Eni duro crooner, Olamide Adedeji, aka Olamide, told YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine’s GBENGA SHABA the concept behind his club banger, Story for the gods. He also explained why he prefers indigenous Yoruba rap during the chat…
Four years on, what has changed about Olamide?
Olamide is still the same. Nothing has changed about me. I’m still the same ‘eni duro’ kind of Olamide, the same YBNL kind of Olamide, because on my previous album, BGEL, I did a lot of experimenting, trying out different styles of music. So, it’s more of a commercial album while YBNL is a full hard core hip hop. So, I want to use its style again and that was why I tagged the new album ‘Street OT’ for people to know that my kind of music is strictly for the streets and that was a statement of intent and purpose.
Will there be a time you will do strictly English rap?
Would you pay me for it? (Laughs) Because if I want to listen to English rap, I would rather buy a Jay Z CD because we can never speak English here in Nigeria like they will over there. So, I still believe in indigenous hip hop and I think it’s the future of Nigerian music.
How did you come about your new track, Story for the gods?
I was just having fun in the studio. I just wanted to do ‘Lamba’ (free style). Sometimes, to make people dance because if there is no lamba, we can’t see money to eat. So, that was why I did it. It’s a freestyle, no time my brother.
Durosoke is still your greatest hit till date. How long did it take you to compose it?
I’ve had the song for so long. In fact, it was supposed to be in YBNL, but it didn’t make the album last year. The verses took like four to five hours to compose.
You have dropped four albums in four years. Is it a deliberate attempt?
Well, as long as marketers are willing to pay every year, I will continue to do albums.
You have kept your relationship so secretive, are you not in any?
Let us just keep this on my music alone. No comment on that.