Stories from "IKEBE 3000"

I made the first version in June (2026) in my friend’s studio in Lagos. The studio didn’t have air conditioning. It was

so hot in there that we had to take off our T-shirts while recording. Maybe that heat contributed to making it a hit

haha. I didn’t send the song to Asake until August. We were on the phone one day, talking about how crazy our collab

“Chanel” was going and we had a light bulb moment about how crazy it would be to do it again. We both felt we could

create another magic, but we wanted to make the next record bigger and take it in a different direction. “Ikebe 3000”

was going to be more of a party record, something more dancey. So I sent him the song, and he loved it. He was in LA at

the time, just after one of his shows. I woke up to him calling me and playing the verse he’d just recorded in the

studio. I was shocked. I’m thinking; he’s on tour right now! How did he finish a show yesterday and still managed to

record this verse today? The whole thing happened in less than 24 hours after I sent him the song. Just like we did with

“Chanel,” we kept “Ikebe 3000” under wraps until release. After making the song, we planned the music video and flew to

London to shoot it. Honestly, when I started making the earlier version, I’m not sure we knew just how crazy the song

would turn out to become. We were simply locked in the studio, trying to create something different when we stumbled on

the Gqom (South Africa) sound and we put our spin to it. One thing I find interesting is that “Ikebe 3000” is actually

Asake’s favourite collaboration out of all the songs we’ve made together.

This was one of my easiest studio sessions ever. I really didn't think I'd made anything spectacular because I make

songs almost everyday. I made it in February 2026 in Lagos. Most of the songs on my new album (NOMADINHO: 4TH PRIME) are

fresh records made this year. So in April, I travelled to London for a show. After the show, instead of doing the usual

after-party at a club, I decided to do something different. One of my cousins, who works at a bar, offered to open it

just for me and my people. I took about 20 people from the show to the underground bar called Doña in Dalston. It was

just us, with no pressure. I started playing unreleased music through the AUX and having a good time. Everybody seemed

to love “Chanel.” People kept asking me to play it again. The next day, I made a video of myself vibing to the song and

posted it online, inspired by the energy from the party. As soon as I posted it, the video went crazy. That was when I

realised the record might be huge. Fans started suggesting different artists who should be on the song. But in my mind,

I knew it was big boy music and the ultimate big boy for that sound was Mr. Money, Asake. Of course, he has been my guy

for a long time. We'd been talking about collaborating, and I was just waiting for the right song to send him. So I sent

it to him through his DMs. Thankfully, I made that decision. A few days later, we were both back in Nigeria, set up a

studio session, and recorded together. After that, we flew to London, shot the music video, and the rest is history!

Initially, “Consistency” was kind of like the intro. And when I made “Everlasting Taker,” it was crazy. The way it

sounded, it was an intro. As soon as you get into a project, it sounds like the right thing to hear first. It had the

first bar and all the affirmations, I felt like, what’s wrong with having two intros? So “Everlasting Taker” and

“Consistency” paired together is one introduction. Making “Everlasting Taker” was straightforward. As soon as the

producer played me the beat, I started writing it right there. We weren’t even in a studio; we were in a room, and he

was just playing me beats. It’s very interesting because Ragee specifically told me that he had something for me on that

album, because I thought I was almost done with it. He was like, “Bro, I have something for you on that album.” He was

the one always saying, “I dey on heat,” and I was like, “Make we hear.” He played that beat, and I immediately started

writing the verse. I recorded it later that evening.

Over the course of my albums, I have always put songs about hustling and money. I just added the Dollar sign, I don’t

know why I always do it. Till today, when I’m naming the songs, I just do it. This is music that gets you to go out

there and make money. I recorded this two months before the album in August (2025). When I made the song, I just felt

like I needed somebody to usher the album out. I wanted someone to do something at the end that’s just different from

Blaqbonez. After thinking about it, I knew that it was Barry Jhay because of his lyricism and vocals. It just felt like

it was the right choice. We made two records. One that’s more like a big record, and it had an amapiano feel, but

“Stacks $$$” was the one I wanted because I felt like it was deep, and it felt like a special record.

