Stories from "5ive"

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.

This is such a beautiful love song. The session was mind-blowing, and I really loved it. “golibe” is

a way of expressing love and affection because a popular part of the song, “Ile awada,” means that

our home is blessed or fortunate. So, I’m telling her that she needs to come. It’s just a way of

letting her know that she needs to be with me because I really like her and need her in my life.

Victony brought life and emotions to the song. He gave it a new dimension. His verse is so

mind-blowing, and I still can’t get it out of my head because it rings in my head all the time. He

went out of his way for me, and big shout-out to him.

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.

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.

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.