Olamide discusses YBNL’s vision after 10th album

11 Aug 2023 - 15:05

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

Following the release of his 10th solo studio album this week, veteran Nigerian rapper Olamide has delved into the vision behind his independent label YBNL Records.

Olamide.

Founded in 2012, following his exit from Coded Tunes, YBNL has been key to activating the careers of several popstars, including Adekunle Gold, Lil Kesh, Fireboy DML and Asake, as well as producers Pheelz and Young Jonn.

In an interview with Nandi Madiba on Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio show, Olamide revealed that he created the label as a way to reinvest in his passion.

“The world is in love with my stuff, [and] I’m grateful for it but now it’s time to make sure I reinvest in that same thing that’s making you love and appreciate me,” he said. “It used to be just passion but it’s high time I step up, reinvest and make this a proper business. I set up my own label, and started signing artists because I didn’t want all that money to just go wasted on ballin’ and all that. All that money had to go back into the grind, man. That’s how the whole thing started.”

The new 15-track album, titled Unruly, is a follow-up to UY Scuti (2021) and continues a prolific run of releases dating back to 2011’s Rapsodi. This streak also saw him contribute to four collaborative collections, namely 2 Kings with Phyno (2015), YBNL featuring MaFia Family (2018), 999 with Penthauze Music, Phyno, Check & Rhatti (2020) and Badder Dan Dem featuring Jahborne (2013).

Olamide revealed that his desire to get back on the road is also motivated by his fans who have been clamouring for him to go on tour. He also shared that he delayed getting back on the road because he was working hard to get in tune with the current international ascension of Afrobeats.

Unruly was released on 9 August and led by the singles ‘Trumpet’ and ‘New Religion’. The LP features guest appearances by CKay, Bnxn, Fireboy DML, Rema and Asake. Olamide has revealed that he will hold a concert in Nigeria before heading to the US and Europe in support of the album.

“My fans, they’ve been hollering, ‘Yo come outside! Come play!’ Now I’m ready. I’ve been on the ground, trying to put in work and get my stuff together because the new wave is so crazy right now and you just have to figure a way to be in tune with time, which is not easy, so I’ve been working on that for so long. That’s why it took me so long,” he said.

Unruly is available for streaming and download across all major digital platforms.