y OU doesn't exactly refer to Obongjayar as a rapper today, but back in 2016 he caught the attention of Richard Russell, an influential British producer who helped start Adele's career and led by Kendrick Lamar's "u" (u'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Want a pimp butterfly. The song is a breakthrough for Obongjayar, who starts to unravel some identity crises from young men in Calabar, Nigeria to his young adults in London. Born in Steven Umoh, he began to break away from hip-hop under the name Obongjayar, bringing Obong together - Obong (the word "king" or "god" in his native language) plays his father's drama with Jayar. He likes the way the name combines the power of the ruler and the humility of his son.
Since his "U" freestyle, he has been more inclined to diversify, wielding electronic music, rock, soul, and even a new era extraordinary that he made himself. You can hear the innovations of Afrobeat icon Fela Kuti and ignores the remains of the songs, such as "Message in the Mail" from his vast 2022 debut album I dreamed of one night at the door, He wrote after Nigerian security forces fired at savage anti-police protesters in 2020. Door And his four EPs. Although he retains the courage and verbal style of the rapper, he sings the creepy Crocker just as he does in the airy falsehood. His Comeleonic approach earned him a dedicated fan base and a prestigious British songwriting award, Ivor Novello. In November, he will headline his biggest performance at the Kent Town Forum in London, in support of his sophomore album, Heaven nowMay 30.
To prove his range, he also once again gained fans of coveted dance producer Fred…his gentle ode to Obongjayar mixed with his younger brother “I wish that was me,” into the joyous new track “Adore U.” Obongjayar went from a stranger to Fred, bursting into tears, watching his online group, to performing "Adore U" with him in a sold-out stadium at the Los Angeles Memorial Stadium. Despite the crowds, he felt relaxed. "I'm not nervous because I know what I'm doing," he said. "I know who I am. I don't need to wear something, I don't have a performance. I'm just there because I love the songs."
He is not always so confident. When Obongjayar first started releasing music to SoundCloud, he said "terrible American rap" in an attempt to be someone he wasn't. "If I had grown up in Nigeria when I was growing up in Nigeria, everyone had this identity crisis," he said. His mother left Nigeria for England after an abusive relationship with her father, leaving Obojayar and his brother in the care of her grandmother until she could take them away.
“We are very much experienced in American culture – American movies, American music, watching Jerry Springer, Cartoon Network - Nigerians are almost not that cool. What was considered cool at the time was the children with parents in the United States who went on vacation to the United States. I don't have any of these things, but I'm the kids around me, so I used to lie. My brother and I would lie on our teeth that we have been to England when we were back from our school holidays. We put on fake accents, but our accent is American. ” he said.
Although he stumbled upon a Fela Kuti Bootleg CD as a kid, he was more interested in 50 Cent, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. Unless he is a graphic design student at Norwich University of the Arts in East England, he truly appreciates Cootty. His British friend played the Nigerian band leader around Obongjayar, mistakenly thought he had known everything about him. “When you are in another place and you see the respect of someone like Fela Kuti, you realize how important it is, who is as unique as he is in any geographically,” Obongjayar said. “I think it’s so encouraging because the music is so Nigerian. His music is able to open a window for African life, just like hip-hop opens the world until the world, the source of this struggle.
By then, Heaven nowis emotional, but direct. according to guardian (He playfully refused to share his age with me. "I'm going to be 25," he said), especially Bowie and Prince's hits. His method Heaven now Their views were also keen and clear, influenced by their old interviews. "Not much fat," he said. "It has been distilled to the point where it is so fine, understandable and very unique, but it won't scare you because it's too complicated."
one of the Heaven now The best track is "Talk Olympics," which has the only sound feature of the album, rapper Little Simz, his close friend and frequent collaborator. The crazy percussion on the “Talk Olympics” sparked a turmoil over the dense West African market, but reflected similar constant and overwhelming chats that could spill out of the internet into real life. He shouted, “Hot Topic Psychologist, Social Media Philanthropist, Political Biologist, Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk trash.” “Everyone pretends they know what they are talking about,” he told me about the inspiration for the song. "Yesterday, you weren't talking about this. You didn't have a fucking clue until it became a thing."
"Talk Olympics" stands out and is one of the most obvious African songs Heaven nowThere, Obongjayar weaves high school students, electronic pop music, various rocks, and touches the tapestry, where he feels sad on the tapestry, builds new relationships, builds new relationships, and claims himself. On the album and most of his music, he performed more than the British accents he often heard. "But my saving grace is that when I think, I think in Nigerians, I think about my own voice. The way I music and sing really reflects my way of thinking rather than speaking. It's purely unfiltered."
He intends to call the album Instant animalslike a song's collapse, psychedelic jam conversation Heaven nowthink about the meaning of truly surrendering to a moment. “If you are dreaming and falling, your body’s reaction is to wake up because it either dies in a dream or wakes up. That’s what 'Instant Animal' means.
Although he is working on the album, he is hosting a series of parties called Paradise, and now he is prioritizing direct and instinct, with him and his friends presenting each other. This is also where he can test music with his collaborators. He often receives different feedback from his songs live with Wax and wants to see if he can eliminate the dysregulation. “Sometimes the music can be too complicated to replicate live broadcasts,” he said.
He chose a venue called Ormside, now Haunt, southeast London, to host Paradise as 250. "We sold it every time," he said. He loved its intimacy. “There is no green room so everyone is in the space. It has a very small stage, a bar around the corner, it’s very dirty. Great sound system, good people working there, it’s perfect.
As the record progressed, he said Instant animals Feeling too brave. "This is the aggressive cousin of heaven," he said. I mentioned that his paradise now reminds me of the people thrown out with Janelle Monáe and friends while making her last Grammy nominated album, A happy era. They want to see how their records resonate on the dance floor. In hindsight, Obongjayar thought he might have been an adder to Monáe's. However, testing music at his party is even more personal. “It’s more about how it feels because I need to be happy with how it makes me feel,” he said.