Though Nigerian rapperOdumodublvcks thunderous baritone sounds predestined for fame, he didnt go looking for music at first.
One day at a studio, the friend encouraged him to lay something down himself.
He said, You have the voice.
Odumodublvck’s career took off after a friend encouraged him to use his voice.Abbas Muhammed*
You should try and do something,' Odumodu recalls.
His father, on the other hand, was wary.
I think its just God now.
Looking back, he understands where his dad was coming from.
Its out of love, not out of hate or spite.
Like, Wow, this guy actually made this thing work.
In conversation, he likens his strategic ascent to that of Viking warrior king Ragnar Lodbrok.
This project is going to humble people.
This project is going to teach a lot of people.
This project is going to be like the mother to a lot of rappers.
Hes been accused of misogyny, thanks to his occasionally crass and combative online takes.
Yet Odumodu can also be seen and heard defending women and their autonomy.
In 2019, heprotestedalleged harassment and sexual abuse bypolicein Abuja.
He advocates for consent on Commend, the first song on his mixtapeEziokwu.
You dont need to explain.
He is, though, willing to discuss the controversial lyrics of his hit Cast.
I didnt say it to attack women, Odumodu explains.
I said it as a neutral statement.
It is not a one-way thing.
In other words, he says, those bars are meant as an observation on reciprocity in relationships.
But they dont see it that way.
All they see is negative, negative, negative.
And you cant tell them to stop because its driving the numbers up.
Girls are going to come towards that.
Hip-hop doesnt move without women, Odumodu continues, especially in Nigeria, where singers often take precedence.
I told my guys, I said, I want us to rule like Spice Girls, he says.
I didnt say like the Beatles.
I said Spice Girls.
Taylor Swift, thats my template.
These girls, the way theyre moving, thats how I want to move.
