Memories behind the music

So with this one, I woke up from one of those naps where you’re sweating. You just took an evening nap, and you wake up, and it seems like a war

just happened. I see like seven missed calls on Snapchat, and it’s from Tycoone, who’s David’s creative director. I hit him back, and he’s like,

“Where are you? David wants to see you.” I’m like, “What the fuck? Alright, bet.” So, I pull up and we go to this place called Shisha Lounge back

then. David has this whole entourage, and there were so many people around him. I think Peruzzi was with him at that time, and this producer called

Fresh. I wanted to sit on the other side because there were so many people, but Davido called me over to sit right beside him. I was nervous as

hell. I was very antisocial at that time. He then told me to start playing music, and I played “outcast,” then I played “falling,” and he said,

“Them go love you for Yankee.” He then asks me to play him stuff I’d not worked on, and I had the beat for “divine” from Hvrry, the producer. The

beat only played for three seconds, and he was like, “Yeah, this is the one.” That was the first time I’d ever seen someone do that; he hadn’t even

heard the beat for long enough, but he was just like, “Let’s go.” So, we got into the cars and we went to Eko Hotels. He rented out a suite, and we

set up there to work on the song. He kind of added some production stuff; it was the first time I’d seen him work in person, so it was interesting

to see how involved he was in the process. Later on, I found out that he used to produce music. Working with him was interesting. I feel like if

life permits it, and we work on music together again, it would always be interesting because there’s a certain understanding of production.

I had already started making “Bring you home” on my keyboard in Lagos in 2023. I was listening to a Rex Jim Lawson song “Jolly Papa” and if you

listen, you will hear that it inspired the progression for “Bring you home”. We made it in January 2024 at a camp in Accra. I worked on the song

with DUKE (credited producers). The thing is, when a song is complete, as an artist, you will feel it. If something is missing from a song, I would

aslo have a feeling. Sometimes, you can still think about a song later and say “I could have done this or that”. But you have to know right now,

what you want to do. After listening, I just knew the song was complete and ready.

We were in Ghana, January 2024. The producers, DUKE said; “we made this for Tems, but she didn't use it”. When they played it, right there, the

melodies came to me. I said, know what, I’m going into the kitchen to write the song. I wrote it without listening to the beat, all I had was that

first melody in my head. Usually, I write my songs on paper, but I wrote it on my phone, came out and said to DUKE, let’s record this. We’d had a

long and stressful recording session leading to this point. During recording, that part “all I need…” was so difficult for me to sing. When the mic

was not on my mouth, I’d sing it so perfectly, but when I have the mic, I’d get so nervous and couldn’t sing it. After a while, I finally got

something. I was recording right at the point that I was waiting for my ride to the airport. So the first part of Painless Melody, I recorded in a

haste.

Olamide had posted this record a while ago, and I was a fan of the record when he posted it. I didn't understand why he never put out the record. I

think I tweeted it in 2024. I was like, “Olamide, I mean, this record is so crazy. Why didn't you ever put it out? Can you put it out?” We had a

conversation about it. He said he was going to drop it. I was like, “Okay, cool, we’ll be waiting.” Fast forward to two months ago (around August

2025), he texted me, “Hey Blaq, do you want this record?” I'm like, “What do you mean, do I want this record? Of course, I want this record.” As

soon as he sent it to me, Magicsticks and I started cooking it. We created a new production for it because Niniola had already used the old beat. At

first, it was crazy because I was conflicted on whether the beat sounded as good as the original one. We just kept going back and forth, working on

it. I sent Olamide one version, and he said the vibe was fire and that we should keep going. We just kept going back and forth via email. It was

interesting going back and forth via email because that was peculiar. There was one time I was sending it to him via Instagram, but he never opened

it, but once I sent an email, he was there to respond. It was an interesting time to create that kind of song.

“you” wasn’t written based on my perspective or something I was going through. My manager, MelvinTheWave, was in love at that point. He was so in

love, and I was always observing him and his actions. So, I was just copying and pasting his lifestyle on that song. It’s a love song talking about

your girl and how she’s making you feel. “You” was written in March of 2025, and it was produced by Kel P. Kel P is so great at what he does; he

won’t let you sing rubbish. He’s one of the producers I’ve met who is very deliberate about what he does. A lot of producers don’t care about what

you’re singing as long as you work with them and use their beats. Most people just want to record and go, but Kel P won’t let you do that; it has to

be up to standard. In fact, he won’t let you write your songs alone; he wants to listen before you record. He’s very interested in what you want to

put down. Even if it’s great, he’s still looking for a way to make it better.

