Stories from "catharsis"

When I started working on “W for Wetego” in January 2025, it was my second session with Black

Culture (credited producer). For some reason, I left the space at the beginning of the song, and I

started singing “Wetego” somewhere in the middle. I was just jamming that and really feeling it.

After that, I went to my village, Nwangele in Imo state, in January. I was excited about being in

the village. I wanted to have done a song with Phyno the next time I came back to the village, and

that’s what I set out to do. As soon as I made ‘Wetego,’ I was excited to send it to Phyno. The

moment I sent him the record, Phyno told me to pull up. One hour later, I was at his place, and we

had recorded that. I was still trying to figure out what to do with the space I mentioned in the

beginning, then I had a session with Young Jonn. We were supposed to work on some other stuff, but

as soon as I played him “Wetego,” he was like, “This is the one that I have to be on.” That's how we

just recorded on the space at the beginning. The final version of the song was wrapped up just three

days before the song came out. I wasn’t even sure it was going to make it out because I was going

back and forth with the producers, trying to figure out the log drums.

The way FOLA and I worked on “Despacito” is almost like the way I made “Bizzy Body.” I invited him

to my house. Ramoni (credited producer) started playing chords, and he basically created the hook on

the chords. He just sang the whole thing, and Ramoni and I started working on how the beat would

actually be. Then, I recorded my part, and that’s when FOLA actually heard it. At track five, it

felt like I needed to switch things up. We had come with mad energy from the beginning, so it felt

like it was time to soften the vibe a little bit, but it needed to be beautiful and still energetic.

“Despacito” was the right song to transition with. It's a hip-hop song, but it has some amapiano

elements. I feel like it was giving me a version of AKA on soulful songs that just connect in a way,

and that’s what introduces “Nati” with Olamide.

I have to give a big shoutout to Vado. Kizz Daniel is another person who goes out of his way for me.

I can’t thank him enough. “lost” was actually written because people rarely sing about the ups and

downs of love. No one talks about when you’re crying in that corner of your room because that girl

is not responding to your text. No one talks about when you’re feeling down because that guy is

acting anyhow. No one really talks about those parts, and that’s what “lost” is all about. It’s

written in homage to the bad sides of love. Having Kizz Daniel on the song changed its dimension. I

wasn’t expecting the delivery to come out that way. He really showed the big OG that he is. There

are levels to this music thing, and Kizz Daniel is just at the top.

Obviously, a big shoutout to Captain BNXN; he’s such a great guy, and he loves me so much. He goes

out of his way for me, and I respect him so much. At that time, “alone” was BNXN’s favourite song.

He was always posting the song on Snapchat and listening to it. I would always appreciate him for

posting the song. One day, I just summoned the courage and told myself I’d ask him to jump on the

remix with me. I just wanted to try. So, I told him, “This looks like your favourite song because

you always post this song, Baba mi. Could you please help me with a verse on the remix? It would

really go a long way for me.” He didn’t respond initially, but I charged it to the game because I

always like to try things, even if they don’t work out. I just gave it a shot. So, I already thought

it wouldn’t happen, but three days after, he responded and told me, “Bad boy, send me the verse, let

me give it a try.” I got the verse back in less than 24 hours. It was mind-blowing. I didn’t believe

it, but we went from there.

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.

I just had a session with Shorae (singer & songwriter) at KTIZO’s studio in Lagos. Shorae and I

usually have random sessions from time to time. He’s someone I love to write with. He’s really big

in the Afrobeats writing space, although we don’t acknowledge writers that much, but he’s at the top

of the game. I love writing with Shorae because when we write, it’s very collaborative. He does

melodies, I put lyrics. “Oshaprapra” came from one of those days where we’re just vibing and DJ

Notorious [one half of KTIZO]–that’s the name of the producer who made the beat, and I was in love

with the chords. I was like, “I need to try something,” and we just started working on it. We

decided on the theme of the song together. When we started writing it, I had an idea of what I

wanted it to be about, and we did the schemes together. I asked him what “Oshaprapra” meant, and he

said it means shiny skin. So, I just decided to follow that theme of being through hellfire and

still having a shiny skin. It was a metaphor for the song. Funny thing is that at the end of the

session, I told the producer to scrap everything that we did because I liked the beat, and I didn’t

think what we had done was enough to complement the beat. He just said okay, but he didn’t scrap it.

