Obongjayar | |
---|---|
Birth name | Steven Umoh |
Born | Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Labels | September Recordings |
Steven Umoh, known by his stage name Obongjayar, is a Nigerian musical artist based in London, England. [1] After releasing multiple EPs, his debut studio album, Some Nights I Dream of Doors, was released in 2022.
Steven Umoh grew up in Calabar, Nigeria. He was raised by his grandmother; his mother had moved to the UK to escape Umoh's father, who was abusive. Early in his life, Umoh primarily listened to bootleg rap, particularly Eminem, Usher, Nelly, Snoop Dogg and Ciara. [2]
Umoh moved to live with his mother in England at the age of 17, but stayed active in the Nigerian music scene. He grew up a devoutly religious Christian, but became less so after he attended university in Norwich. [2] In college, he sang primarily in an American accent, influenced by his childhood spent listening to American hip hop music, but he transitioned to singing in his natural Nigerian-British accent before embarking on his professional career. [3]
Obongjayar started his career publishing his music on SoundCloud. His work caught the notice of XL Recordings executive Richard Russell, who then asked Obongjayar to contribute to his Everything Is Recorded project. [1] In 2016, Obongjayar released his first extended play, Home, described by Noisey as "a unique voice: one that navigates darkness with nocturnal, near-spiritual hymns." [3]
He followed Home with a second EP, Bassey, which was noted for its sparse production and afrobeat rhythms, [2] as well as its themes of spirituality, politics, and his experiences as a Black person. [3] He also contributed to Richard Russell's 2017 EP, Close But Not Quite. [2]
In 2019, Obongjayar featured on rapper Danny Brown's fifth studio album U Know What I'm Sayin? on the tracks "Belly of the Beast" and "uknowhatimsayin¿". [4]
In collaboration with afrobeat producer Sarz, Obongjayar released a third EP, Sweetness, in 2021. [5] He featured on rapper Little Simz's studio album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert on the fourth single "Point and Kill", which was later accompanied by a music video. [6] [7] Obongjayar also released the song and music video "Message in a Hammer", the lead single for his debut album. [8] Some Nights I Dream of Doors was released in May 2022 and was later nominated for the Best Album Ivor Novello Award on the 18th May 2023. [9] [10]
Obongjayar's music has been called "hard to describe,” incorporating elements of afrobeat, spoken word, soul, and electronic music. His lyrics incorporate spiritual overtones, although they are not readily identifiable with any specific religious tradition. [2] A unifying feature of all of Obongjayar's music is his unique voice, which slides between rapping, singing, and spoken word. [1]
No Thank You is the fifth studio album by British rapper Little Simz. It was released on 12 December 2022 through the independent label Forever Living Originals after being announced less than a week prior. No Thank You is a hip hop album containing elements of gospel, afrobeat, soul, funk, and electronic music.
Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, better known by her stage name Little Simz, is a British rapper, singer and actress. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums: A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), Stillness in Wonderland (2016) and Grey Area (2019), the last of which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the awards for Best Album at both the Ivor Novello Awards and the NME Awards.
Sadiq Onifade, known popularly known as WurlD, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, WurlD relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to pursue a secondary education and record music. He describes his style of music as electro-fusion. He released his debut EP Evolution in 2013.
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, who is known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a prominent voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement. His music is a blend of Afrobeats, afropop, R&B, afrobeat, reggae, dancehall, and pop. He began recording music at the age of 11 and released a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church friends formed. In 2009, Wizkid signed a record deal with Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E). He rose to the limelight after releasing "Holla at Your Boy", the lead single from his debut studio album, Superstar (2011), which also spawned the singles "Tease Me/Bad Guys" and "Don't Dull".
Remilekun Khalid Safaru, known by his stage names Reminisce and Alaga Ibile, is a Nigerian singer, rapper, songwriter, and actor originating from Ogun State. He performs in English and in his native language, Yoruba.