When I made “Louder,” I was trying to shoot videos with Olu the Wave. I liked how his visuals were looking, and I just

made ‘Louder’ for my “Of Many Colours” project in 2024. He was working with Ayo Maff a lot, and he kept on saying, "Omo,

this is Ayo Maff's lane." I was like, "Okay, send this to Ayo Maff and let’s see" Then Ayo Maff sent the verse, and it

was so crazy. I was like, “Oh shit, this is his lane for real.” Maybe a week or two before I would release the song, I

was on a flight with Bella Shmurda, and he was sitting right beside me. Sometimes, I think these things happen for a

reason because there had to be a reason for why we were seated together. As soon as we got to Lagos, I was like, “Bro,

let's link up in the studio,” and that's how I added Bella Shmurda to that record. While I was getting to the finishing

point of this record, it was this one versus “Follow Her” to complete the pre-release singles, but I just felt like the

message on “Louder” was more profound. It felt like the better lead-up to start the actual outro. It felt like the right

song to put instead of “Follow Her” and that’s how it made it to the project.

I recorded this one in South Africa when I went to do the Hennessy Cypher in June 2025. I just planned a little

listening party over there. The energy at the listening party was so exciting. The South Africans showed me so much

love. There were so many people there and it was so nice. I was like, “I have to have a song with some South Africans on

the album.” The session was the next day. I've been a fan of KindlyNxsh and Brotherkupa, especially not just fans of

their music, but fans of their visuals. I found the guy who shoots their videos and followed him. We all linked up, and

it was an organic session because I liked their visuals, and they liked me already. The session was very smooth, and we

made it after my listening party. With WAVE$TAR, while I was working on a project, I told myself I had to put someone

who represents who's next in the Nigerian hip-hop space. I felt like I couldn't consider myself an OG if I didn't say,

“This is the next guy.” I feel like this album is my introduction to being an OG. I was excited that WAVe$TAR was

excited to be on the project. His verse was the last verse to enter the project; it happened four days before the album

dropped. I’d been talking to him about it, but we had not figured out if he was going to be on the song. I initially

wanted to transition the beat into something else, but he just recorded on the actual beat, and it was fire.

I wrote “California Issues” in California. It has a very peculiar story. The energy of the song is not the story I told.

I started working on the record, and I played a small part of it on my Instagram story. Based on that, there was a girl

in California who was very upset that I'm singing about I'm in California, flying a girl from Ethiopia when she's right

there in California. She was like, “Why am I flying somebody else? And I've not linked her up.” She started threatening

me that she was going to pull up for a fade, and she was going to have me beat up. The shit was just so crazy, and I was

like, “What is going on here?” That's why it's called “California Issues.” She was saying she wouldn’t leave, no matter

what I did. She was ranting on Twitter, and I was like, “I don’t even know this babe like that.” So, that’s how the song

came to be. It’s not really her story, but it inspired what direction the song went towards after that. This was done

pretty early, around April or May 2024. I think it was the third song on the project in terms of how they were created.

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.

I was supposed to work on a Chocolate City album, you know, with producer Blaize Beatz, and it was scheduled for

September 2024. As soon as I started making that record, I was like, “Omo, this record, I'm keeping this one for

myself.” It was like a low-pressure studio session that I didn't think I was working on my album. And then I ended up

releasing one of the most important tracks on the album. Blaise and I have a very great track record. On Emeka Must

Shine, he produced “NYEM EGO.” He always produces very important records for me on my albums, so it was not a surprise

that he did this one too.

The story for this is very funny. That day at Jae5’s studio in February this year, I was so clumsy. I didn't even

understand what was going on that day. I was just knocking over things. At some point, he gave me alcohol. I put it on

his keyboard and somehow I knocked it over, and then the alcohol spilled into the keyboard. Jae5 had to clean it up. He

even had to get people to open the whole grand piano and clean it up properly. At that point, I was like, if I don't

make a song that's banging in this place, this guy might never let me in this studio again because of how chaotic I was.

Then, he had a book on the grand piano that was his daughter's book, and as soon as I opened the book, the first rhyme

was “Mary had a little lamb.” As soon as I opened it, I just said “Mary had a little lamb, Mary had a big bunda,” and

that's how that song started. I have always been linking up with LeoStayTrill whenever I'm in London. We always just

link up and create music. We have done like two or three sessions before that, but this is our first song that's

actually coming out.

