Lyta  | |
|---|---|
|   Lyta in an all-white photo shoot  | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Opeyemi Babatunde Rahim | 
| Born | Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria | 
| Genres | |
| Occupations | 
  | 
| Years active | 2018–present | 
| Labels | Rafat Music [1] | 
Babatunde Rahim, known professionally as Lyta, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter . He signed a record deal with YBNL Nation in 2018 but left the label in May 2019 after having a disagreement with the label owner Olamide. [2] He released the 5-track debut EP Id in 2019. [3]
A native of Kwara State, Lyta grew up in Ajegunle and was a member of Ile Kewu, a music group at his local mosque. [2] [4] His record deal with YBNL Nation was made public on 3 February 2018. [5] In 2019, Lyta confirmed that he did not have any written contracts with YBNL Nation. [6] Lyta's breakthrough single with YBNL Nation, "Time", features vocals by Olamide and was released on 14 February 2018. [7] [8]
In 2019, Lyta left YBNL Nation due to contractual and personal issues. [9] After exiting YBNL, he signed with Doro Musik Gang and released the Killertunes produced track "Monalisa" on 12 July 2019. [10] The visuals for "Monalisa", which was directed by Director K, amassed over 500,000 views within a month after its release. [11] [12]
A few weeks after the release of "Monalisa", Davido reached out to Lyta about recording an official remix with him. [13] Following their agreement, Davido and Lyta flew to Dakar for the remix and video shoot. [14] [15] The remix of "Monalisa" was released on 30 August 2019. [16] Elias Light of Rolling Stone magazine described the song as a "handsome contradiction, with fierce expressions of yearning". [17] The accompanying music video for the remix was directed by Director K. [15] Lyta gained exposure following his collaboration with Davido on the remix. [18]
Lyta released the Afrobeat track "Worry" on 6 December 2019; it was produced by Killer Tunes. [19] The visuals for "Worry" was shot and directed by Simplicity Visual Studios in London. [20]
Reports about Lyta's exit from YBNL surfaced after Olamide unfollowed him on Instagram. [21] In May 2019, Lyta confirmed his exit from YNBL Nation on Naijaloaded TV. He said although he was paid between 50,000 and 80,000 for shows, he never had a written contract with the label. [22] Olamide issued a statement to Guardian Life, saying YBNL has a promotion calendar that Lyta refused to follow. [23]
In 2020, Lyta was signed to Marlian Records owned by Naira Marley. [24] He also released his first single under the label titled "Hold me Down(Omo Gidi)". [25] The video to "Hold Me Down", which was inspired by Kpop boy bands GOT7 and BTS, was directed by TG Omori. [26] The video is an exact replica of GOT7's "Just Right" music video. However, Lyta did not ask for permission and K-pop fans were furious about the exact copy of the video. [27] Lyta said, "I am not signed with Marlian records. Naira Marley is just showing me love." [28]
| Year | Title | Album | Ref | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Time" (featuring Olamide) | Non-album single | [8] | 
| "Self Made" | [33] | ||
| "Do You" | [34] | ||
| 2019 | "Pure Water" | [35] | |
| "Monalisa" | [36] | ||
| "Monalisa Remix" (featuring Davido) | [37] | ||
| "Worry" | [19] | 
| Year | Title | Album | 
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "That Same Boy" (Limerick featuring Lyta) | Non-album single | 
| "Aje Remix" (Jaywon featuring Barry Jhay and Lyta) | ||
| "Okay" (TooClasiq featuring Lyta) | ||
| "Loke Loke" (Lol featuring Lyta) | ||
| "Be Happy" (Package AOC featuring Oritse Femi, Zamorra and Lyta) | ||
| "Ori" (Dexter Miles featuring Lyta) | 
| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Headies | Next Rated | Himself | Nominated | [38] [39] | 
| Best Street-Hop Artiste | Nominated | ||||
| City People Music Awards | Most Promising Act of the Year | Nominated | [40] | ||
| Best New Act of the Year | Nominated |