Didi B has taken Abidjan to Lagos. The Ivorian rap star released SHOGUN IN LAGOS on Friday 6 November, a project built as a bridge between the French- and English-speaking music scenes of West Africa, with Davido, Phyno, Zlatan and Young Jonn among its guests.
Seven of the guests are Nigerian. The project arrives a year after Juventus Nueva Era and only 19 months after Diyilem & Bazarhoff: Genius, the album that went platinum in less than five months.
Davido, Phyno and Zlatan on SHOGUN IN LAGOS
The headline feature is “PARTY” with Davido, one of the songs heard for the first time on release day.
Phyno got the last preview. “GBEDU”, a joint single with the Enugu rapper, came out on Thursday 5 November as the final taste of the album, linking two rappers who made their names far from the English-language mainstream.
Zlatan, the Zanku pioneer, appears on “Je m’appelle” with Chley, the earliest song from the project, released back in April. Young Jonn joined Didi B on “Raba” in May, and Khaid features on “MALADE”, released at the end of October.
Who else features on the album?
The Nigerian list goes further. Qing Madi joins him on “ADIOS”, and Mavo, who also appears on Cruel Santino’s new album, out a day earlier, sings on “Fire in your Eyes”.
Outside Nigeria, the reach is just as wide. Ghana’s King Promise features on “HOLIDAY”, the South African rapper Focalistic on “FASHION NOVA”, the London group NSG on “HUM HUM” and the French singer Tayc on “JURU”, which came out in September.
Album Talks describes the project as a blend of Afrobeats, coupé-décalé, rap and amapiano, and some outlets have billed it as a mixtape rather than an album. It was released through REPAT Agency, with distribution by Sony Music Entertainment France.
Who is Didi B?
Born Bassa Zéréhoué Diyilem in Abidjan in 1992, Didi B was a child actor before he was a rapper, starring in the film Les Frères Kadogo at 13. In 2009 he formed Kiff No Beat with his cousins, and the group went on to sign with Universal Music in 2017.
His solo career took off in 2022 with History (Mojotrône II), which won him Best Francophone Artist at the PRIMUD awards. SHOGUN IN LAGOS is his third full-length release in under two years.
Read more on his AfroYard profile, and catch up on Diyilem & Bazarhoff: Genius and Juventus Nueva Era.