SB produced “alone.” The song was sampled from Wande Coal’s “Again,” so SB and Melvitto are co-producers. I didn’t know I was making a song like

that when I was writing “alone.” I never knew it would be my song because I got a call from a friend of mine, Nelly Baradi, who sings. She was

having a creative block, and she’s someone I always help out because we make music together all of the time. It’s normal to have creative blocks, so

she called me that day to help her put something together on the beat. I didn’t answer initially because I had a lot of things going on, but she

knew I was going to help her out. This time was different because I didn’t attend to her request promptly. It took me about three days because I was

just feeling so reluctant. She kept disturbing me, so on the third day, I decided to get it done. I locked in and I wrote out the first one minute.

It was sounding really great, and I told myself I wasn’t sending it back to her. I recorded it myself and put it out on socials, and everybody went

crazy. I have to give a big shoutout to BhadBoi Oml; he and I were already planning to make something together. He’s someone I really like because

he sings so well. I really fuck with him, so I’d been in his DM. I told him I really like what he does and I’d love to make something with him

someday. He responded and said, “Why not my G?” So, we already planned on making the song, but we didn’t have a direction. All we knew was that we

were going to link up and make something. I posted “alone” after this conversation, and he really liked it. So, he sent it to me and told me that he

thinks this is the one we should work on together. We went into the studio, made it, and it became a whole track. We dropped it, and it just went

crazy.

I have such a great memory attached to this song. I was in London at the time, around April 2025. So, I got a call from Big Wiz’s camp to come to

the studio. I linked up with Big Wiz at the studio and we made the song. There are several songs you make that don’t come out, so I thought “One

Condition” would be another song that doesn’t get released because, to me, I didn’t really do anything on the song. Many people ask me how I came up

with the verse, but I simply tell them that it just came to me. I spent about 30 or 40 minutes on that song. It was just so sudden for me. Wizkid

told me to go and do something, and I just walked into the booth and started singing. I initially thought the verse was not so hard, but when we put

it out, everything went crazy. After recording, I went back home and got a text about two or three days later that the song was going to come out. I

thought it was a joke. I have a video on my phone of my reaction to the news. I was so happy and just started running around. Just getting that text

saying, “Yo Fola, Big Wiz just cleared the song, we’re going to drop it,” was crazy. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if you were expecting the

song to be talked about or if you were expecting the song to be put out. I just did my verse and went, so getting that text that it was coming out

was really mind-blowing. It was huge for me.

The way “Escaladizzy” came to life captures my creative process and personal energy. I’m constantly in motion, always moving forward. A few days

before it all came together, I was on the way back from an event with my guys, all of us in the back of an Escalade, when I got home that day, I

heard a beat by 2 Frosh (credited producer) and it stuck with me. So I started writing what would later become “Escaladizzy” before I even got to

Wave$tar’s place. One night, after Wave$tar’s party, which he invited me to perform at, I opened my Snap and noticed he was around. I texted him and

decided to swing by his house. When I got there, we were originally chilling, but before we knew it, we were recording. The original plan was to

record a Wave$tar song, which we did, but after that, the energy was still there, and I had the beat that 2 Frosh sent to me looping in my head.

Wave$tar’s vibe was different, and I just felt like it would be the perfect vibe to lead me into the song. The funniest part is that I didn’t even

expect this to be the song to blow up because I have way better songs out. There were no plans to drop it this year—it dropped because of how the

audience received it. That’s how my music happens—that’s how I live my life: organized but open to change, nothing forced. Everything flows from my

music and instincts, so if it feels right, I follow it. No elaborate rituals—just space and a living vibe.

Blaqbonez always wanted me to make a song that will go super viral. He’s like; “oh, you need to make a record that will cement your legacy, a song

that many Nigerians will know, will listen to”. So when I was making God's Engineering 2 (previous album), we made ‘Family’. It didn't go as viral

as he wanted it to go. So when I was making God's Engineering 3, he was paying special interest in the recording process. When I made the song

called ‘Read the Signs’ with Terry Apala, Blaq was super excited. He even helped me contact Terry to be on the record. He was like; “yo, this is the

record. You finally did it your way. You just have to put a budget behind this record, and it's going to go super viral”. I was like, cool. It's

supposed to be the single anyway. But then I told him that I'm not going to make the album without him doing a verse. I wanted a rap verse. So

before I wrapped up the album, I called him and I was like, yo, I'm wrapping up the album and I need that verse. And he was like, say less. I think

two days later, I just got an email and he had recorded on a YouTube beat. I listened to the verse and the hook and I was like, Oh, is this how

you're feeling? He was like, yeah, a lot had happened before he recorded the verse. He put down how he felt about what was happening. I was like,

okay, I jumped into the booth and dropped my own verse in like, maybe like 15, 20 minutes. But I held it back because I was still not certain

because it was on a YouTube beat. We sent it to a producer called Jxses. He was able to make a beat that matched what we were already feeling -

which is one of the hardest things to do. We didn't think of it as a single, right? We just wanted it to be on the project. After I finished the

album, I played it for my team and they were like, yo, it's hard - and this should be the single. They were like, the hook, the chemistry,

everything is just a safer bet. And I spoke to the guys on the distribution side, and they were like, yeah, they actually think that the song with

Blaqbonez is the single. So we picked a date. And we dropped it. The situation between Blaq and Modu (ODUMODUBLVCK), everything just escalated it.

