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The Kooking of Black 'Rice
The Kooking of Black ‘Rice is an extraordinary, image rich memoir that preserves the life of Richard Ekinadese Osagie, the man who grew to be known as Black ‘ drummer, poet, actor, Rastafari adherent, cultural observer, and one of the unsung witnesses of Nigeria’s most creative eras.
Told with clarity, depth, humor, and unfiltered honesty, this book is richly illustrated with rare photographs, family images, performance pictures, and historical documentation that pull the reader into the world he lived in. As Dr Tony Onyima writes in the foreword, this is a narrative that “sings, wrestles, provokes, dances, and insists on being remembered.” It is the account of a man shaped by hardship, sharpened by culture, carried by creative arts, and sustained by an inner resilience.
The book begins in Benin City, southsouth Nigeria, where Black ‘Rice’s early years were marked by the turbulence of a polygamous home, the tension of favoritism, and the quest for identity. From childhood encounters with supernatural tales to the discovery of herbs to the struggle of boarding school, the foundations of his later life began to form. Even the birth of his name, “Black ‘Rice,” became a story of creativity, survival, and reinvention.
In this book, you will
• How Majek Fashek got his stage name, and the early friendship that shaped his rise.
• How Black ‘Rice himself got the name “Black ‘Rice”, told straight from his childhood experiences.
• Unseen backstage stories from NTA Benin, including rehearsals under the famous NTA tree.
• The rise of Ja’Stix and the creative explosion that shaped early Nigerian reggae.
• Encounters with icons like Sir Victor Uwaifo, Ras Kimono, Sunny Okosun, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and others.
• Life inside Benin City’s 1970s to 1990s creative scene, with its struggles, risks, and breakthroughs.
• Hustling through music shows, unpaid performances, and the realities of survival.
• Rare photographs that document a forgotten era and bring every chapter to life.
Preface One, written by Charles Novia, calls Black ‘Rice “an African griot” and a “celebrated musical rebel.” Preface Two presents the memoir as an important historical document that records the development of music and Nollywood in Nigeria and praises the author’s instinctive gift for language and storytelling.
Across the chapters, readers encounter names, places, and events that shaped Nigerian reggae, rhythm culture, and social entertainment. Icons such as Amos McRoy Jegede, King Sunny Ade, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Aibtonia Igiehon, and others appear throughout the narrative. Among these relationships is his early bond with Majek Fashek; their first meeting, their jam sessions under the NTA tree, and the moment when Black ‘Rice helped shape the name “Majek Fashek”
The memoir records the rise of Ja’Stix, the spiritual initiation into Rastafari and the Twelve Tribes teachings, supernatural encounters on dark Benin City roads, confrontations with police and military systems, and the difficult realities of hustling in a changing Nigeria. Black ‘Rice writes about Fela’s arrest, the oppressive climate of the military era, and the social contradictions of the time.
The book moves beyond Nigeria as well, covering his years in Holland, the challenges of immigration, the experience of raising a family, and the emotional cost of holding onto artistic integrity.
In the end, The Kooking of Black ‘Rice stands as more than a personal autobiography. It is a cultural document, a musical history, a political witness note, and a spiritual reflection.
Told with clarity, depth, humor, and unfiltered honesty, this book is richly illustrated with rare photographs, family images, performance pictures, and historical documentation that pull the reader into the world he lived in. As Dr Tony Onyima writes in the foreword, this is a narrative that “sings, wrestles, provokes, dances, and insists on being remembered.” It is the account of a man shaped by hardship, sharpened by culture, carried by creative arts, and sustained by an inner resilience.
The book begins in Benin City, southsouth Nigeria, where Black ‘Rice’s early years were marked by the turbulence of a polygamous home, the tension of favoritism, and the quest for identity. From childhood encounters with supernatural tales to the discovery of herbs to the struggle of boarding school, the foundations of his later life began to form. Even the birth of his name, “Black ‘Rice,” became a story of creativity, survival, and reinvention.
In this book, you will
• How Majek Fashek got his stage name, and the early friendship that shaped his rise.
• How Black ‘Rice himself got the name “Black ‘Rice”, told straight from his childhood experiences.
• Unseen backstage stories from NTA Benin, including rehearsals under the famous NTA tree.
• The rise of Ja’Stix and the creative explosion that shaped early Nigerian reggae.
• Encounters with icons like Sir Victor Uwaifo, Ras Kimono, Sunny Okosun, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and others.
• Life inside Benin City’s 1970s to 1990s creative scene, with its struggles, risks, and breakthroughs.
• Hustling through music shows, unpaid performances, and the realities of survival.
• Rare photographs that document a forgotten era and bring every chapter to life.
Preface One, written by Charles Novia, calls Black ‘Rice “an African griot” and a “celebrated musical rebel.” Preface Two presents the memoir as an important historical document that records the development of music and Nollywood in Nigeria and praises the author’s instinctive gift for language and storytelling.
Across the chapters, readers encounter names, places, and events that shaped Nigerian reggae, rhythm culture, and social entertainment. Icons such as Amos McRoy Jegede, King Sunny Ade, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Aibtonia Igiehon, and others appear throughout the narrative. Among these relationships is his early bond with Majek Fashek; their first meeting, their jam sessions under the NTA tree, and the moment when Black ‘Rice helped shape the name “Majek Fashek”
The memoir records the rise of Ja’Stix, the spiritual initiation into Rastafari and the Twelve Tribes teachings, supernatural encounters on dark Benin City roads, confrontations with police and military systems, and the difficult realities of hustling in a changing Nigeria. Black ‘Rice writes about Fela’s arrest, the oppressive climate of the military era, and the social contradictions of the time.
The book moves beyond Nigeria as well, covering his years in Holland, the challenges of immigration, the experience of raising a family, and the emotional cost of holding onto artistic integrity.
In the end, The Kooking of Black ‘Rice stands as more than a personal autobiography. It is a cultural document, a musical history, a political witness note, and a spiritual reflection.
Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2025
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