Olamide is right at top of the hit-making game in Nigeria right now. The rapper’s new single, ‘Bobo’ currently ranks as the de facto show-stopper within the country and among worldwide listeners of Afrobeats.
Every Nigerian who currently consumes Afrobeats, and finds pleasure in it, would react to the stimuli of ‘Bobo’, with a dance, hum, or perhaps a scream. That has been known to occur.
While the grooving is on point, a wider look at Olamide’s music publishing and promotions strategy, point to one evident fact: He is releasing an album this year.
Three singles so far have been public by the YBNL Camp, and they are ‘Bobo’, the introspective ‘Melo melo’, and the highly conceptual ‘Lagos boys’.
‘Bobo’ was the first to be made public. The Afro-Pop single was released on May 4, 2015, just weeks after he let fly the ‘2 Kings’ joint album with his colleague and friend, Phyno. Critics were quick to point out the ‘obvious lack of business wisdom’ in it. It is promotional suicide to crowd the market with new projects when the existing ones are yet to fulfil their commercial potential.
But hindsight said no. With a little snippet into his plans, Olamide is currently working on another album, which is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of the year. He has since dropped a video for the lead song, and has subsequently consolidated that with the love ballad, ‘Melo melo.’
Recently a third single has been dropped and promotion for it has been heavy. Olamide really means business.
Insight can also be drawn from his previous album. The lead single ‘Story for the gods’ was released in June 2014. In July, another followed, the hugely successful ‘Awon goons mi’.
With such a business template already executed to perfection, Olamide is rinsing and repeating again for another album. He working with a successful plan.
Prior to this year, the rapper had released four albums in four years, and he has admitted, that as long as the demand exist, he will oblige with new music.
“Na marketers just call me say make we release album. They told me there is high demand outside after releasing my singles “story for the gods” and awon goons mi” and they told me to come up with something and it was ready in like one week” Olamide disclosed in October 2014.
Those marketers still exist, and the demand is at an all-time high. Olamide intends to humor them. His trusted producer, Young John, also had earlier hinted that a new album is in the works for release this year.
Nigerians, get ready. Olamide’s fifth solo studio album will be released in 2015.