And yeah, that's how the song came about. We were not in the same studio when we made the record. Blaq recorded his part, sent it to me. I recorded

my part, sent it to him. And people have been saying that that's one of my best verses yet. That thing that Blaqbonez wanted me to always have, “I

want you to have this to cement your legacy”. I always wanted him to be the person that would give that to me. I guess he finally did it on this

record.

Writing “Stubborn” gave me a whole new identity. It gave me something I didn’t know I had with me. The producers, 1MIND also made “Unforgettable” by

Swae Lee and French Montana. They have quite a stacked catalogue, and they’re very good friends of mine outside of production. A session with them

is good energy, and that evening, I was just myself in the studio. I wasn’t overly prepared to make a record; I just wanted to have fun, so when the

beat for “Stubborn” came on, I was feeling it, and I wasn’t thinking of doing something perfect. Ironically, it came out as a moody song, but in

that moment, it was a blend of me having fun and reminiscing on my life. It was an “I’m him” moment. I was going through moments when it wasn’t too

smooth, but I overcame, and I’m now in L.A., giving myself praises and stuff like that. Just because it was so many emotions at once, I felt like,

“Damn, this is an exceptional record.” The fact that I was able to blend the fun, moody, and autobiographical elements gave me a new feeling, brand,

and identity in my head. It was straight, almost like one takes, because with “Stubborn,” I recorded it like one long verse. The first and third

verses of the song were recorded together as one long verse. I was really in my bag. After I made the song, we just agreed that “Stubborn” would

bang with a feature because it’s such a new sound. We felt that it would be more incisive if we had somebody else to come explore something, and

Asake came to mind. I reached out on Instagram, and he told me to send it. When he came into Lagos, he came to my studio, and we just did it

together.

I started writing “Can’t Breathe” while I was in Abuja in 2023, then I finished it when I came back to Lagos. I was in Abuja, and I really couldn’t

enter certain roads because of bandits (local terrorist attacks). One of the stories I’ve never told about “Can’t Breathe” is that on one of the

days when I was writing in Lagos, one of our (Nigerian) artists was having an O2 London arena performance, and there’s usually big acclaim when a

Nigerian artist is performing at the O2. The media and everywhere are flooded with videos of the performance. Around 2 a.m. that night, I was

outside trying to craft the song, so I was practically performing the song as I was writing it. Especially with the “they want to hold me down”

part, I was talking about how those people (other artists) were up there, and I was still where I was. With the way I was writing and performing the

song at the same time, anyone who saw me on the road would have thought I was mad because I had my band at my back (in my head) just like they had

at the O2 Arena. I had my crowd with me, and I was just visualizing it all.

The crazy thing about “Rapid Fire” is that Genio didn’t make the beat for me; it was for Tomi Thomas. I just came inside, heard the beat, and was

like, “Guy!…” The thing about these sorts of songs is that they’re really easy for me to make. I’ve probably made like nine of those types of songs,

but this one was sweet to make… there was something about it. I just did one verse and the hook and was just playing it. I didn’t necessarily have

much plans for the song, I just knew the song was made. My friend, Tomi Agape, was on the song, but we cut her part short and then Phi (manager at

the time) was like, “Let’s put Shane, this rapper from South Africa and this girl from Ghana, her name is Amaarae.” I was like, “Yeah, I know her,

cool.” When it all came together, it was like, “Oh shit.” Shane’s verse was even cut short because he rapped on the whole thing. Amaa killed the

song, too. The thing with “Rapid Fire” is that it was made with a purity that was intentional. The way the songs were made, the way we shot the

video, the way we called all the guys, the way we all stayed there till the video was done–it was a pure era. People were just watching us live our

lives, but we didn’t even know. We’d just record music and go about. It was just me, Ashley (Okoli), Odunsi (The Engine), and everybody. That’s how

“Rapid Fire” came about. With the video, I’m very inspired by crime and Nollywood, so that’s where that came from.

