Ed Orima, known as Halver, is a rising artist from Port Harcourt who has been making music since 2019. He doesn’t talk about Port Harcourt the way most artists talk about their city. There’s no nostalgia in it. No romanticising. He says it as it is. From his experiences, there has emerged a sound that he believes nobody else can replicate. He sat down with us to talk about his city, his sound, Silk & Scars, and why he considers himself the King of the South.
NoteS: You come from Port Harcourt, a city that doesn’t always get the flowers it deserves. What did growing up there give you that nowhere else could?
Halver: I grew up in a time when we had to raise our hands when we were moving around because of the level of insecurity during the whole militancy era. Every single incident then shaped us. We were always conscious, always moving around, looking behind our backs. It created an environment where you don’t feel safe. Even up to now, I still have PTSD about everything I experienced growing up.
And I think those were part of the factors that also made the Port Harcourt music scene decline for a long time, before the likes of Burna Boy and Omah Lay hinted and made people understand that, okay, these guys are actually talented. Before them, we had Duncan, Frank D’nero, and a whole bunch of guys. So I feel like the experiences we all grew up around, the Niger Delta struggle, everything we saw, those are part of the things that shaped the sound.
I’ve had people point something at me to collect my phone, collect the money in my pocket. Sometimes I had to fight. Sometimes you realise, okay, let this one go so you can live to see another day. I have friends that could not see 25. Most of them could not get to 18. They are gone. Losing your friends to gun violence, losing your friends to killings, losing your friends to crazy things, losing your friends to betrayal, everything contributed to creating a unique sound that comes from that city. That’s why when you hear Port Harcourt artists sing, it’s different.
NoteS: You’ve been in Lagos for four years now. What are you bringing from the South that others haven’t, and how has the transition been?
Halver: I’m bringing my own personal struggles. Everybody’s story is different. You’ve not heard my story before. And I’m sure my story is very interesting because I’m a good storyteller. I’m not telling you fiction, I’m telling you real life. This is more like a biopic, and I’m the one starring it.
The difference is I’m not out of touch with the grassroots. I still go back to Port Harcourt. The guys who went before me have lost touch with everything that’s going on in that city. They barely come around. They don’t know what’s happening there.
Coming down to Lagos, man, I saw different types of snakes. Sometimes you meet people who are supposed to be your brothers, considering you’re coming from the same city, but they end up betraying you more than the ones you meet from elsewhere. But being the street-savvy person I am, I navigated it. Smooth seas never made strong sailors, so we just keep moving regardless of what challenges come ahead.
NoteS: You’ve been making music since 2019. How would you describe your growth as an artist since then?
Halver: I don’t know how good you are with science, but have you seen a sine wave? How it goes up and down? It’s been that way for me. Full of challenges. Sometimes you feel like you’re at your breaking point, and you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing and have to start all over again.
Also, we don’t have any backing, no sponsors. I’ve never been the type that appeals to the general public, because if I had mass appeal, we’d have gotten sponsors by now. But we do our thing our own way, we grind, we hustle, make business deals and push the music. It has not been easy pushing your stuff when you don’t have that backing. But regardless, we’re having this interview now, so that shows I’m progressing.
NoteS: Tell me about your two-pack Silk & Scars. The name feels like it’s saying two things at once.
Halver: Everybody, every hustler, every person, has had that experience. That moment when you start having breakthroughs in your life. You feel like you’re on top of the world. Friends everywhere. Luxury everything, luxury relationships, luxury lifestyle. You’re in a euphoric moment.
But just like someone drunk, in the morning when you’re hungover, reality sets in. You realise the dumb mistakes you’ve made. The people you thought were there for you? They were just there for a good time. Your girl will leave you, and your friends won’t pick up your calls. Nobody is going to care about you at the end of the day.
I named the second side Dembele because at one point, he was one of the highest-rated signings in the world. Then his persistent injuries happened. People stopped looking at him the same way. But then he won the Ballon d’Or. Nobody expected that. That was his redemption arc. But not everybody gets a redemption arc. People just live in the scars forever.
