Olamide Deserves More Credit Than He Gets

Olamide's run has been one of the best runs in the Nigerian music industry. He has delivered hits, released classic albums, and is overall one of the greatest Nigerian acts of all time

When will Olamide get his flowers? I’m tired. Tired of Olamide not getting his due credit. Sometimes, I catch myself underestimating the impact of that man in the Nigerian music industry. He’s a legend and should be treated as such. Since he broke out as a rapper, he has changed the game. And he has done it over and over again. Last week, he released his 11th studio album, UY Scuti. Rock, The album’s lead single, is currently on the number one spot in the Apple Music Top 100 Nigeria. It debuted at number nine on Triller Global Chart almost two weeks ago.

Olamide has many fine qualities as an artist. He is talented beyond imagination. He can hop on a beat and transform it into a thing of marvellous beauty. Whether it is rap or singing, Olamide has what it takes to make a hit record. His albums are filled with classics, such that if you play any Olamide song anywhere, at home or in the streets, people will sing along invigoratingly. He is a rapper, singer, and one of the finest A&Rs the Nigerian music industry has ever seen.

There are several stories of Olamide helping people, especially artists. He has single-handedly kick-started the careers of different acts and has pushed them to stardom. What is even more amazing is that he does it so effortlessly. He is a king but also a kingmaker. He has pushed artists like Adekunle Gold, Lil Kesh, Fireboy DML, BadboyTimz into the limelight. Some of them he signed to his label, the others he simply gave a platform to shoot for the stars.

His last studio album, Carpe Diem, was more or less an exposition for avant-garde acts to display their gifts. He featured the likes of Omah Lay, Bella Shmurda, BadboyTimz, and they respectively carried out their responsibilities with vim. The album was a testament to Olamide’s uncanny ability to experiment with contemporary sounds while not going out of style. Without an active promotional strategy, the album charted and the songs metastasized the Nigerian mainstream.

He’s a custodian of street pop, giving access to many other artists. Another weapon in the rapper’s armoury is his versatility. His career is plethoric with diverse songs that one would otherwise think impossible for a rapper. Sometimes, most times, he functions as the bridge between the Nigerian upper class and the streets. He brings his A-game, both on his songs and on features.

There are several highlights in Olamide’s career. Honestly, I wish there was an intricate documentary on his run thus far. If I should begin highlighting his journey, from the days of Eni Duro till this very moment, there’s no possibility that we would finish before the second coming of Christ. So, we might have to take a different approach in telling this story. Or should we take a stab at telling the story from the beginning? His story is engaging enough to keep you glued to your screen, I believe.

Olamide has, to date, released eleven studio albums (including two collaborative albums). He has barely gone a year without releasing an album. The consistency is staggering. It is this consistency that has seen him remain at the top of the Nigerian music industry. As the captain of the ship, he is continually steering toward greatness. He is highly recognized as the voice of the streets. How did he earn it?

The Genesis of Olamide’s Music Career: Eni Duro

The year 2010 saw a herald of young artists in the history of Afrobeats. It all appeared to start with Wizkid. Shortly after, it came as a huge surprise when we began seeing Olamide on our TV screens. A young, confident rapper with a knack for wordplay and delivery. His music was like freshly-made bread: soft and succulent, and pleasing to the senses. He was fierce with how he punched every line on Eni Duro. It was an instant hit. It set off Olamide’s entry into the mainstream.

In 2011, Olamide performed at The Headies (formerly known as Hip-Hop World Awards before it was renamed that same year). The energy he came with was animating. Although he was nominated for the best street-hop artist, as well as for best rap single (Eni Duro), he didn’t win anything while the likes of Wizkid, Ice Prince, Dr SID, M.I took home awards.

I’m Going in: Olamide’s Debut Album, Rapsodi

It was in that same year, 2011, that Olamide released his debut album, Rapsodi. He had racked up enough clout and timed the release of Rapsodi so perfectly. He was signed under Id Cabasa’s record label, Coded Tunes. A 16-track album, with features from 9ice, Reminisce, Wizkid. I remember watching Omo to Shan video on TV, and I was brimming with joy. It was as if I was part of those who helped to mould their careers (individually) - Olamide and Wizkid - and destiny played its role by bringing them together.