In 2021, Dapper set up a session with me & Tempoe. It was a camp for an artist called Savage. We made a couple of records that included “Rosemary,”

“Soweto,” and some other songs that never saw the light. At the time, I loved “Rosemary” more and Tempoe used to tell me that “Soweto” is crazy, but

I couldn’t see it. At the end of the day, we gave Savage “Rosemary,” and Tempoe was going to take “Soweto.” It was supposed to be Tempoe featuring

Victony, but people on my team just loved the record and they told me that the song was crazy. I spoke to Tempoe at the time, and he was like, “Yo,

that’s my song, I can’t give it to you.” This was post-“Holy Father,” and I wanted that to be my follow-up single, and he told me he can’t give me

the record. So, we fought, and we just stopped talking for a while. When I was putting the Outlaw EP together, I was telling my friend, AV, about

the plans, and AV goes, “What about that ‘Soweto’ record? That has to make your EP.” I was like, “Yeah, the song is dope, but I don’t think Tempoe

and I can ever agree.” We hadn’t spoken in months but AV was like, “Put your pride to the side and ask him for it again because you’re both sitting

on money.” To be honest, at the time, I didn’t really think of the advice as a big deal but I just did it because AV is someone I trust, he’s a very

good friend of mine, and if he tells me something, I’ll listen. That same night, I reached out to Tempoe and was like, “How are you doing?”

Surprisingly, he responded in good spirits and we were able to make it come to life and I even discussed my EP with him. That’s how the song

eventually became released.

This story is very, very crazy. So, when Kai Cenat came to Nigeria, he was on a livestream in my car and Omah’s music was playing. I had a mix of

songs queued up in my car and then, it was Omah Lay’s song playing. Obviously, that night was a huge stream. So the next day, Omah tweeted, “I’ve

always thought Davido hated me”. I was like, why will I hate you, you haven't done anything to me. Or are you talking behind my back haha. I was

just whining him in the DM. He said, no, no. So thinking about it, if I didn’t do that stream with Kai, he probably wouldn't have tweeted that and

we probably wouldn't have linked. Funny enough, you would think that Davido and Omah Lay wouldn't connect like crazy. Because, obviously, he's very

chill and I'm very out there. But the first time we spoke on the phone, we spoke for like 40 minutes. What was meant to be a quick call. And when he

came to Paris Fashion Week last year, we connected on a major level. So, yeah, as we were talking (after his tweet), I was like, yo, bro, I think we

need to do something. We kept speaking about it and he said he’s getting it and he wanted to send me the perfect song. So after like two weeks went

by, I was like “Ah, Omah!”. He was like “I will send it. I will send something tonight”. He sent it that night and when I first played it, it

captivated immediately. I actually had another verse on it but my guys were like you need to go crazy on it. We need to bring out the craze in

people. So I called one of my Igbo writers haha. Some of the verses were done but I called Yung Alpha (credited writer), amazing artist, amazing

producer and then we finished the song in September last year (2024).

One Sunday afternoon right after stepping out of church and heading to the car, Fizzy (the producer) came up to me and he was like, “bro, I'm a

producer; I'd like to send you some beats”. At this time, I was working with a different management, and I had an album already in the process of

coming out. So, I wasn't really enthusiastic about getting into the studio to start another album or make new songs. Fast forward say after a month,

I was no longer enthusiastic about dropping the previous album, so I needed to start working on a new one. I responded to Fizzy cos he had messaged

me on IG. He sent a pack of beats to my engineer and there were some amazing beats on there. I started to drop vibes on these beats and the one for

Mukutu kind of stood out and I laid the idea I had. It was giving Timberland, the Hip Hop vibe. I liked it, I thought it was really dope. Mukutu

stood out to many listeners because while I was creating the new album, I got into the process of playing it to creatives and in particular Yhemolee

(influencer) was like “Yo brother… just finish this one. This one is the one that should come first”. I leaned towards his advice, and I got back

into the studio, finished it. I was going to feature Fido on it. He already started to lay a vibe, but somehow, he got carried away or busy with his

own personal stuff and I had to just finish it on my own. I'm glad that I did because, although he may have killed it as well, I was able to push it

to the point where I killed it on my own and the results have been amazing.

Obimo was inspired by a conversation I had with my doctor. I went for a check-up, and my doctor said I needed to watch my sugar level. When he said

it, it was a 'light bulb' moment for me. I thought about starting the song with exactly that line. Ragee (the producer) and I just started working

on some ideas. Then he sent me the beat for Obimo. I had some top lines, some melodies, some words that were written by Banks. When I heard it, I

knew it was the one. The beat reminded me of how I felt when I heard the guitar on Orente, so I decided to write the song about my love. I got in

the studio, and of course, the first thing I said was “Doctor say make I watch my sugar level, your body turn me into rebel”. I wrote the song with

all the joy in my heart because it's really true to me. When I finished, I called my guitarist to play on the song cos I wanted it to be live. And

that's how I made Obimo.