So I felt like, okay, this is something everybody can relate to. Be smart about what you’re doing. If you’re loving, love with your head. If you’re making friends, be wise. That’s what the project is about.
NoteS: How has the reception been?
Halver: So far, so good. Funny how I expected people to be more on the first side, that’s the silky part, On God. But people are relating more to Dembele. The scars part. For some odd reason, it seems like everybody is going through some messy stuff right now. Numbers are climbing. My people are feeling it. New people are commenting. So far it’s been amazing.
NoteS: You took a break before this run. What was happening behind the scenes?
Halver: It was more me trying to figure something out, and also a reset. I’ve been clapping for others for a long time. You clap for others, and nobody claps for you. I figured, come on, you’ve been doing this thing a long time, waiting for someone to come and give you your flowers.
So I decided to take a step back, go back to the drawing board, re-strategise, reorganise. Find the things that were not going right. Then take the crown by force. Because I realised nobody is doing this. Nobody is putting the South on. They just come, pop, and then everybody is representing Lagos like everybody is from Lagos.
I had to go back, reset, position myself and come back and start building momentum. Because I have to put my people on. I have to represent my people fully.
NoteS: Beyond music, you’ve founded Guap Culture Limited. What is that about?
Halver: Guap is money. And we live in a society where people value money more than anything. Not just a Nigerian thing, it’s a global phenomenon. I came to understand this earlier in my life. Considering how people have treated my team and me, I realised: this is a money culture. Our eyes are going to be set on the prize.
So it’s more than just a company. It’s a culture. It’s the hustle mindset. Always knowing that money must be made in anything you’re doing. Don’t lose yourself, but the money must be made. If you don’t have money, you can’t do what you want to do.
Guap Culture is all about progress. Taking stuff to the next level. Putting the South on the map. Everything we do, we do it for the culture.
NoteS: Your Ghetto Boy persona is central to your brand. As the money comes in and the rooms get bigger, how do you stay authentic?
Halver: Jay-Z already gave us the blueprint. I mean, the guy gave us one, two, three, outlined everything for us, but also, I grew up in the streets of Port Harcourt. I’ve always gone back to my hood. This year alone, I’ve been back more than four times. Sometimes I just go back to chill with my people. I always try to reconnect because that’s the city that made me.
I’m even more informed about what’s happening in my hood than some people who are actually there right now. That’s how grassroots-oriented I am. I was once a zonal officer in NANS, the National Association of Nigerian Students. I was once Director of Sports for the entire South-South and South-East. That’s to show you the level of how connected I am.
Being from the ghetto doesn’t mean you can’t be smart. Most times, you don’t have to experience something, you can learn from other people’s experiences. The blueprint’s already there. Apply intelligence in everything you do. Even if you’re a billionaire tomorrow, you can still reconnect to your roots.
Notes: If someone is hearing about you for the first time, what song do you send them to first?
Halver: Confidence, because it talks about the fact that the amount of bravery someone has with zero naira in their account versus someone with ten million is completely different. And anyone living in Nigeria right now will relate to that. Confidence is determined by what substance you have to offer. That’s money culture. That’s Guap Culture. So yeah, start with Confidence.
Notes: What should people expect from you for the rest of the year?
Halver: More tracks. Bimonthly drops. Back to back to back music. And towards the end of the year, I’m thinking of touching down in Port Harcourt, hosting a show, and giving back to my city. Bayelsa, Delta State, Calabar, Akwa Ibom. And Abuja shows me a lot of love. Funny because I’m not an Abuja boy, but a lot of my important streams come from there, so I might do a show there too.
I have a lot in store. I don’t want to reveal too much. This is just like a campaign; you don’t reveal too much going in, and you experience it when it arrives. Just get ready to experience it.
NoteS: Any final words?
Halver: To the guys from the South, come back home. Don’t forget where you’re from. Shine the light for the next people coming behind you. Don’t just break the door and close it with a lock and key. Even if you want to keep it, leave it open a small way so people can crawl under and pass through. Show some love. Shine the light for the next person in the dark. That’s all I have to say.