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu , who is known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E (2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed with Atlantic Records in the United States to release his third studio album, Outside (2018).
Paul White is an English multi-instrumentalist, singer, and record producer from Lewisham. He is one half of the duo Golden Rules along with Eric Biddines.
Osabuohien Osaretin, better known by his stage name Sarz, is a Nigerian record producer, mixing engineer and musician. Born in Benin City, Edo State, he is popularly known for the tag Sarz On The Beat/"Really", at the beginning or end of all his music productions.
David Orobosa Michael Omoregie, known professionally as Dave or Santan Dave, is a British rapper and actor. He is known for his socially conscious lyricism and wordplay.
Sounds from the Other Side is the third studio album and major label debut by Nigerian singer Wizkid. Described by the singer as an EP, the album contains songs that were recorded between 2014 and 2017. It was released on July 14, 2017, by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records. Primarily a Caribbean-influenced record, SFTOS encompasses several other genres, including Afrobeats, EDM, R&B, and house. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Major Lazer, Chris Brown, Ty Dolla Sign, Efya, Bucie and Trey Songz. Its production was handled by Sarz, Del B, Spellz, Dre Skull, DJ Mustard, Major Lazer, and the Picard Brothers.
Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah, known professionally as Kojey Radical, is a British musician, creative director and mixed media visual artist. His style has been described as a mix of grime hip hop, alternative rap, and spoken word. Since 2018, he has received six nominations at the MOBO Awards, including Best Newcomer. He also performed at the 2020 and 2022 MOBO ceremonies.
U Know What I'm Sayin? is the fifth studio album by American rapper Danny Brown. It was released on October 4, 2019, by Warp Records. The album features guest appearances from Run the Jewels, Obongjayar, JPEGMafia and Blood Orange. Executive produced by Q-Tip, with contributions by Paul White, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Standing on the Corner and JPEGMafia, the album received widespread critical acclaim, appearing on several publications' year-end lists.
Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a style per se, and more of a descriptor for the fusion of sounds flowing majorly out of Nigeria. Genres such as hiplife, jùjú music, highlife and naija beats, among others, were amalgamated under the "Afrobeats" umbrella.
Michael Babatunde Adeyinka, also known as DJ Tunez is a Nigerian-American disc jockey. In 2015, DJ Tunez was asked by Wizkid to join Starboy Entertainment, as the official label DJ, DJ Tunez's first production was in 2016's Iskaba, a contagious hit song with Wande Coal. He has collaborated with other acts such as Wizkid, Sarz, Burna Boy, Busiswa, Reekado Banks, Damibliz, Omah Lay and many more.
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is the fourth studio album by British rapper Little Simz, released on 3 September 2021 by Age 101 Music and AWAL. The album succeeds the Mercury Prize-nominated album Grey Area, released in 2019, and the five-track EP, Drop 6 (2020). It is supported by five singles: "Introvert", "Woman", "Rollin Stone", "I Love You, I Hate You" and "Point and Kill". The album is produced by frequent collaborator Inflo, and includes guest appearances from Cleo Sol and Obongjayar.
Bolaji Odojukan, better known by his stage name BOJ is an English-Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is one-third of the musical group DRB LasGidi with TeeZee and Fresh L, and is known as a pioneer of alté.
Lekan Osifeso Jnr., popularly known as Lojay, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer. He peaked at number 8 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart with his song "Monalisa", which features Chris Brown and Sarz. He received a nomination for the Headies Award for Next Rated artiste at the 2022 Headies Award.
"Adore U" is a song by British producer Fred Again and London-based Nigerian musician Obongjayar. It was released on 11 August 2023 through Warner Music UK and Atlantic.
Azanti, is a UK-based Nigerian singer, songwriter, and music producer, signed to Apex Village, and Def Jam Recordings. He came into the music scene with a collaborative eponymous extended play titled YP and Azanti, Vol. 1 with PsychoYP, released by the music collective Apex Village. The project lead tracks include "Focused", and "Caro".