This song was a moment of reflection on a beautiful day. I just thought about every single thing that I've been grateful for over the years and my

journey even in music, especially my career, my family, my friends and everything. The privilege to be able to share the music I make to the world

and then for it to also mean something to the listeners and you know? Them being able to see themselves in what I do. So it was that type of day of

reflection and those words just came to my heart, you know, the “look will I fathom” line was just like a moment of genuine awe that just like shook

my core at the moment. That was like the first line that I came up with actually, which ended up being like the first line of the song. So

genuinely, it was just that, a moment of reflection and I decided to write the words. Seeing it be one of my biggest songs is so humbling because

those words are so true to me and then I know that for everybody that listens or for everybody that achieves every milestone in their lives, this

song would mean something to them. So from reflection, to the studio and the beautiful record that we have now, gratitude.

Initially, when I made “Somebody Like You”, the intention was to create something different, compared to what was already out in the market for

Afrobeats. I just was sifting through different like beats with SARZ, just trying to find something that I felt was kind of unique in a sense. Then

he played the beat for Somebody Like You, and I instantly just gravitated towards it. It just felt very nostalgic. I think the lyrics kind of just

followed in that same direction. Once I started singing to it, the first thing that just came out of my mouth was; “summertime in Abuja… reliving

the simpler days”. I just kind of built the idea from there. It actually took a while to finish because after I created the first verse, I had other

ideas for a chorus and everything. I revisited the song sometime after, and when I did, it just felt like everything I needed to say in the song had

just come. So I kind of scrapped everything and started with just the first verse and just entered into a new vibe with the song. The song kind of

made itself in a way, because over time, I think it was just a reflection of all the things I was feeling based on the nostalgia the instrumentals

was giving me and everything. I just felt like I knew what and who I wanted to talk about with that song. And that (person) was my first love. It

all ended up being Somebody Like You.

I was at Millennium Park, a well-known spot (in Abuja), filming a visualizer for a song I had just released. In the middle of the shoot, a group of

local musicians playing traditional Hausa music passed by and unintentionally interrupted us. My videographer was understandably frustrated and

wanted to ask them to leave, but instead, I suggested we do something spontaneous. I invited them to freestyle with me. I even mentioned,

half-jokingly, that if the video we made together got a certain number of comments when I posted it, we’d work on a full project (the video went

viral on social media). That impromptu moment ended up sparking something special, and we created this incredible song together. They took the hook

of the song and added extra percussions on the project.

I wrote “Arike” in 2023. At this time, I was doing a lot of songwriting for other musicians, and it was while doing this that I met The Kazez

(credited producers). After I played some of my writings for them, they advised that I make my own music. They helped install FL Studio on my laptop

and gave me a recording preset to try out at home because there wasn’t any electricity at the time. I went to a friend’s studio and started the

production with FL Keys and simple drums. I layered the intro and wrote the full song on that. The recording and writing took about seven hours!

Initially, I hated how the vocals sounded, and I was close to deleting the whole thing and just sticking to songwriting. I said a little prayer and

left the studio to get food. When I came back, it sounded like a new song! I woke the engineer in the house, and his eyes were teary hearing the

first demo. I sent it back to The Kazez, and they invited me over. While they were beefing up the drums and adding other elements, I had the

inspiration for the vocals you hear under the chorus. I shared it with them, and we recorded it. At that point, I knew we had done something really

special.

The story of this song starts with the story of how I met Omah Lay in the first place. I found Omah Lay on YouTube... I stumbled on a song in 2019

and I started looking for him all over the place. This was before we went into lockdown (COVID-19). It was before I left Nigeria for my tour in

2019. Anyway, finally I connected with somebody and they introduced me to Omah Lay. When we met at the studio, he came late and I was one hour late

to my flight. So I was like, damn I really like this guy, but this international flight is not a joke. You know what, damn If I miss the flight, I

miss it. I would wait for this guy. Long story short, Omah Lay walked in and said, “ah boss, you know, I’ve been trying to reach you. I've been

sending you DMs.” So we started talking, you know and I said to him, I have a question for you, who are you? Why are you so talented? Tell me your

story. He told me all of his plans, you know, we chopped it off. Great guy. Then we left. Thankfully I didn’t miss my flight, it was delayed. When I

got to the USA, I was on tour but we kept sending ideas. Then the lockdown happened. That was how we made a song, “Tonight”. That was one of the

first songs he ever released, around when he put out his first tape. After the lockdown, we tried to work on different records. There was a time me,

Fireboy and Omah Lay made a record. For some reason that record never came out. Then Omah Lay and I worked again and made “One Call”. After we made

