Mohbad: The Underrated Hitmaker Creeping into The Mainstream One Song At a Time
Marlian Music boasts of an array of talent. One of them, who is criminally slept on, is Mohbad. His discography contains songs that eventually go on to become street anthems.
The Nigerian music industry is a jungle. And the music industry is simply a microcosm of the country. Every waking day, the country hits new lows, and its people continue to suffer and perish. Despite all the suffering and the harsh reality we face, we find solace in our music. Afrobeats is the band-aid to our numerous problems. It might not fix these problems completely, but it helps us to forget them, if only for a second.
Since it has been established that the Nigerian music industry is a jungle, we ought to know it is nearly impossible to make it out of the jungle alive. This is the struggle faced by many artists in the upcoming phase. Some of these artists do everything within their means to break out of that phase. One of them is Mohbad. He is on his merry way to becoming one of the trusted voices of the current generation. One of the trusted voices of the streets.
Before I even caught up to his music, I had always considered the name ‘Mohbad’ interesting. It’s one of those simple names that somewhat give you a peek into the artist’s personality. When I eventually stumbled on his single Marlians Anthem, it seemed like the perfect song from an artist named Mohbad. What I really found captivating was the lyrical content of the song, the very idea of the song, the song title. Actually, every component of the song appealed to me greatly.
Marlian Music, a record label owned by Naira Marley, is home to some distinct Nigerian artists including Lyta, Emo Grae, Zinoleesky, Tori, and of course, Mohbad. Over the past two years, the label has immensely contributed to the ever-evolving soundscape of the country, with their leader, Naira Marley, leading the crew, representing the streets with his music. His subordinates have followed in his footsteps, especially Zinoleesky and Mohbad. Some people have opined that Mohbad is practically imitating Zlatan’s style. I’m not in a position to say whether it’s true or not, but I think I can easily tell the difference between the two acts when I listen to any of them.
As someone who particularly enjoys analyzing Afrobeats, artists, and everything that make up the music industry, I tend to immediately look for the most accenting element of an artist’s craft. For Mohbad, it was simplicity. Or rather genuineness. Or maybe the genuineness lies in simplicity. After I discovered that Mohbad was a bagful of talent, I started paying more attention to his work. When he released his debut EP, Light, I thought the name was an apt translation of his story, a representation of his roots.
It still cracks me up that I thought Mohbad’s real name was Imole. For some reason, I never bothered to find out his name. I knew him as Imole hence why the EP Light (which is basically Imole in English) captured my attention. I found out later that Mohbad, who was born and bred in Ketu, had a different name which is Ilerioluwa Oladimeji. The 26-year-old rapper started his music career professionally in 2016. But he always had a predilection for music since he was young.
As it is typical with artists that have transcended from the upcoming phase, Mohbad’s expedition to stardom started with posting freestyle videos on Instagram. With the unavailability of resources to regularly record songs in standard studios, many upcoming artists resort to the internet to put themselves in front of an audience. Because your stars only align when you are doing the work, Mohbad was noticed by Naira Marley after he uploaded a cover of Kizz Daniel’s Fvck You. Alongside C-Black and Zinoleesky, he was announced by Naira Marley, at his headline show in 2019, as one of the artists being signed to his imprint, Marlian Music.
Mohbad signed a record deal officially with the label in January 2020. It was a dream come true for a boy from the trenches. Years of consistency finally paid off for the rapper. In 2019, months before his freestyle videos nudged him towards Naira Marley’s direction, Mohbad released a song titled Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a fast-tempo song with an instrumental that is characterized by bumpy guitar riffs. The song became a viral hit in Ikorodu, making him more popular in his neighbourhood. That was what convinced Mohbad that he had something substantial to share with the world. His confidence in his craft became more robust.
Like many Nigerian artists that have catapulted into a world of fame from the ghetto such as Zlatan Ibile, Bella Shmurda, Mohbad raps and sings in a combination of English, Pidgin, and his native dialect, Yoruba. Interweaving different languages with canorous melodies prototypical of Fuji music, the result is a blend of Afrobeats that is refreshing to the auditory nerves. He released another single in that same 2019 - a single with a comical title. The song stemmed from a viral voice note of a lady who pronounced popular designer Balenciaga with her Yoruba accent. Mohbad turned the voice note into a rhythmic tune and even did a remix with Small Doctor. He performed the single Balan Zia Gar at the 2019 Marlian fest.
Up until the moment that I started working on this article, I had no idea that Mohbad was signed to a label named Bankz Nation Entertainment before he was signed to Marlian Music. I learnt from my research that he was the label’s primary act and he released a couple of songs under them. He also featured alongside Bella Shmurda on a song that was released by the label. He has collaborated with Bella on several other songs. They seem to have chemistry, like long-lost brothers who found themselves many years after being apart and are more than willing to take over the world together.
After signing a record deal with Marlian Music, Mohbad was super-charged to storm the limelight and prove to the world that anything is possible. Seeking Naira Marley’s special touch of bawdiness, he put out his first single under the label titled Koma Jensun - a quick-paced song based on the promiscuity of certain ladies, the type of ladies that never tire from intercourse and are ever-willing to trade sleep for a night of optimal pleasure. It was well-received by music listeners accustomed to the lewdness that comes with listening to Naira Marley.
