What are the best songs of Olamide? I personally don’t think there’s ever been a season when he was not at his best. The best of Olamide is everything Olamide, but for the sake of this post, we’ll go through a few of his most popular songs.
Olamide Gbenga Adedeji, known simply as Olamide, is called Baddo for a reason. He’s “bad” at everything he does, only in the best ways, not only in rapping and singing, but also in discovering talents and amplifying their voices. He doesn’t just give fish; he teaches people how to fish. From Lil Kesh and Adekunle Gold to Fireboy and Asake, Olamide has made names. He doesn’t stop at being a name; through his record label, YBNL, he has helped raise many musical giants in Nigeria.
Olamide has been a constant voice in the streets. His career has seen the rise and end of many characters, but he remains “constant k.” He has a fixed, permanent spot at the top of the list of musicians who have made a wave and are still making the wave in Nigeria. And that’s particularly powerful because it is not the easiest thing to remain credible in an ever-evolving industry.
7 Best Songs of Olamide
1. Infinity ft Omah Lay
2. Triumphant ft Bella Shmurda
3. Motigbana
4. Wo
5. Melo Melo
6. Bobo
7. Amapiano – Asake ft Olamide
Best of Olamide
1. Infinity ft Omah Lay
“Infinity” must be titled after our love for Olamide that goes to infinity. Remember how 2020 was as a year? In Nigeria, we went from the COVID-19 and ASUU strike to the END SARS protest. It was a really rough year, but Olamide managed to give us a reason to dance.
It didn’t have the loudest beats or the jiggiest dance, but its calm rhythm and carefully delivered lyrics still made a wild boom! He featured the then-emerging voice, Omah Lay, giving him access to a wider audience.
They both made a hot song that instantly became viral over social media, especially on TikTok, where the slow-mo dance began with it. It was one of the favourite tracks of many Nigerians from the “Carpe Diem” album.
2. Triumphant ft Bella Shmurda
This was another song off Olamide’s 8th studio album, “Carpe Diem.” Trust Olamide to not shy away from featuring emerging voices in his works, and the last thing they ever do is disappoint.
This was a deeply emotional track that spoke on how they triumph through life’s ordeals. In the chorus, Bella says even after being written off by a lot, God still made him emerge triumphant.
Olamide spoke about all the effort, advice and prayers his mother put in for him to be great, only for him to make it and lose her alongside his dad. He says he was doing things like changing his hair colour, and while people thought he was just being stylish, he was actually losing his mind. These were some of the deep things he shared in his verse that were rendered in Yoruba.
Triumphant was a solemn heartcry that would make you shed a tear, but not be sad forever. The message wasn’t the rejection of the loss alone, but triumphing over them all. Nobody is surprised it resonated with many people and became a favourite track.
3. Motigbana
Olamide’s works are predominantly in Yoruba. His raps are mostly made in Yoruba and English/pidgin, which is why he’s very acclaimed in the streets. But his fame doesn’t end in the streets or Yoruba terrains alone. He’s everywhere!
“Motigbana” is Yoruba for I’ve caught fire. The viral chorus in Yoruba says: I’ve caught fire and I’ve elevated. My head cannot hibernate. “Bad belle” (people who wish you bad) have suffocated, while we enjoy and jolloficate (jollof brings happy vibes for Nigerians, hence the word creation). Wealth, money, and ride are big enough to get you screaming “ye!”
This was one of our favourite hit songs from 2018. Not only did it elevate us, but it also gave us a reason to dance.
4. Wo
“Wo” in Yoruba means to look. The first thing that sent fans crazy was the beat at the intro. It prepared the hearts of the fans for what can only be a banger! There’s no way you hear that kind of beat and get disappointed at the song it introduces.
This was a playful and flirty rendition that was mainly sung in Yoruba. It was a call to a lady to look in the direction of the guy calling to her and stop “forming.”
People didn’t need to understand the lyrics to be set on fire by the song. That’s the power of Olamide.
5. Melo Melo
The title is a repeat of “how many?” I had a classmate in secondary school who knew this song word for word. Think of it as a romantic ode to a lover. The song opens with “I no dey denge, I no dey pose,” that is, I’m not coming puffy or feeling important.
The question is how many of the things she has done for him can he say? He must have been overwhelmed (in a good way) to keep repeating it. He praises her and appreciates her for standing by him through it all, when he was looked down upon by others and broken.
He admits they’ve both made mistakes that they both regret, but mistakes have only made them cherish what they have. Now, they know they have nobody but themselves.
Just like yam becomes pounded yam (the king of Nigerian swallow), Baddo transforms into a wealthy man, and his baby, who was with him through poverty, becomes a boss. This was so touching and poetic, right? More than street or club bangers, Baddo proves he knows how to be a lover boy.
6. Bobo
Even if I don’t remember anything else about “Bobo,” I remember the dance step. I also remember the music video on a rooftop. That was the era when putting a face towel in your back pocket and sagging were in vogue. Look how far we’ve come.
More than the beats and dance routine, do you know there was so much depth in the lyrics? In an interview, he said “Shakiti Bobo” was a Yoruba rhyme in Bariga, where he grew up, and he just made his own version of it.
He spoke about being accused of funding his lifestyle with fraud (Yahoo), but before he’d think to misbehave, he’d think about his mum. He said if he takes garri (a food usually associated with lack) before he builds a house, you wouldn’t even notice because he has swag. He also admonishes people to stop living flashy lifestyles while their mums are living in penury.
He gives a shoutout to his people on the streets of Lagos and says he’s acclaimed even outside the shores of Nigeria. Even if Paris and Bentley were dreams for Olamide in 2015, we love to see him living the life he rapped about now.
7. Amapiano – Asake ft Olamide
While this was a song by Asake where he was featured, the list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the collaboration that gave him and Asake a Grammy nomination for Best African Performance.
It is such a Nigerian thing to take over something they didn’t originate, just like jollof. Amapiano is originally a South African sound, but not only did they use the sound, Asake titled the song after it and ended up with a Grammy nomination.
From the beats to the lyricism, Amapiano had the hearts of many. It was a very explosive collaboration, and we look forward to more from the duo.
Conclusion
So you know how “bad” you have to be to lead in an industry when you dominantly rap/sing in your native tongue? Baddo for a reason. He said his style is such that it would inspire people to proudly sing in their native tongue in the future – a legacy we see with the likes of Adekunle Gold and Asake, and take the language to the world at large.
The seven tracks above are some of his most beloved and well-known songs. Which of them was your favourite? Drop it in the comments.