One Call, something just kept tickling me. I felt someone else needs to join us on this song. I think what tickled me was the fact that the song

with Omah Lay and Fireboy never dropped. That song is a hit! I don't even know how to explain it. We were going to get back to the studio to finish

it but it just didn’t happen. After we made One Call, I kept thinking, who would be right to join us on this song? Then I remembered Tyla. I tried

to feature Tyla in 2021 on a song with Lucky Daye but we never put it out. I’ve always seen Tyla as a special pop voice. I had already submitted the

song for release, just the version with Omah Lay. I called my team a week later as said let’s withdraw. Then we finally put Tyla on the song. She

also liked the record, it's easy when an artist is also a fan of the record. Omah Lay had a great reaction to it because they have a good vocal

synergy. If you look at the vocal combinations of Omah and Tyla, their voices fit each other. I'm grateful for the reception on the song. It’s one

of those records that stands on it's own for the sake of music forever.

Legolas, is some real sh*t. Real life thing. You know when you're on the come up, you're inside the maze, you cannot really see it. Back then, all

those babes used to do me shege (dirty) because I didn't have money. I used to be angry at them. But coming to realization right now, on Legolas,

I'm like, bro, why are you even in a relationship when you don't have money, bro? I was in Atlanta when I made Legolas. I was with DND Section when

I recorded it. We were in America, during my tour. It made me realize that you are now the property of this period, down to your immediate circle,

your family, everything. No matter what anybody is saying about carrying your guys along, like “if you carry them, it will be slow”. All those

things are fallacy and whatever I'm doing, everything has entered by God's grace. Legolas, fictional character, Lord of Rings, never missed. He was

an archer. Never ever missed. Never.

So for context, I don't usually make songs with already made beats. How I started making a lot of my records is via melody so I have a melody in my

head and then I might start a rudimentary production and send it to someone that is better at drums for instance because I'm not really good at

drums. So in December, Yinka (Bernie) sent me a pack of four instrumentals and coincidentally, we had been listening to some of the same things at

that period of time. One of that similarity was Zamrock. You know, both of us had been listening to a lot of it as I had recently become acquainted

to Zamarock. I also listened to a lot of rock, psychedelic, African music specifically. So when I heard the pack, one of the instrumentals really

stood out to me, and it wasn't the one for Keep On Loving Me. It was another record that I made, which is a Hausa song. So time passes, and we're in

the new year, and I say, let's go back to this pack that Yinka sent to me. Also because I was kind of down, and I needed something to let go of how

I was feeling. So I went back to the pack and then I listened to all and then immediately I listened to Biko Biko I just started to sing. I got the

first riff “so many fish in the sea, but I still choose you…” My laptop was already in front of me so I connected it and I started singing. I didn't

actually write, I just sang how I was feeling because I was down. And so I went to the chorus and the way the chorus was designed was to slide in

rhythm with the guitars. So I was like, oh, it'd be cool if the melody just like sits with that. So when I started singing, “when you keep on loving

me” I didn't necessarily think it would work, but then it sort of did. The reason I added the Biko Biko was because I still wanted it to feel like

home. You know, I still wanted people to think of it as a Nigerian song because it's influenced by African rock rhythms, but also the guitar sounds

very much Northern. It sounds like it could be influenced by the Sahel region, you know, I'm from the North. I finished the first verse and then I

went back to it another time and I just completed it. It is always important to me for people to feel like it's a Nigerian record, like it's from

Nigeria. That's why it was created the way it was.

Shake Body came at the moment when I had issues with my former label. They had a vision, they wanted me to just rap. For me, I was more than a

rapper, I could do other things. I remember me and Jay Pizzle (the producer) worked for two, three years. We were just looking for hits because I

didn't know how to make songs that made people dance and that was my target. So me and Jay Pizzle just focused on that. I remember one day, he

called me and told me he made this exciting beat, saying he knows that's what I've always told him about - because I’d always tell him that I wanted

to make something that would make the world dance. So he sends me just the intro of it in a voice note - I think it was 2013. I was like, wow.

Remember that time, I'd left the label already and I was on my own, I was homeless and staying with some friends. So I told my friend that I heard

this beat and I really believe in the beat. I want to go meet Jay Pizzle because if I don't go, I think he might give it to somebody else. So I took

a cab and I remember the cab broke down on our way by a bridge around Surulere so we had to trek down to his studio. He played it for me, and I

heard the beat. I was like, this beat is too special. I don't want to rush it, let me take it home. So I remember taking it back home to where I was

squatting with my friends, and I started recording. I still didn't get the idea but I already laid the “oya shake body” line on it. I wasn't really

feeling it but anyways, I left it like that. Some things happened and I had to like relocate… So I moved into Timaya’s house. It was in his house I

recorded most parts of the song. Fast forward to my birthday in 2014, in April, one of my friends hosted me in his house, he had a pool, and he was

like, “oh, it's your birthday, man, you need to be excited” because I was going through a lot at that time. He wanted me to feel better, so he threw

me a little house party. I invited my friends, like Victoria Kimani, Osagie my manager at that time was there too. I remember I was like the DJ, so