O Girl, You know you look so fine. And I want you to be mine. - a descendant of Shakespeare, continuing the family trade of alluring poetry.

From the intro, I’m Going In till the very end of the album, Olamide doesn’t get distracted from his mission: to rap rap. Sometimes, his lines are cheesy. But they come across as intentional rather than making him appear like a basic rapper. The album gave him the recognition that a lot of artists would kill for. It was nominated for the best rap album at The Headies 2011. The element of his artistry that was most salient was his ability to compose songs. It gave him the edge to permeate the mainstream.

A New Page in His Career: YBNL (Yahoo Boy No Laptop)

There’s a reason Olamide is regarded as the voice of the streets. It’s his identity; it’s simply who he is. He comes from one of the popular ghettos in Lagos, Bariga. Not only was he formed by life on the streets, but he’s also a staunch representative of the streets. His music is like a tour guide for every hustler in every walk of life. He wants to show any (and everyone) that they can make it, regardless of their current situation or where they come from.

Olamide moved to the next stage when he founded his label, YBNL Nation. The name, Yahoo Boy No Laptop, was, at first, hilarious to the public then it seemed like it was genius. In November 2012, he released his second studio album titled YBNL. The album was preceded by four singles.

In 2011, after his debut album Rapsodi had broken down walls and barriers, Olamide released a single titled Ilefo Illuminati. The track had a catchy name to it. Who actually names a song like that? Ilefo is a Yoruba word for ‘swagger’. Olamide found a balance between his indigenous background and a conspiracy theory that has seeped into the music industry in the western world. He was confident on the track, vigorously dropping bars. Olamide’s lyrics are laden with a certain kind of genuineness. One might even claim that it is what makes his craft appealing to a wide audience.

Every Olamide’s album is a significant part of his story and largely, the Nigerian music industry. YBNL introduced to us another side of Olamide: Olamide the pop artist. It wasn’t exactly strange to those who swiftly recognized Olamide’s proclivity for making songs from the onset. With YBNL, he registered his brand as a rapper who could make hit songs.

Olamide and Novembers, His Third Studio Album

Why does Olamide release his albums in November? It appears to be traditional for him. I guess there’s something special about Novembers for the rapper. It can be refreshing when artists stick to certain traditions till they make up part of their careers. In November 2013, Olamide Baddo (as he is sometimes referred to as) released arguably his best album ever: Baddest Guy Ever Liveth. Personally, I think this was the album that cemented Olamide’s legacy as a rapper and as an artist. He mounted the pedestal of supremacy and declared his reign as a king in his own lane. In that same 2013, he became the first Nigerian artist to sign an endorsement deal with the alcohol brand, Ciroc.

All the tracks on Baddest Guy Ever Liveth were produced by Pheelz except for one: Sitting on the Throne. Pheelz is a god in terms of music production. Many years back, he was a music prodigy, creating instrumentals that would last the test of time. His beastly nature came alive on that album. Olamide, being the perfect sidekick, weaponized the instrumentals and wreaked havoc. It was a legendary moment in the history of Nigerian music.

BGEL went ahead to win the award for the Best Rap Album and Album of the Year at The Headies in 2014. Olamide had successfully put his foot in the door, and then his entire body. It also won The Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA). The album was a bouquet of classics, with songs like Turn Up, Eleda Mi O, Anifowose, and many more disrupting music charts for several months. There was a lot of experimentation and interpolation on BGEL. For example, the Anifowose track sampled venerable Fuji Musician Wasiu Ayinde’s Omo Anifowose.

OkayAfrica said this about the album, “the length doesn’t take away from it being a thoroughly enjoyable confirmation that success hasn’t dampened Olamide's fire.

Olamide Repping the Streets on Street OT

2014 was a major year for Olamide. After establishing himself as a proxy for the mainstream as well as the streets, he began to use his influence and went on to sign Lil Kesh to YBNL. He was the perfect mentor for the fledgling rapper. Music listeners remarked that there was a similarity in the way Lil Kesh and Baddo rapped.

