship. She is dark-skinned and her attitude was nothing like that of the average girl. What really got me was when we went to church for the crossover service and there was a prayer point about getting husbands and wives. While the prayer was going on, I was not praying but she held my hand and prayed. Nobody had ever done that to me.
How long did you date?
2shotz: We did not date for too long.
How have you coped with fame?
Precious: When I found out who he was, I was not exactly comfortable with it. First of all, he was not my ideal man. In my line of work as a medical scientist, I was looking for a guy who had a nine-to-five job. But I fell in love. Besides, you don’t always get what you want, not because it is not right for you but because God has other plans for you. I was not looking for an artiste because my father is one. He played with Oliver De Coque and my mother used to tell me stories of how he changed women.
At some point we broke up and some of his close relations and manager talked to me on why I should not walk out of the relationship. When we first met, he had so many girls around him and I wondered where my place was in the multitude. As far as coping with his stardom is concerned, I just go with the flow. Its fun and I get to meet a lot of celebrities. I take pictures with them and my friends in Ireland think I am living the life in Nigeria.
Are you musically inclined?
Precious: I was the choir leader of my church and I am into gospel music. Notwithstanding, we discuss his music and from time to time, he likes to get my opinion on songs.
Was there any opposition from your families?
Precious: I would not really describe it as opposition because my father is an artiste. He asked him why he wanted to marry me. In fact, that was the first time my father spoke Pidgin English to him. I just felt he was right for me even though it was not what I had been praying for.
Can you remember the first time you met with his parents?
Precious: His father actually critiqued what I wore. It was during the Christmas season and I wore black. As soon as I came in through the door, his father said I ought not to have worn black and should have gone for white and red.
How would you describe being married?
Precious: It has been good and different because you have this person who is always telling you what to do. It took me time to get used to having to submit wholly .In Ireland, I started making my own money at age 16 and by the time I was 18, I had my own apartment. I had become used to being independent.
You had to relocate to Nigeria…
Precious: It was not an easy decision because my family are in Ireland and I miss them. I am glad I am here for a good reason and learning to be a wife. It’s great to be together in one place.
What has marriage taught you?
2shotz: I have learnt a lot of things they just never tell you. There is no interesting thing about being married except for the companionship and it saves you some money. You no longer have to eat out and you don’t have to spend money on a couple of girls. Now, it’s just your wife. It also prevents you from doing some things that are either promiscuous or unnecessary.
When you quarrel, who is the first to apologise?
2shotz: Anybody apologises.
Precious: It is not anybody. He is stubborn and does not believe he is wrong. He thinks because he is older than I am, he is never wrong. His favourite sentence to me is, ‘I am telling you this because I have the experience.’
How do you spend special occasions?
2shotz: Valentine is just another day to me. Maybe it’s because of the experiences that I have had. The only Valentine’s Day I tried spending with an ex-girlfriend did not turn out well and since then, I just forgot about it. Why do you need one special day to tell someone you love her or him? I can be romantic when I want to be but I have to be in that mood by myself. I hate it when my woman tells me how to treat her and she does that a lot. I will only hold your hands in public because I want to and not because you told me to.
Precious: I remember when we were still dating; he ordered roses and my mother sent the delivery man to bring it to me in school.
Is there anything you would like to change about each other?
2shotz: Her mouth. You know how women talk, they are never satisfied.
Precious: That I don’t like certain things about him does not mean I can’t live with it. But I will like him to be less stubborn. He is an Igbo man who is deeply rooted in the Igbo culture which makes him think in a certain way. At times, he is not willing to bend the rules just to make it happen. I am just learning the values and tradition of my people.
Apart from being his wife what do you do?
Precious: I am a qualified anatomist but I run a business where I sell hair extensions.
Do you have any pet names you address each other by?
2shotsz: I use so many. Anyone that comes to my head is what I call her.
Precious: I call him babe.