I was playing random songs from my laptop and blending my songs into them, because like I said, I wanted to just make music that makes people dance

and feel good about themselves. So accidentally, Shake Body just entered the rotation and everybody just said, “whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… who’s

that, what song is that?” So they made me play it again and again. And yeah, everybody was like, man, this is a hit. This is such a smash. I

remember Osagie looked at me and said, we're dropping this and it was just a SoundCloud link that Osagie uploaded initially. The rest is history.

Peru was written and recorded in San Francisco, California. It was my first time in the United States. I had just flown into San Francisco from

Miami. I was supposed to go and see my associates at Empire (record label) and just pay a courtesy visit to Shizzi who produced the song in the

studio. At the studio that night, I was tipsy. I wasn’t supposed to record that day but I got in the booth. He played the beats. I was like, oh,

that's a vibe. 30 - 35 minutes, I was done. I was literally just singing my story. It's just a young boy that found himself in a new place and is

willing to try out new stuff. Ed Sheeran heard the song and loved it. He was so excited about the whole process, you know, the whole vibe of making

the song. He asked for the lyrics, what every word meant and all that. And, in 30 minutes, he was done with his own verse too.

You know what, I made this in Ghana. I was in Nigeria for like two weeks then I flew to Ghana and was like I need to do something different. I was

in the studio and, I was playing different stuff and I was like “yo search up the instrumental for the Diwali Riddim”. I’m a very experimental

person and I have thousands of songs where I’m just playing around. But I always wanted to do something on that beat - think I tried a couple of

times before that, couple years ago. Obviously now that I’m getting older and a bit more experienced, it was just easy to put that sauce on it. I

definitely grew up listening to the Brick and Lace version (Love is Wicked). I think I was in Nigeria dem times… so that’s definitely one song that

sticks to my mind in terms of the Diwali Riddim. As much as I loved the record, I was just trying to do something totally different to the record. I

didn’t want to put any parts of Love is Wicked in the record. I wanted to give a different perspective, a different idea. The first person that hit

me up when I posted Favorite Girl on socials was Jay (Jayda Wayda). She was like “this is crazy” and I told her, can you tell Dess (Dior) about it,

let’s do something. She was like yeah. She hit up Dess, I hit up Dess too and we just made it happen.

In 2016, I wanted to buy fuel for my generator and I quickly went to E-Kelly’s (the producer) house. Because E-Kelly’s house had a filling station

(nearby) that was selling petrol cheaper. Whilst my boy rushed to the petrol station, I was with E-Kelly and he was playing some beats and I quickly

recorded a song that I didn’t even take seriously. By the end of 2016, that song became Leg Over, one of the biggest songs of my career.

When I linked up with Olamide to do the record, Olamide already killed it and then I already mumbled my melodies on the record but it just didn’t

sound… I didn’t have it at the time. So it took me like six months to write it. I would go for shows… kill shows and I’ll go back to the record and

be like “yo okay, what do I write here that’s crazy?”. Then I just gathered momentum, I got it after one show, I ran to Kel-P (the producer), I

recorded it and I knew it was a hit. I sent it to Olamide, and Olamide was like “okay… are you sure?” I was like yes I’m sure, this is my jam. I

knew it was going to jam (blow up).

I was just literally freestyling a lot of that stuff. “Soh Soh” doesn’t actually mean anything but “So So” in Nigeria if you’re Igbo means “small

small” or something like that. As I was in Nigeria when I made it and that was like the first thing that came to my mind and I just dun it. When I

came back to add the lyrics, the producers (PD & Randay) were like “wait wait don’t add no lyrics to that”. I was like nah you’re right, let’s leave

it and then, that was it.

Music is the way I relieve my feelings, I don’t really talk much to people. But everything I feel, comes out in my music. With “Mr Rebel”, that’s

exactly how I felt in the situation I was in. I was really frustrated about where I was, and I just thought about what was making me feel sad,

depressed. I realised I was challenging things… a series of event, a whole period in my life. I was basically standing up to my fears. And I just

let it all out. When I freestyle, it just kinda comes out. The people (producers) that I did find, kept on sending me like Afrobeats sound. I got

frustrated. So when I got back to school, I watched Youtube videos, and I started trying my hands on making small beats… I started growing. Even

now, I am still learning. Mr Rebel is my core. But it’s just one part of me. I have other songs that kind of show the different parts of me.

