POPULAR RAP ARTISTE, SOLOMON OYENIYI, AKA K-SOLO AND HIS WIFE, MATOP, TALK ABOUT THEIR MARRIAGE

How did you meet you wife?

K-Solo: She was like a daughter to me before she became my wife. I was watching over her before I finally proposed to her. We were friends and I used to advise her about men then too. When we met, I had more female fans than males. Most of the things that were written in the media were false stories, but she has been a very good friend.

Was that before or after your separation from your first marriage?

K-Solo: We were friends from a distance before I got separated. We would chat and talk but never met for two years. I grew up in the midst of women. When we eventually met, we did not spend up to 20 minutes with each other. It was a feeling that grew to this extent.

How did it develop?

K-Solo: It got to a point where I knew I would know her personally. I found that I wished I had somebody like her, with the experiences she had and things she had in her head. But I could not tell her that I wanted her. But one day, it just happened.

How did you feel when he proposed to you?

Matop: I was surprised, happy and excited as well, although I was expecting it.

You accepted the proposal without thinking about it…

Matop: I did not have to think about it. We wanted each other.

Were there concerns about his previous marriage?

Matop: Before I accepted to go out with him, I knew all that and I accepted him that way. I could not have rejected him because of what had already happened. Even if I did not accept his proposal, someone else would. I do not see him in that light. That is his past and I am supposed to focus on us.

Did your family oppose the marriage?

K-Solo: I had little opposition from my family because I already had a bad press. They were skeptical if I could handle a woman. She was not in Nigeria then, she is from Cameroon. We had that little opposition and I was no longer interested. She kept encouraging me to move on. She actually changed me and gave me the chance to love again, because I had a bitter experience. I could not imagine a woman who would kneel down to give me food to eat and holding the plate in her hands while I ate, turning around to hurt, harm me and claim to have a child for me. I had already seen it all and did not know what else to expect from a new woman. I was wondering what the new woman would do to please me or make me feel that it could be better. It took God’s grace to change me and the fact that we are actually meant to be. At the end, my family stood by me and told me to do whatever makes me happy.

Matop: My family is open and they welcomed him warmly when I introduced him to them. They got along well immediately and started referring to him as a friend.

Now that you are married, does it deprive you of your freedom?

K-Solo: It has given me more freedom. Then, I was scared of moving out but not anymore. The good thing is that she understands the spirituality of life and that there are forces that want this marriage to collapse. We do not have issues and we correct each other. I always tell her that she represents a very important part of my life, even more than my immediate family. She has stuck to me against all odds.

Do you get jealous of his female fans?

Matop: He is family-oriented when he is at home. I know most of his female friends, so I do not have a problem there.

What do you do to get each other angry?

K-Solo: She snores and I am difficult.

Matop: There is no perfect man. If you expect to meet one, then he must be a lazy man who does nothing. He is not difficult, but I can say he is disciplined.

How do you make up after a quarrel?

K-Solo: She does it in the traditional way. She goes down on her knees and apologises.

Is she always the first to apologise?

K-Solo: It depends on who is at fault. If she is wrong, she identifies it on time and apologises. We try as much as possible not to make it last long. Sometimes, I prolong the issue to make her know the depth of what she has done. When the atmosphere for quarrels is about to come up, she does all she can to subdue it and that makes me happy.

What pet name do you call each other?

K-Solo: I call her Aya Oba which means the wife of a king. Sometimes, I call her Alomo oko which means a clingy wife. She likes to cling to me.

Matop: I call him Oba which means, My King, or Ademi meaning, My Crown.

What do you love about her?

K-Solo: She is a good cook. I do not know what any other woman outside can give me, which she does not have. I have tasted everything; I do not see anything in a woman outside that would impress me. I see her like my sibling and not a wife. Sometimes, I reprimand her or straighten her up. At other times, I let her know that I want to be petted.

Matop: He is an artiste and producer outside, but I do not see him that way at home. He is a different person from what he is outside. He does not mix work with family time. He is the best man I could have ever wished for. He is amazing and loving.

How would you describe the marriage?

K-Solo: It is the best. I am not moving somewhere else and this is where I want to be. She makes me discover my new person every day.

Matop: It has been blissful, interesting and fun.

Do you operate a joint account?

K-Solo: Yes, we do. It was her idea because she likes business. She believes that little drops of water make a mighty ocean. She makes me deposit some money into the account every day.

How do you cope with being married to someone who is not from your country?

Matop: I was born in Lagos State and I am cool with it. I do not see anything wrong with it. I am a Nigerian by birth.

Does he partake in chores?

Matop: Yes, he does. In fact, he is a good cook and we compete sometimes. He helps out with other chores when I am busy in the kitchen.

How do you spend time together?

Matop: We see movies together; we go to parties, attend comedy shows and hang for a drink.

K-Solo: We gossip a lot.

What qualities do you share?

Matop: He is a man and I am a woman and we possess different qualities. Sometimes, we have mutual feelings and think alike. We could have the same thing running in our minds at the same time.

How should celebrity spouses handle their husbands/wives?

Matop: They should get to understand the celebrities and not see them as celebrities. Seeing them in that light could result in quarrels. I see my husband as Solomon and not K-Solo.