The music of indie folklore singer/songwriter, Mo’believe is heavily influenced by his Yoruba roots.
It draws inspiration from the beautiful noise of his immediate environment and all the many stories that it manages to drown out.
With just two years under his belt, Mo’believe’s only just begun to make waves in Nigeria’s underground music space.
But to find his first announcement of sorts, you’d have to go back to 2017’s “Ise Aje” where he sings a folk number about his daily grind and the hope that pushes him through life as a hustler in Lagos.
This inclination to comment on the common man’s daily struggles is the core of Mo’believe’s artistry.
So much so that he says “he hopes to evolve to the point where his music becomes urban folklore”.
You and I know the legends whose music has made it into that realm.
Names like Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Victor Uwaifo, IK Dairo, Fela Kuti and 2baba come to mind, and that’s no reach.
Nowhere is this ideal more evident than on “Ariwo Eko”, the 2018 EP whose title translates to mean “The Noise of Lagos”.
Over seven tracks and one interlude, Mo’believe documents life in the city of excellence, where noise is a language, hustle is a lifestyle and “vehicles only communicate with their horns and the occasional swearing of the driver”.
In the music video for one of the project’s standouts, POVERTY, Mo’Believe is a ghostly spectator commenting on how poverty awakens our base instincts.
As Native Mag’s Debola Abimbolu describes, “Mo’believe is a singer and songwriter who makes smart indie-pop songs that everyone and their mothers will love.”
Listen to “Ariwo Eko” as a statement of intent and you can only be excited for the kinds of stories Mo’believe is going to tell.
Sooo… That’s not all. While you’re here, I’d like to make you an offer you can’t refuse.
You’re here because you like to find new and interesting music or you’re a Zikoko fan, or most likely, both.
Because we care about our own, what if we could exchange the best new music, serve you insider gist, straight-to-the-point deep dives on the most important pop trends and everything you need to stay on game in one place.
What do you need to do?
Just sign up here and wait for it.
