Olamide’s Journey: From Bariga to the Metaverse by Michael Kolawole

Despite declaring that his last album, Unruly, was his lap of honour, rapper Olamide can’t seem to leave the rap game alone because the game, perhaps, still needs him.

Or is he disgusted to see the game comatose?

Barely a year after that declaration and in a shocking twist, Olamide released his debut EP, Ikigai. Derived from the Japanese concept that means “a reason for being” or “life’s purpose”, the 7-tracker sees the rapper vibing and having fun with his label superstars and associates to bring a fresh vibe to his discography.

Employing a clever linguistic play in the opening track “Metaverse”, Olamide merges two words: meta (self-referential) with verse (lyrics) to deliver a light-hearted commentary on his craft. In the first verse, he playfully sings that people think his hair looks tangled because of the weed he smokes before noting that he is possessed by music. “How many hits don drop (Se n ka?),” he raps in the second verse. He would later add that he had gone to Metaverse and returned with Lamba (clever, witty, or smooth talk, often characterized by a playful and humorous style.)