This is another song that's like a part of the spine of the album. This song and “Consistency,” I think, are the first

two songs on the album. I just love those songs so much. We linked up in Nigeria in March 2024, and we made the two

records that we put out, one for her, one for me. That was our first session ever. That was also my first session with

Black Culture (credited producer). It was just a seamless session. It was easy and a vibe. We were already having a good

time, as soon as Black Culture played the beat, you know, I just started flowing. Melissa came in with the hook,

mumbling the hook, and everything just fell into place so easily. I just always knew that that song was going to be on

the album, no matter what. It just felt different and was giving me Shank’s “Julie,” and I liked that feeling.

“Just Hustlin $$$” was recorded in Lagos, in Ikoyi. I had some white producers that I worked with in the past, and they

were in town. I linked them up. I just got back to Nigeria, and whenever I come back to Nigeria after a long period, I'm

very frustrated at the fact that everywhere you turn, somebody's billing you. I was in that phase where I was still so

upset about it. If you go to the airport, everybody's like, “Give me this, give me that.” You drive around the car,

people are gathering, “Give me this, give me that.” If you chat with a babe, she’s trying to bill you. I think that was

the energy that I took into the studio that day. As soon as they played me that beat, it just took me into that thought

process. I just realised that this is something that I would actually love to speak about. It’s a song that means a lot

to me. I already have the music video shot. I recorded this song three months ago.

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.

This was so exciting because it is a Jae5 production and, if you know me, you know I love a Jae5 production. I've never

heard Jae5 produce something like that before. I don't even know what led to what and how we even got there, but it was

exciting to me. It was in London, and it was an exciting session. I recorded this song in July 2025. I was in the

session with my guys, we had smoked, and the vibe was nice. The vibe of working with Jae5 is always chill because his

place is far from town. It's a much calmer part of London. There's an unreleased song that was supposed to be on my

album called “2BTC.” I played Jae5 this song. It’s an interesting dance song. He liked the energy, and he was hyped.

This is what led to “Bizzy Body.” Whenever I work with Jae5, we start with the chords. So, when he made the chords, I

started singing the melodies that started the song. We just built it up from there. When I made the initial demo with

Jae5, I returned to Nigeria to finish the project. I knew that the song was mad, but I knew that it needed a chorus. I

felt my part was a pre-chorus. So, I had a mini camp. I had Shorae, The Kazez, Majesty Lyn, Major AJ, and Deto Black,

and a whole lot of people at the camp, and everybody was just vibing. The Kazez just sang the “I feel it coming, slow

and steady…” part, and I really liked it so much. I was like, “Nah, this shit has to stay here.” It was perfect and

that’s how I left it. And then, because of the sound, I felt like I wanted to put a Jamaican on the song to give it that

raw Jamaican feel because it sounded like them with the beat bounce and everything. I told my label, and they put me on

to Valiant, and that's how Valiant got on the song.

For me, I wanted to be on a new vibe in terms of production and the hip-hop standard. I went on YouTube, and I was

listening to random beats and stuff. It was recorded two months before the album. At this time, I was at a château in

Cognac (also known as the Château Royal de Cogna, a historic monument on the banks of the Charente River, France)

chilling in the backyard by a lake and I was in a chill place. It was just a really cool day going through beats, and I

just found that beat online. I was like, “Oh my God.” I knew that the beat was banging. It was during one of the

Hennessy activations, so after the stress of the day, I decided to still record that night, and that’s how I made the

song in my bedroom. The way I made the song, it wasn't like I wrote a hook or anything; I just started writing, and at

some point in the process, I wanted the beginning to come back again. I didn’t know that part was going to be the hook;

I was just writing. The beat switch at the end was added later on.

Pa Salieu and I recorded this together. It was an interesting session because as soon as I entered the studio, Felix

Joseph, the producer, already felt like he knew what a Blaqbonez and Pa Salieu song would sound like. As soon as he

played the beat, I was like, “Oh my God, this is crazy!” We were both hyped about it. It didn't even take too long; we

were writing and flowing back to back to back. Before we knew it, the song was done. We have a video for the song that’s

so crazy, and I can’t wait to put that out.

This is actually the oldest song recorded on the project. It's the beginning. It was recorded last year (2024). We were

in London, and I had always been a fan of AJ Tracey. I always told my people that I would love to work with him and do a

song. While I was in London, he was open to a session, and we linked up and made “Consistency.”

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.

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.