Sure, Lagos is front and  center when music is being discussed in Nigeria, but often that means that a lot of the great experimental music that comes from other cities is often either overlooked or ignored entirely. Take for instance, afro fusion rapper Abiodun who reps the ancient city of Ibadan. Since he began making music professionally he’s released four experimental afro fusion singles that challenge the conventions of the genre yet have largely gone unnoticed by the music media machine. His last single Blurry, produced by Lemav and released two months ago, saw a spike in his audience and people finally taking notice. But his new single “Melanin”, fresh out of the mixing booth is the song that everyone needs to hear.

First off, Abiodun is a gifted song writer, able to channel angst and draw the listener into the world of his music’s protagonists. “Melanin’s subject is a mysterious tween with her life split between the North and South, Nigeria and Ghana. The kind of girl who mentions in first conversations that her parent’s marriage collapsed around her, and asserts she’s only here for a good time. It is impossible to be intrigued by her the way Abiodun is, to not want to promise your way into her heart. Understated instrumentation with simple piano riffs, the occasional drum roll, and a thumping bass that is as unrelenting  as a heartbeat, is the perfect counterpoint to Abiodun’s earnest story telling and by the end of the song you’re completely sold on him.

Abiodun will do great things, with this kind of promise, he just has to.

Listen to “Melanin” here.

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