The next day, he sent it to me and told me it was crazy. I told him I’d listen to it. I was supposed

to travel to London at the time, so I listened to the song on the flight to London, and I was like,

“Okay, this is something.” When I got to London, I played it for the team, and everyone liked it

because it tapped into the energy that everyone was feeling. I started liking it as well, and I

loved it at the end of the day. I recently saw a tweet I made in 2023 where I said, “Intro:

Oshaprapra,” and I didn’t even have the idea for Stubborn at the time.

We made “History” in KTIZO’s studio (Lagos). I just went to the studio with my guys that night. This

was in 2023. I was just vibing with Hoodini [one half of KTIZO]. He played the beat, but I didn’t

like the chords on it. We restructured the whole thing, and I was trying line for line. I wasn’t

really in the mood to make a song, but the more I tried to make that record, the more my mood was

elevating, and I just kept on making progress writing the song. Eventually, I ended up with

“History.” Honestly, it was the first time I was very detailed with experiences I valued so much and

experiences that gave me life lessons at the end of the day. As a writer, that was a very proud

moment for me because, for the longest, that was something I was looking forward to achieving as

opposed to writing on a surface level. With a song like “Kolomental,” it’s a very heartfelt song,

but it’s not specific. For me, “History” opened up the door for stuff like that because from there I

was able to do “Jaga Jaga” and the likes. I was able to tap into that world of precise writing.

Sometime in 2023, I had sessions with P2J where we made “Ludo,” “Anita,” and some other records.

Those were just fun times in London, where I would just go into the studio and I’d be up all night

with P2J. We’d make like five complete songs in one night. We were just on that high, and we were

just creating. So, “Ludo” is one of the songs that we birthed from those sessions. At the time, we

didn’t have Shallipopi on it, I never even thought that Shallipopi was going to be on that record,

but we knew it was a very strong record. When we were putting the album together, it kept on making

whatever list we were putting together. So, we knew it was going to be on it. Hoodini (record

producer) helps me with the creative process for my songs, and he was like the song gives him a vibe

where we can have a rapper on. If you think of it in a Western world, it’s a Kanye record. That’s

how he described it to me, and when he gave that reference, I could see the vision. We thought about

Shallipopi because his voice is just unique. I reached out to him, and we just made it happen.

“Anita” is one of the songs from P2J’s (the producer) sessions. It was just another fun night in

London. We were just creating and had guys around vibing. There’s nothing too crazy with the story

because it was just a fun record.

“Everything” was made in 2022. I loved the “Sunflower’’ song (by Post Malone and Swae Lee) a lot. I

wanted to do something similar to that. When I make songs with Blaze (the producer), sometimes we

start from scratch. That’s how we made “Kolomental.” I just play him certain chord progressions, and

I tell him what direction I want to go towards. We didn’t have an idea of what we were going to make

that day, but we started playing the chords and building from there. We made the song, but we didn’t

have the sample on. When I got to London, I told Hoodini (additional producer) that we could have

the sample on because the song didn’t have a second verse. Hoodini and I just chopped it off. At the

time, we were just doing it for fun because we didn’t know that we could eventually clear the

sample. At the time, “Sunflower” had just gone 11 times Platinum, so it was a big deal, but at the

end of the day, we did it, and I think it just had to do with believing.

“Risk” is a crazy record. It has a similar story to “Oshaprapra,” to be honest, because when I made

the song, I didn’t have the full idea for the song. I just had the pre-hook. This was in Los Angeles

during a session with P Priime (producer). It was one of those moments where I didn’t want to be

idle, I wanted to exercise my brain and do something creative. I just did a freestyle on the beat.

It wasn’t complete. I have a friend named Boat who does all of my graphics and creative direction.