I don’t let my troubles get the best of me. I was always in the studio channeling positive energy into my music. Two weeks before my U.S tour, I

went to Del-B’s (the producer) house and in the studio there we made the idea, the drums, the percussions of the song. Del-B worked on the main part

of the beat and I did the flute. Most times, I play a part (of the beat) and record on it. It’s always easier for me to record on a part than on the

actual (complete) beat. I started with the melodies first then wrote the lyrics. Then T-Spize (additional producer) played the guitar. In the beat,

we were looking at something between Highlife and R&B. It has Ghana Highlife percussions with R&B pads and strings on it. So it has this soul to it.

Everyone wants to know what I was saying in a part (intro chant: whine for the ****). That might be the juju (charm) in the song so if I tell you

what it means, you might stop liking the song… so just whine for anything. I wanted something deep, in Naija we call it “wash” (translated as

“mesmerize”). I had to put a lot of wash in the song so any girl that hears it, the wash would work very well.

I remember my heart was beating so fast before that session. I was like, hey, what if I don't know what to sing? What if I get there and I don't

know what to do? You know, sometimes you get to the studio and nothing is there. It was so quick because I recorded a song before. He had a whole

like song already, he just wanted me to do like a hook. I did the hook of that one and then I started free-styling. And then he looked at me, he's

like, “what's that? Just enter the studio (and record it) just go”. I was like, are you sure? Because me I’m always overthinking, I'm like, mmm. He

was like, just record it and I did everything in one take.

Angel in Tibet started off as a super drunk night in the studio. I remember my exec producer Kyu Steed played the beat. Immediately off the top, off

the dome, I was drunk and I started going… Then we did the second verse. The second verse was a lot of fun because we were all drunk and just

freestyling on the mic, passing the mic around. And my favorite was when KZ, who was also another one of my exec producers, went, bling, bling,

bling, bling, bling. We were about to wrap up, and I remember Cracker, who's also one of the producers on the song, goes, “yo I want to try

something”. So Cracker stands there, and he literally channels something. He's almost levitating, and he goes, “ah ah ah aaahh”. But yeah, so that

was kind of like the cherry on top. And yeah, that's the story of Angels in Tibet.

It was a seamless process because he (Sarz) is not the kind of producer that tries to get in your face. He wants you as an artist to do your thing.

If anything, it’s almost like he’s just trying to get the best out of the artist by letting them be themselves and not trying to distract their

process with his own ideas. It was really fun. When the EP (LV N ATTN) dropped, Monalisa (from the EP) just started popping on its own. The song

just came from nowhere and started doing its thing. As that was happening, we were like yeah, a remix would be nice and by the end of last year

(2021), we were already thinking of doing a remix. We basically just sent it out to different people that we had in mind that we would want on the

remix. Chris Brown was one of them because he just floated so effortlessly on Afrobeats and we just felt like he was one of the people who could

take it to a whole new place and still maintain the same essence. There was an air of uncertainty until that happened and then all of a sudden it

was time to go.

It's so funny. I had finished recording the 'Outside' album and I had just bought a Bentley. I was in the club every other day and then, I was in

this club called Quilox, right? The owner is my friend, his name is Shina Peller. So, he just comes up to me and he knew I was gone (high) already.

So he pulls up on me and was like, “Yo, my guy (Phantom, the producer) just made this beat. I'm telling you, this is yours”. I'm like, “Bro, you

have started this rubbish…” He made them put the beat on his phone... First, we go outside to the restaurant and he played it in my ear - I got

hungry. Everything was in the club; there's a restaurant right there, the studio is upstairs... It was a nice setting. So anyways, eventually we go

upstairs and I start recording. The producer (Phantom) is there waiting... It didn't take me 10 minutes. I spent the rest of the time listening to

it. That's how I made 'Ye' in the club.

Big shout out to my team for letting that song (Dumebi) in that EP (Rema - EP) because I was not feeling it anymore because I recorded it last year,

August (2018). This year I had new vibes, new songs. The way I put that song together… when I was recording the song, as a new artist in Mavin

(record label), we have a lot of artists there, and I had to make use of my time in the studio. So I had to quickly record songs. So I couldn't

actually write lyrics to the songs (due to time). So I quickly just put vibes, melodies, and you know. Ozedikus (the producer) gave me the beat. He

said a couple of artists actually rejected the beat… so i was like um can I try the beat you know. He said a couple artists said the keys are too

complex like gospel and I was like okay… yeah bring it on. So the little I could write, I put those together, but the ones I couldn't write because

my time was running out in the studio, I just dropped them as vibes to come back later on when I have time. So when I got back, I played it for

D’Prince (label boss) and the Prince was like, yeah, leave it that way. Because I was going to come back and finish it. And it banged like that.