The year continued even after the pandemic hit. The Nigerian music industry was heavily shaken by the Coronavirus outbreak, like several other sectors, and the world at large. Artists like Omah Lay, Zinoleesky, Tems became huge breakout stars. Mohbad kept on working, creating. He was constantly looking for a means to worm his way into the hearts of the audience, and he knew that to make that happen, he had to polish his craft in a way that would appeal to them. He was able to peg the attention of music lovers when he released Overhype. The message of the song was highly relatable as Mohbad pleaded with his fans to stop heaping praises on his head lest he gets full of himself and begins to behave recklessly. Two producers, SB and Rexxie, collaborated to create the instrumental of the song.
Towards the end of the year, sometime in October, Mohbad released another single titled Ponmo. The song featured YAGI founder Lil Kesh and Naira Marley. It’s intriguing how Mohbad spins obscene words into songs that compel listeners to dance, distracting them from the profanity with his smooth delivery. Lil Kesh and Naira Marley respectively added their zest to the song, each act leaving behind a signature of profligacy. The music video has since then garnered more than 1.5 million views on YouTube. Mohbad was gradually conquering the stumbling block(s) on the road to the mainstream. Sometimes, on his own. Other times, recruiting the services of recognized acts.
If you are a lover of Afrobeats, then I believe you are aware of the relationship between music producer, Rexxie, and street hop artists like Zlatan Ibile and Naira Marley. The producer has a catalogue of hit songs, especially after earning a name for his work on Chinko Ekun’s 2019 leviathan hit, Able God. Rexxie decided to take it up a notch, releasing a single KPK (Ko Por Ke) in December 2020, with Mohbad as the featured act. Mohbad stated in an interview with music journalist Wale Oloworekende that he recorded KPK just after he finished working on his debut EP. It was in the middle of the night, immediately after putting finishing touches to Marlians Anthem, Mohbad requested for a new instrumental and 10 minutes after, KPK was brought to life. That’s why the song has no verse. It didn’t need one.
KPK was a viral success. Doing what he does best, Mohbad turned popular street slang into a commercial hit with an Afropiano instrumental. Everywhere, on the streets, in the club, on the radio, KPK seemed to be the order of the day (and night). Mother nature smiled on Mohbad at last. She rewarded him for his hard work and consistency. He started performing at more shows and his listenership escalated. In that same month, Mohbad released his EP Light. The EP played a major role in telling his story to fans who had followed him from his early days.
Light is an 8-track project, with Ponmo serving as the lead single. Mohbad flaunted his range as a rapper and a singer. On Sorry, the EP’s intro, he dived into his past to talk about growing up without a mother, disappointing his father by dropping out of polytechnic even though the man struggled to put the tuition together. It was an apology letter to his father, trying to make the man understand that music is his destiny. It revealed another side of Mohbad - a more vulnerable side. Many of his fans resonated with the song.
Marlians Anthem had all the makings of a hit, but I think it was more of a popular song than a hit. KPK is what I would consider a hit. But it didn’t really matter that the song didn’t turn out to be a certified hit song. What matters is that it hinted at the capabilities that Mohbad possessed. I could tell that Mohbad had enough material to replicate what he did on KPK, or something better even. The beat was produced by Rexxie, the genius producer behind several street pop hits. He was also fortunate to get a Davido feature on his debut EP. The EP has so far accumulated more than 60 million plays on Audiomack.
Mohbad is having a good run at the moment. There’s still a long way to go, but at the very least, he has come far from where he started. His hook on Chinko Ekun’s Jafafa should be studied in music schools all over the world. He attacked the Amapiano-Esque instrumental as if he caught the instrumental trying to break into his apartment, mercilessly exerting control over the Zaki-produced beat. Jafafa made it to several DJ mixes, vying to become one of the trending songs on the streets. Together with Bella Shmurda, Mohbad assisted Starboy Terri in piecing together a bop, Money.
Although many speculated earlier this year that the South African Amapiano sound that Nigerian artists have adopted (and refused to let go) would fade out, Mohbad teamed up with in-house producer Niphkeys to release an Amapiano song, Feel Good, sometime in July. Mohbad reinforced his position in the new wave of street-hop acts as a hitmaker with Feel Good. It’s a catchy song, with a simple message: He is a son of grace and there’s nothing that can stop him from having a good time. The saxophone that accompanied the instrumental gives it a groovy feel and Mohbad employs his vocals as a tool to animate the beat. Feel Good has been enjoying airplay rotation all over the country.
I have every reason to believe that Mohbad is headed towards greatness. His delivery is another aspect of his craft that is noteworthy. He is proud of his roots and yet is conscious of the fact that there’s a big world out there for him to explore. With his music, he is breaking into various territories. Some people have awoken to his musical aptitude but the vast majority of the audience haven’t recognized that Mohbad is the rapper that would most likely take street-hop to the most optimal heights.
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