He did the 2D stuff you see on “Jaga Jaga” and the Outlaw EP. He reached out to me and told me

“Risk” had to make the project. I think that’s where we started having the issue of whether it was

going to be an EP or an album. At first, it was supposed to be an EP, but I just kept getting

suggestions from people that certain songs had to be on there. I told Boat that I was going to try

to finish the record, but I couldn’t guarantee that it was going to make the project. I had the full

idea about a full month after I had laid the original idea. I went to the studio, finished it, and

thought that it was a very strong one.

The idea for “Tiny Apartment” was completely SAINt JHN’s idea. He did a freestyle on the beat, but

on his very first freestyle, he sang the lyrics, “In my tiny apartment.” To be honest, SAINt JHN

pretty much freestyle everything that he did on the song. 90% of everything he did was on the first

take. I feel like he’s the most talented person I’ve seen with my two eyes, which is very inspiring.

After his freestyle, we started discussing the concept of the song, and he was talking about how New

York apartments are really small. I wanted to paint that same picture, but in a Naija setting. I

think SAINt JHN describing what he was feeling at the time allowed me to be inspired and tap into

that experience as a Naija boy and come up with very specific lyrics for that feeling.

I’ve wanted to work with Teezo [Touchdown] for a while after listening to his album. When the

session happened, we were just going through beats. When the beat for “Slow Down” came on, I did a

freestyle to it. Just the toplines of melodies. After I was done, Teezo and I went through it

together, and he picked a specific part of the melody and started writing to that. We also did the

hook, he wrote his verses, and that was it.

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 made “Kolo (Kolomental II)” right after I made “Stubborn,” and that was within minutes. Off that

“Stubborn” high, they played another beat, and I just told them to keep the mic on, and it just kept

on going. If you listen to both songs, you’ll notice that there’s a similar energy. If you listen to

the verses on “Kolo,” it goes like, “Who thinks they’re crazy enough to challenge me?” It was coming

off that “I Stubborn” energy, and I knew that both songs are crazy and have to be on whatever I am

putting out next.

After recording sessions in L.A., I went back to Lagos, and I was still on that “Stubborn” energy,

and that’s why I decided to name my next project Stubborn. I started making new types of songs and

having a different approach to my songs. I had a session with 255 [a German production group],

they’re very good friends of mine, and I made the song. It was just coming off that “Stubborn”

energy, to be honest. I feel like “Stubborn” gave me a whole new vibe that I just kept on exploring

at the time. That’s one of the first sessions I had once I came back from L.A. at the time.

I made “Pier 46” in L.A. before I came back to Nigeria. I think it was two days before the

“Stubborn” session. Hoodini (producer) was in L.A. with me, and we were preparing to go for another

session, and we just decided to try something. He was in the apartment, and he played the beat. I

had played him one song in the past, and I was like, “This is such a coincidence,” because it was a

Spanish song, and I was feeling the attitude in the song, and I wanted to explore something like

that. The beat Hoodini played for me was very similar, and it was such a crazy coincidence because

it’s a mood I’ve been wanting to tap into for a while. We just stayed back and worked on it before

the session. It took quite a while because I wanted to perfect the attitude, because it’s something

I’ve been wanting to tap into.

“Sunday School” was with P2J (producer). It was made late in 2023, shortly before I travelled for

Davido’s A.W.A.Y Fest in Atlanta. The night before the trip, which was scheduled for 7 a.m., I was

having a session with P2J till like 4 a.m. We were just vibing and recording, and “Sunday School”

was all we were working on. That’s a fan’s favourite on the album.

I made “Street Affair” in L.A. That was one of the first songs that I made in L.A. It was made

shortly after I landed in L.A. When I made Street Affair,” it was just me reminiscing on recent

happenings in my life and personal stuff that I just put on there. Hoodini had sent me the beat, and

I had had it for a while. So, it was one of those sessions where I just get an engineer and just

lock in to reflect on how I’m feeling and put it into the music.

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.

Victony, obviously we’re under the same (management). Musa Keys, that’s my man. We have one of my

biggest songs together, Unavailable. You know I’ve been tapping in with South Africa since time,

before Amapiano became huge. So Victony and Musa already had the record so I came as their older

brother haha. I was like I love this record. You know me, when it comes to finishing music, I know

how to take it and turn it up a notch. I did my verse, we recorded it in Lagos around May last year

(2024).