As a very young lad I developed an uncommon passion for Jazz music, because I didn’t watch cartoons like the other children. I didn’t grow up liking them. Strangely, I’ll be drawn to Jazz music and I was keen on listening to Black America Jazz music and also, I listen with my dad to highlife music. I come from a family of music lovers though they were not professionals, but they serve and play in Church. So, my dad and I will sit down morning till night, apart from playing soccer, listening to music. Then, I started drumming before they got trumpet for the Church, and I started blowing it but before then, there was a man who was very close to our family, a Police Sergeant. He didn’t go to school but he could read the Bible. Interestingly, he couldn’t read any other thing but he could read the Bible supernaturally.
He is the first man I saw that raised the dead in front of me. One day after he’s done praying, he came to my father and say, “you see that boy Bassey, I see him becoming great in the future, watch him.” And as a small boy, with no encounter with God, I knew there was something special about him, to the extent that when he’s speaking, I’ll go and stay close to him, so that his saliva will touch me. After he gave those prophetic words I started playing trumpet. Growing up, I began to get involved in mainstream music. I’m doing gigs with the guys, I’m in secular bands and I work with Ayo Bankole, Tee Mark life band, Steve Rose, I was doing pretty much a lot of things. I was supposed to travel with Asa, I gave her a few trumpet lessons and all of that stuff. I was pretty much doing that and doing church. I was doing music because I had the desire to be a touring musician. I want to be at the peak of my career, so I practiced for hours. I just want to be a good musician, traveling round the world.
I applied for Bethly College scholarship with my friends and we won. I was ready to go to America and then, my pastor called me to his office, all of this time I never had an encounter with God, and he said, “Nathaniel, do you know anytime you play the trumpet I cried. Do you know you carry something?” but I make fun of it and he kept saying that. I was just thinking he is whining me. One day, the late Stella Obasanjo was to come to our Church, and my pastor gave me a song to prepare, so when I was ministering on the stage I knew that was something I’m supposed to do with my life, that experience sent me into a journey season. So, I told my Pastor and I cut away from every group.
I gave up Bethly scholarship. It was so radical that my elder sister who led us to Christ called from Dubai, after my friends reported me to her but I insisted. So, I gave myself to prayer and I had an encounter. I had a vision of when I’m ministering, there was fire everywhere and when I woke up, I started weeping all through the night and my dad came to my room, and when he touched me, he started crying too. From them on, I knew God hand was upon me and I have to settle myself in seeking him and the rest they say is history.
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