Oxlade Reveals Where He Used To Sleep Before Fame
Nigerian singer, Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, whose stage name is Oxlade has talked about his difficulties in the past while revealing where he used to sleep before fame found him.
The singer admitted that after fleeing his home to pursue his music career, he spent a period of time sleeping under the Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos State. Oxlade claimed that because his lecturer father disapproved of his plan to pursue music, he had to flee and work multiple menial jobs to make ends meet.
He made this known during an episode of the Afrobeats podcast, hosted by Adesope Olajide, adding that he also sold BRT bus tickets. Oxlade also said he was more interested in making classical music than hit songs, which is why his singles are still doing well years after their release.
He said; “Back then, I used to sleep at Ojuelegba barrack bridge sometimes. I did several menial jobs to survive. I was selling BRT tickets. If you don’t take your time to create some songs or create anything, it’s gonna sound rushed. If you rushed in, you rushed out.
“I am not looking for hits, I am looking for classics. I mean, ‘Away’ is four or three years old, but it’s still banging. ‘Ku Lo Sa’ is a year old, it still bangs. ‘O2’ from nowhere, it just blew up last year. These songs are old, but they still have value right now.
“I don’t want to mention names but I know of a lot of artists that dropped songs last year that blew up but they are gone now. I’m not trying to impress, I’m trying to leave a long lasting image in your head.”
Following the release of “Mamiwota” by Blaqbonez from the Bad Boy Blaq EP through 100 Crowns, a Chocolate City imprint, in 2018, he was contacted by A&R executive Bizzle Osikoya. He agreed to work under The Plug’s management after his meeting with Bizzle.
He then agreed to a record deal with Troniq Music and a publishing, licensing, and distribution agreement with The Plug Entertainment. On December 27, 2018, Davido let Oxlade to play at the City of David concert in Lagos, and in 2019, at the Star Boy Fest in London, he served as Wizkid’s opening act.
He released the TG Omori-directed Away music video for Troniq Music on April 13, 2020. He claims that on April 15, 2020, TG Omori gave him the order to sit on his lady’s lap in order to personify the proverbial adage “behind every successful man is a woman.”
Drake shared a screenshot of himself on his Instagram story on November 7, 2020, while listening to Away. Within 24 hours of publishing the post, the Canadian rapper received 3 million streams.[10] With the release of the single “Away” from his EP Oxygene, which was distributed by Troniq Music and The Plug Entertainment on March 27, 2020, he gained widespread notoriety.