On his fourth studio album, Street OT, Olamide continued the tradition of releasing albums in November. He tapped into his identity once again to create music that resonated strongly with the streets. The maturity in his music was palpable on Street OT. The rapper was a different kind of beast on the project, assuming masterful control over words, switching gears in his flow and delivery. Street OT was met with a lot of criticism - some music critics opined that Baddo was washed off and the album suffered in quality - yet it won the award for The Album of The Year and was also nominated for Best Rap Album at The Headies.

It is virtually impossible for Olamide to go a year without hits. On the Street OT album, songs like Story For The Gods, Goons Mi, Up In The Club were straight bangers. The album featured the likes of Chinko Ekun, Lil Kesh, Pasuma, Reminisce, Don Jazzy, and more.

2015: Joint Album with Phyno, Signing Chinko Ekun and Adekunle Gold

Olamide has a heart of gold. He is forever willing to share bread with everyone. After signing Lil Kesh, Viktoh, and DJ Enimoney, Olamide decided to expand the empire. He brought on board Chinko Ekun and Adekunle Gold. The former being a rapper, and the latter a singer.

A large-scale chemical reaction occurred in the Nigerian music industry in 2015, leading to the valency of two rappers. Two indigenous rappers, each representing the west and the east, crossed paths. A bond was forged and together they dropped singles that immediately went viral - Ghost Mode and Dope Money. The responses that they got served as the motivation that birthed their joint studio album, 2 Kings.

2 Kings invaded various territories in Nigeria and acquired extensive lands in the hearts of music lovers. It remains an unforgettable moment in the history of Nigerian music. With 2 Kings, Olamide and Phyno respectively increased the reach of the music, tapping into each other’s individual (vast) network of listeners. The album featured the likes of Wizkid, Lil Kesh, Storm Rex. It was chiefly worked on by in-house producers, with the exception of Major Bangz.

That same year, he released Eyan Mayweather, which was preceded by singles like Bobo and Melo Melo. Some people say it was on this album that Olamide fully began to evolve in his flow and delivery. On Melo Melo, he was a soulful act pouring out exactly how he felt about a lady who rode for him during rocky times. The entire album featured no other artist. Olamide took on the challenge of going at greatness alone. What a fearless fighter.

Side Note: For the purpose of reaching our destination without going through so many routes, we have to put a stop to breaking down every significant moment in Olamide’s career. I know. It hurts me to do it too.

In the following years, Olamide continued his streak of extraordinary doings. He started a viral campaign with a freestyle song, Who You Epp. He left the second verse of the song free and countless artists hopped on it. Eventually, he sought the special touch of Wande Coal and Phyno and released it as an official single. The song was a revelation to Olamide’s nature as an artist: experimental and playful.

Who you Epp? You don baff? Who you serve? - a series of imperative questions that seek the answers to existential truths.

Olamide ought to be immortalized, even while he’s alive. It might seem to you like I’m exaggerating his impact, but there’s hardly any Nigerian artist that has done what he has achieved. He is still very much relevant as an artist, and at this very moment, he’s like a newly hatched egg, bursting with uncontaminated energy towards life.

Sundry new generation acts have found their place in the Nigerian music industry because of Olamide’s boundless generosity. On his new album UY Scuti, he gives the enormously talented singer, Fave, an opportunity to entangle listeners in her web of intriguing melodies. Beautifully, she sings like an angel. Artists like Jaywillz and Layydoe also get to make an appearance on the tape.

According to Olamide, he is in a completely new phase of his career. This time, he is no longer carrying the emblem of “local rapper.” He is more open to catapulting his name to the western world although at a pace that might seem foreign to his core fans. The fast tempo that so often characterized his music has been substituted for a slower tempo. Olamide has ostensibly become more introspective and more attuned to his ability to do anything he sets his mind to do.

UY Scuti emerges from a place of awareness. The rapper, after a conversation with his son who is a huge lover of astrology, found out about one of the largest stars in the constellation, UY Scuti. It is exciting to see that Olamide still possesses this amount of firepower. There’s no stopping him. His label, YBNL, has a joint venture partnership with Empire, the international distribution company.

Conclusively, I have to say that even this piece cannot do justice to Olamide’s run. At most, it can serve as a reminder that Olamide isn’t minuscule in the world. I hope that we pay more attention to his legendary moves while we experience them. He is a living legend and should be regarded as one.