Fans of popular award-wining Afrobeat star Davido were blown away by the release of his much anticipated 4th album titled “Timeless”. However, it is important to give recognition to the producer behind the song with large audience engagement on this album.
His name is Ikechukwu Clinton Nnaemeka. Popularly known as Ragee, he is the multi-talented producer behind “Unavailable” from Davido’s album. Ragee has successfully worked with several top records and has become one of the biggest music producers in 2023
The producer is responsible for one of the most resonating taglines in Afrobeats culture today – “initiating rage process”, and he has developed a clinical approach to crafting hit records. Known for his uncanny ability to craft chart-toppers across multiple genres, Rage had his first big break in production in late 2020 when he worked with Bad Boy Timz on his song titled “Have Fun.”
In a year laden with hit records, the song cracked the Apple Music Top 10 and was named one of the Top 100 Songs of 2021 by Apple Music. “Have Fun” also reached number 17 on the Billboard Charts.
Recently, Ragee has been able to achieve a major milestone in his career after successfully producing two songs “Unavailable” and “Picasso” on Davido’s fourth studio album, “Timeless”. Released on the 30th of March 2023, the album would become the highest charting African album on the US iTunes Charts, and sell 20k+ records in the UK in only its first week. “Unavailable” which he co-produced with Magicsticks also became the producer’s first number 1 hit record on Apple Music and Spotify.
In a recent interview, Ragee shared how he started his journey into music production. “I used to be a rapper and I was always in the studio, and back then, Magicsticks was my producer,” says Ragee. “So I usually see what they are doing in the studio, making beats and subconsciously, I was learning.
“At some point, paying producers was really expensive so the bills were too much for me. So I thought of doing it myself. I just felt like doing beats casually and somebody just posted on Snapchat, the guy just came back from Dubai and he said he needed a producer. I wasn’t that good, I was still in my learning process. But I had my confidence and just sent a message to him that I can do beats,” he disclosed.
Ragee continues to work assiduously from his studio in Lagos with frequent collaborators, such as top artists like Zinoleesky, Boy Spyce, Ayra Starr, Young John and several more. His discography includes records like amapiano heavy track-Jogodo with latest DMW signee Logos Olori (created before Logos’s deal), Chocolate with Mavin Records artiste-Magixx, club banger Shedibalabala with Jerry Shaffer, Run This Town with Toby Shang, Denge Pose with Dan Dizzy and Bad Boy Timz, Updated by Naira Marley and Toby Shang, alongside several more.
Ragee’s journey into music production has shown the power of consistency and hard work in perfecting one’s skill.
His advice for upcoming music producers is to be proficient in their craft and be ready for opportunities ahead. “Success is when opportunity meets preparation, so you have to be prepared and ready and you have to also believe in yourself. Rome was not built in a day, just master your craft,” he said.
