Olamide has always been an artist with a position in the music industry reserved solely for him, it’s as though everyone regards his influence in the music industry and leaves the spot he occupies, without making as much flinch to clinch the status. Whilst Nigerians are bothered with shuffling periodically the status of the highly coveted ‘Big 3’ in the Nigerian music industry, Olamide has a resolute spot, revered as one of the movers and shakers of street hop in Nigeria, as far as contemporary music is concerned.

The self acclaimed “baddo” started his music career just about the same time as the alleged big three of the Nigerian music scene – Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy. Where Burna Boy was grovelling somewhere in the background, it was Olamide alongside the other two, making waves and shaking things up in the industry. Where the likes of Asake, Rema, Ayra Starr, Tems, might be walking into and making resounding noise concerning their artistry as of now, Olamide was amongst the early contemporary artists paving a way for Seyi Vibez, Bella Shmurda, and the likes.
Olamide before now has always been recalled as a radical rapper and singer in Nigeria, what set him apart from other artists was the rawness with which his music carried, and how he was culturally inclined— ‘rumour’ has it that it was once said that the rapper had little knowledge of basic English even. Olamide’s music was a blast in party houses, clubs and street events, he had and still has a catalogue of songs that remain classic, not because of how sonically orchestrated it is, but because it contains an ethereal vibe that not many street rappers can achieve. From as far back as “Omo To Shan” featuring Wizkid to “First Of All” to “Stupid Love”, Olamide was an indestructible artist with a certain charm to his music.
It is a slap to liken Olamide to what artists like Seyi Vibez might be doing, because Olamide was on another level entirely with his artistry — he was not only referred to once as part of the biggest artists in Nigeria, but he also is recognized as an artist with an infallible delivery of hits. The 2015 era will forever be etched in the minds of music inclined individuals because Olamide carried onto his back the Nigerian music industry, clinching even the Artist of the Year award during the annual Headies award show.
Olamide was a trend, the dances he created through his music – Shakiti Bobo, revolutionising the dance, Dab, amongst his many other influences within the Nigerian culture that includes the timberland craze amongst Nigerian boys, even the inculcation of the ‘Sneh’ nickname. What no one will do, is to water down the influence of Olamide— both with regards to the music industry and the overall cultural lifestyle within the country. Again, the rapper and singer was an indestructible artist and he carried himself with that confidence.
Being the leading force of the YBNL (Yahoo Boy No Laptop) record label, Olamide has grown— from being a rapper/singer to being attributed as a leader behind the label with which successful artists have come out from; Lil Kesh to Adekunle Gold, to Fireboy DML and Asake. Olamide in every sphere of success metric is an excellent musician and overall successful music mogul. Perchance you think otherwise, here’s a bucket to drown yourself in.
But it comes to a point that sometimes evident growth creeps in, not just in age maturity but also in a sense of what you represent. You feel the urge to turn the tides because you now have to embrace a stillness that approaches you regardless, which one must be inclined to think is an exacting case of Olamide. In our eyes, Olamide went from being the artist behind “Ilefo Illuminati” to being the raspy voice behind “Rock.” It went beyond just singing with a new calmness, but rather the embracing maturity that clasped Olamide within and outside. We forget now, that he was once that artist with a bubbly aura, hosting one of the biggest concerts yearly, and going into a verbal brawl with Don Jazzy while on stage, at one point in Headies Award history.
Just like 2015 is a representation of the Olamide rush season when he decidedly blessed us with a rush of amazing music, 2020 is marked as a point when Olamide introduced us to a certain vibe, that bitter as it may, hasn’t entirely settled within the minds of some people. We should be gladdened though, that the change in his sound and music was embraced rather in silence than the difficulty artists like Wizkid often battles till date.
Releasing “Carpe Diem” in October, 2020, Olamide unfolded himself within the music scene, releasing a series of incredible sounds from the album that was instrumentally excellent. The album was vivid in showing his growth as an artist and a willingness to concede to it. While it remained the Olamide we all very much knew at that point, the tilt was more than evident, from the ease of the instrumentals, the raspy vocals that soothed over the beats and how structured the album seemed. Despite this, reckoned as the forerunner of street pop, the title never left his abode.
Much later, Olamide dropped “UY Scuti” as a continuation to his evolutionary cycle from “Carpe Diem”, exploring more genres and yet, retaining what this writer will call his unique hint— one that is suggestively obvious in his every track, should attention be paid duly to his music.
With this, Olamide’s music went from being music for all, to being music for those who appreciate good sound, appreciate his craft as well as those with a fine taste for street pop that is thoroughly refined. Olamide’s evolution came with a refinement within his audience carousel.
“I miss the old Olamide” – ever heard this? People forget yet, that artists are bound to grow, bound to escape that box with which they’re boxed in and explore the creativity that sits still within their head. For a moment let’s think of what Olamide’s career would have been had he still remained the Olamide of 2010s — the artist would most likely be contending unnecessary spots with gen z street artists, his fans engaging him in an unclear war of who the street pop king should be. His evolution came with an unspoken silence, and like that, Olamide simply embraced whatever it is that approached him, removed himself from unnecessary Nigerian music drama and has yet remained instrumental to the evolution of Nigerian music culture.
And so it has continued, Olamide’s evolution transitioning from “UU Scuti” to “Unruly” released in 2023, with the artist sound having the effect of a better refined appeal, and has now rendered his delivery for this year 2024 with “Ikigai/生 甲斐, Vol.1.”

On “lkigai/生 甲斐, Vol.1”, Olamide gathered almost the entirety of YBNL very foundation — starting from Lil Kesh of past, to Fireboy DML and Asake of present. The seven-track project takes on two tracks that includes features from artists with starting points from under the rapper and five sole tracks that display his utter artistry.
With a bounce, Olamide kick starts the album with “Metaverse”, it’s reminiscent of an old Olamide and yet, an influence of his grown version— a mixture of hot and cold, as though he’s flowing on a wave of denial to lose total control. He transfers the energy into “Uptown Disco” featuring Asake and Fireboy DML, rendering a unified front on the track.
With a sound that can be likened to one of his tracks, “Unruly”, “Makaveli” stands strong as one of those tracks that could do it for someone off the album, he replicates this into “Hello Habibi” which he had previously teased on the internet before the release of the album, “lkigai/生 甲斐, Vol.1”
Gathering the major producers of his old classic tracks, Pheelz and Young Jonn, alongside Lil Kesh of the popular “Shoki”, Olamide merges incredible talents on “Synchro System.” It’s as though he lets them hassle it all out on the track, while taking a sip, which is perfectly normal given his earlier renditions earlier on within the project. “Synchro System” isn’t a normal Afropop/street hop track, it’s more of a western rock sound that bears guitar sounds from an Asian scene.

Olamide has earned the very right to do as he “choses”, given how much dedication and time he has put into the music scene since as far back as 2010. He has gone from raving to chill, from a rapper who simply wants to make music from the depths of Bariga to becoming a valuable asset to the street hop scene of the Nigerian music industry. Like his growth or not, the closest you could ever get to his “old” self, is a mix of both eras.
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