Afro-Pop Prince, Oxlade is back with his second single of the year, ‘Intoxycated’. This hypnotic summer banger features UK rap star, Dave. The two engage in a relatable dialogue on cheating, numbness and heartbreak. Pre-release, the single snippet has already gained over 95,000 user generated videos on TikTok!
‘Intoxycated’ – a hybrid of intoxicated and Oxy (the artist’s pet name) – was composed with Afro- Swing in mind. Produced by Nigeria’s DeeYasso (Mayorkun/Simi/ Johnny Drille/Chike/Ric Hassani/) and Spax (Wizkid/Tiwa Savage/ Tekno/Tems/BNXN), Oxlade and Dave perform through contrast and melodies. The dynamics of this Lagos to London collaboration resonates with Oxlade’s forlorn falsetto and harmonies, coupled with Dave stoic punchlines and signature flow. From start to finish, this sonic conversation fuses English, Pidgin and Yoruba (Nigeria); whilst resting on a bed of hard hitting percussion and romantic guitar lines.
On what the song means to him, Oxlade explains: “I [knew] that I wanted the beat after hearing the strings for the first time, and also because of a heartbreak I was going through at the time. This triggered the energy that can be heard on the song.”
Oxlade is no stranger to UK Rap. Following his collaboration with Stormzy on ‘Hide and Seek’ earlier this year, the Lagos-native is set to dominate the airwaves again this summer. Arguably one of Africa’s strongest vocalists of the decade, Oxlade (born Olaitan Abdulrahman Ikuforiji) released his first official single in 2018 titled ‘Shugar’. The 26 year old went on to release successful songs such as ‘Away’,’O2′,’DKT’ and ‘Ku Lo Sa’ on COLORSxSTUDIO. This 2022 viral sensation has received over 350 million streams worldwide, charting worldwide; earning Oxlade a Triple Diamond CNM, Double Platinum in Switzerland, Platinum Certified song in Canada, Belgium and France, Gold in USA, Brazil, Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland, along with Silver in the UK.
This collaboration sees the diaspora connect with the Motherland as Dave ventures further into Afrobeats. Off the back of ‘Location’ featuring Burna Boy, ‘Lazarus’ featuring Boj, and ‘Propeller’ with Jae5 and BNXN, the South London native leans into his Nigerian heritage. Born David Orobosa Omoregie, the multi-platinum artist has over a billion total streams and a worldwide fanbase. He is the youngest ever Ivor Novello winner – a very prestigious award for excellence in songwriting and composing. Dave continues to dominate the charts with his latest joint release with Central Cee, ‘Split Decision’.
‘Intoxycated’ follows Ku Lo Sa and Ovami, featuring Flavour, as the third release from Oxlade’s forthcoming debut album: ‘Oxlade from Africa’. This is billed for release early Autumn.
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