For the best part of the last 18 months, we’ve been living through a new age of creativity in the wider Afropop soundscape. In many respects, there are no rules for what a banger can–or should–sound like, as artists dexterously pay homage to what has come before them, while fastening their gaze on the future of music. The bulk of this innovative charge has, of course, come courtesy of the radically imaginative vision of rising artists like Zaylevlten, Indi, Egertton, Danpapa GTA, and Deela, who are making artistic leaps without diluting their identities as their audiences grow. 

Given the recalibration of our music, it’s no surprise that rising rapper, Kayode got a roaring response when he posted a clip of himself rapping over a sample of King Saheed Osupa’s “Reliable Pt.5” late in February 2026. The snippet showed him working his  fluid Trap flow around a vocal chop of the Fuji legend saying, “Aimoye awon eniyan tan ti lo nile aye,” roughly translating to “Countless people have left this world.” 

The messaging on “Aimoye” is in keeping with some of Kayode’s best work. In November 2021, he released a drill-adjacent hit, “Live Forever,” that garnered some mainstream attention, hinting at the rapper’s promise. He’s since continued to sharpen his skills, releasing a series of singles as well as projects like  2023’s ‘STILL FIGURING LIFE’ and 2024’s ‘KAY KAY,’ which displayed the surgical flows and assured delivery that make “Aimoye” an instant highlight. 

For all the instant adulation that “Aimoye” has received, it’s the culmination of a journey that began with February’s “OWO LO BA OMO JE,” a balmy Trap offering that saw Kayode experiment with Yoruba heavily across the length of the song while manifesting more success and breakthroughs for himself and his loved ones. In some ways, the mid-March arrival of “Aimoye” is a natural progression of “OWO LO BA OMO JE,” signifying the convergence of a modern music style with a storied oral genre that is as dense as it is ever-evolving. 

Originally released in 2020, King Saheed Osupa’s “Reliable Pt.5,” taken from ‘Reliable,’ features the Ibadan native’s characteristic wit and mastery of the Yoruba language while admonishing his listeners to try and lead positive lives with a reminder that death is a human constant. 

Less concerned with the moral framings of right and wrong, Kayode’s “Aimoye” filters its reference material for that looming specter of mortality as a motivation to live life to the fullest and do one’s best. Death is a sobering reality, but in Kayode’s hands, that reminder is a rousing invocation to be fly and engage with life without regrets while the sample of King Saheed Osupa’s voice provides thematic rigour. 

For all his playful edge, Kayode is still deeply reverential of what has come before him, sharing his admiration for Yoruba oral genres and, specifically, King Saheed Osupa on social media. Even on “Aimoye,” he makes time to shout out the legend, saying, “Saidon P lo gbemi debe, enemies o le gbemi wale.” More interestingly, the instrumental for “Aimoye” rises to the occasion, groovily blending ominous percussion, gnarly 808s, and faint shakers for a worthy accompaniment that allows Kayode’s voice to soar without encumbrance. 

Lyrically, “Aimoye” is grounded but confident, positioning Kayode as a young baller who is living his life while mindful of jealous eyes seeking his downfall. Regardless, he’s assured thar no harm will come to him, confidently rapping, “Ko sin te ma she, on god,” in the song’s first verse. That line is delivered with an uber-confidence and air of invicibility that’s sure to steer Kayode’s career as he continues to position himself to be a Nigerian mainstream fixture. 

Too often, we get poor attempts at tracks paying homage to storied African genres where the musician is just not rooted in the terrain they attempt to plant their flag. On “Aimoye,” Kayode bucks that trend, displaying an intuitive appreciation of Fuji’s dynamism and King Saheed Osupa’s work and how best it can supplements his Trap work, perfecting a delicate blend of tradition and modern sonics that’s euphoric and contemplative in equal parts. 

With “Aimoye” already popping off, it will be fascinating to see what Kayode goes next. Another X post hinted at another single built on a sample of Musiliu Haruna Ishola’s Apala classic “Ise Oluwa Ko Seni Toye.” Still, for now, “Aimoye” is a triumph of old and new influences that place Kayode at an interesting crossroad in his burgeoning career.

Listen to “Aimoye” here.