This is practically How Ladipoe dominated the charts in the Nigerian music industry
Counting down the collaborations that birthed arguably the most successful rapper of his era, a look into how Ladipoe dominated the charts in the Nigerian music industry
Ladipoe’s “Feeling,” released by Mavin Records, had a radio reach of 54.2 million and 1.65 million equivalent streams, making it the most played song in Nigeria.
Buju, the rage of the moment, was featured on the single, and his sparkling vocals propelled the song into Nigeria’s viral trends.
Below are other Ladipoe songs that did well on the chart and also aid cemented him as the frontline in Nigeria Hiphop.
Feeling feat. Buju
Years from now, when Poe is an OG, and in his retirement days, “Feeling” will be the song he is paid millions to perform.
A cold banger, it reminds you of Major Lazer collaborations like “Particula” and “Run Up” Everybody came correct. Everybody ate!
A career-defining song, “Feeling” served as a “comeback” for Buju after a quiet 2020, and inserted producer, Andre Vibes into mainstream conversations.
As for ‘Poe, well, he’ll definitely be making “couple hundred G’s on many, many good nights.”
Running feat. Fireboy DML
By now, it is apparent— Ladipoe has found a formula that works, and he is not letting it go. “Running” is, in fact, a combination of two formulae
“Running” is probably the most formulaic song released this year (it’s jostling with another Fireboy DML collaboration “History”), but ‘Poe and Fireboy make it so much more.
Ladipoe delivers some of the best and most insightful lines of his career and Fireboy creates one of the best bridges in mainstream music this year.
Given time, and a bit of more success, this song would probably rank higher.
Yoruba Samurai feat. Joeboy
Released after a game-changing single, “Know You”, Ladipoe and Joeboy’s “Yoruba Samurai” felt tepid. It’s not a bad song.
It’s pretty good actually. Joeboy is reliably good and Ladipoe is also in good form, but it comes nowhere near the heights ascended to on this list. Still, we love it.
Here’s to all the Yoruba Samurais.
Lemme Know (Remix) feat. Teni
Lemme know (the solo version) was a bop that always felt incomplete.
Featuring one of Ladipoe’s best opening lines, “Your sugar mummy on my case like Teni”, the song was begging for a Teni feature.
When the remix came, there were no crumbs left. Teni gave a sharp effortless verse on a song that was arguably made for her.
Ladies, Gentlemen, and non-binaries of the interweb, this was a winning!
Ride or Die
Technically, Ladipoe and Waje are the featured artists on this song, but who cares? ‘Poe and Waje performed! Released as the fourth single from Basketmouth’s critically acclaimed album, “Yabasi”, the song is one of the less cultural records on the album.
Famed as perhaps the best voice of her generation, Waje showcases admirable restraint and has a lot more vocal time on the track.
However, Ladipoe makes the absolute best of his work on the track.
His verse is crisp, charming, and relaxed, and his hook is the glue that holds the song together.
A thoroughly effective collaboration.
Jaiye
This is the only uncredited collaboration on this list, but the stamp and sound of Johnny Drille are all over this.
On “Talk About Poe”, Ladipoe was one of the best rappers around, but it was “Jaiye” that welcomed him to the mainstream and started his journey as one of the most commercially successful African rappers of all time.
Know You feat. Simi
“Jaiye” may have set Ladipoe on the path to pop stardom, but it was “Know You” that made him arrive.
A sleeper hit featuring 2020 Kingmaker, Simi, “Know You” is a beautiful pop-R&B song that sneaks up on you with its quiet beauty.
Before “Know You”, there was “One Naira”, and after, there’s been “Early Momo”, with all three collaborations seeing resounding success.
Released during the pandemic, it was perfect for a time with no clubs or parties, filled with people who just wanted someone to love, and someone to hold on to.