When it comes to street-pop music in Afrobeats, Mohbad remains that voice with a Midas touch. Born Ilerioluwa Aloba, the young maverick has been Blessed with one of the toughest of exteriors, besting multiple odds to carve his reign in the Nigerian music scene.
Melding influences from Fuji and Christian Gospel fusions, the talented maestro unlocks a unique experience of African music, with his didactic-yet-groovy discography. And in his just-released album dubbed, Blessed, the Ikorodu-born rapper-singer treads a similar terrain as he presents his most sonically evolved version to his listeners.
Following a turbulent split from his foundational label Marlian Records, and his former boss Naira Marley, Mohbad gathers up his pieces, piecing them together to create a cathartic and reflective collection of songs. With his gingerly vocals and baroque delivery, he’s scored just the right amount of hits including the Rexxie-assisted smash hit, KPK (Ko Por Ke), to cement his relevance among street-pop discourse.
With Blessed, Mohbad personifies his struggles, resilience and current dispositions across key tracks such as Beast and Peace, Sabi, and the album’s star record, Ask About Me. He taps his industry counterparts and close friends Zlatan, as well as Bella Shmurda, on Account Balance, as well as Pariwo, where he continues to use Fuji-esque cadences to colour his introspective lyrics.
Minus one or two love songs, the entire project feels like a Street-Pop Gospel album that one can actually dance to. And this intimate exposition into Mohbad’s mindset is such an interesting chapter for street-pop’s impact as the unsung harbour of motivation and safe haven for the grassroot.
On today’s Guardian Music, we ride out into the streets with Mohbad, exploring his creative process, inspirations behind the new album, as well as what’s next for his daredevil ascent in contemporary Afrobeats, among others.
Congratulations on your sophomore album. How do you feel about it?
I feel so good, I feel blessed because it wasn’t that really easy putting all that music together for the progress. What I heard about the project after dropping makes me feel good, makes me feel great.
Interestingly, we’ve seen some kind of evolution from your debut project. How will you describe your growth, using this project?
It’s very different, the growth is crazy like from the installation of my instrument, my vocal delivery… like I’m more mature with the sound, there is a lot of difference in it and the different message. So the difference is very clear from the first one.
How did you delve into street-pop music?
What led me to that direction? Okay, that was my actual plan before I started doing music. Like, okay street pop, street pop, so I stayed on that lane because I can’t just do better on the other side, not that I can’t, but I can’t do it better than I do street-pop. So I stayed on it, and mingled with more street-pop artistes and I kept learning one or two things from them, and I tried to make my own music sound different.
Can you give names of the street-pop influences?
Names of the people? I think when I was developing I recorded with Lil Kesh, Zlatan Ibile, and Bella Shmurda. So those are the people that helped to develop most of my sounds. Those are the people for me.
Any one specifically that you grew up looking up to?
I won’t lie about that, I will say Olamide and Lil Kesh, yeah.
Tell us about how you coin your messages on your songs.
If you listen to the last EP which was Light, I think every one of my first projects always has a message, and those messages are always from where I’m coming from and where I am at the moment. So Sorry is one of them but it was from the last EP Beasts and Peace is another one on the blessed EP. So the story is just about my life experiences and things that happened and things I felt. It’s just a normal thing for me to put those things in my music.
What about family acceptance?
Firstly, it wasn’t really acceptable to my family and all. But I had to prove them wrong and I knew I had to make them see that I can do this. I tried to create my music but with more of a gospel pattern than secular Hip Hop, at first, and that was how I was able to convince them. Indeed, that’s like another story too.
What is your creative process like?
I will say I’m used to recording in my own house, like anywhere in this house. I can just put myself in the mood and think about what happened to me two or three days ago or think of an idea of something that never happened and put myself in that mood and record the song. If it’s my bedroom I’m getting the vibe right from, I have a studio there that I can record with. And if it’s outside the house too, I can still record music. Basically, I can record anywhere.
But where is your favorite place to do it?
In the house, while having like two or four guys around. You know, when I struggle with a line I ask them, ‘bro how far is this one going?’ You know, just for guidance.
What’s your favorite Mohbad record ever?
I used to have a favorite one before, but let me pick two now. Firstly, I would pick Backside, Feel good, and presently Blessings.
Why are those your favourites?
Backside was actually because what I wanted the song to do is what it did. When I was recording it, I had it in mind to record a song for females, you understand, but I didn’t want it to be like a regular love song. After I dropped it people accepted it. Feel good is really talking about my present, like the moment I recorded it and I think that is one of the best songs I have. I’m choosing it for that reason. And with Blessings, I will choose it for the same reason I chose Backside because I actually recorded Blessing but I just need a little more time to fully explain why because I just dropped it.
Which artistes are on your radar for collaborations?
People like BNXN, Ruger, you know, all those boys, they are ‘crazy.’ You know me, I don’t like to work with people because of popularity, and if you are very popular at the moment and I really like to work with you, I might just chill. I don’t like songs to look overhyped. When the song looks overhyped you won’t really get the message in the song, and that’s how I do my own songs. I would also like to work with Young Jonn.
What do you hope for your street-pop community in the future?
I want street-pop to grow to a level where you can’t space them out from other artistes. Presently, I’m proving some points, and I don’t know if anyone is seeing it. I’m just proving a point that you can retain your street sound and still go international. In a few years I want it to be very very concrete, although it’s not going to be easy but sound speaks for people. So, that’s what I think. I will be able to do that with some other artistes. I want everybody to be accepted anywhere, anytime, at any street party anywhere in the next few years.
Tell us some fun facts about you.
Okay, I’m a believer you know.
Of what?
I will say everything. But, yeah, I’m a Christian. Secondly I’m an introvert. You can even tell from afar. Lastly, I love to sleep.
Why do you enjoy sleeping that much?
Because I have so many things running in my head and the only way I can just deal with it is to fi egbe lelé and sleep.
Back to the album, what’s your goal for this project?
The goal behind the album is for it to reach everywhere in the whole world, even if it’s just a track. I want it to reach the whole world. I have been able to reach some parts, but anywhere at least they might understand Yoruba, English language, or just love melodies. I just want this song to be everywhere. That is just the goal, because I want everybody to be blessed!
That’s interesting. So what’s next for Mohbad?
This year in Nigeria, I will be having a concert, and I have few shows in the UK and Canada as well. Still, for my own proper show, it’s going to be live in Nigeria. Then, maybe, I might release another album before the year runs out, and drop more collaborations with talented guys like me, as well as more videos.
Finally, describe yourself in a phrase.
I will call it a seasonal movie, with lots of different creativity. There’s no way you would not keep going.
