If anyone had told Adeoluwa Shopé that the extended playlist listening for “Rikiki”, was going to hold with screens and absurdly long distance separating him from his audience, he probably would have said, “Nah, what you talking about?”
It’s 4PM, 8 September 2020 and the people are gathered in the middle of a pandemic, to witness the greatness that is, “Rikiki”, the extended playlist—of course, from behind the screens of their gadgets, live on Zoom.
Adeoluwa Shope is a Nigerian, Afro-fusion artist based in Toronto, Canada, popularly tagged as the “Nigerian on Canadian route” for the nature of his music which has the perfect Nigerian-Canadian blend. According to Shope, this is an intentional strategy, through which he strives to be a voice for those people who have a binational sense of identity, for those people in the west who are looking to connect back home in a way that they can relate to.
A number of distinguished presences are spotted in the virtual building, which includes Joey Akan, award-winning writer and music journalist based in Lagos, Nigeria, Alex Vujic, executive manager to Adeoluwa Shope, Njideka Agbo, The Guardian Life Magazine Chief Editor, to mention but a few. Despite the absence of physical encounter, the atmosphere is still very much shrouded in an aura typical of a physical listening party—lively, soothing, exciting and filled with good vibes.
Shopé introduces himself as a “Naija Boy” from Abeokuta, Nigeria, who is happy, honoured and proud to represent his Motherland, Nigeria, stating how his music is characterized by strong representation of Lasgidi and The 6ix. When asked about his expectations for “Rikiki” set to drop on 2 October 2020, following the release of “Pepper Dem”, the first track of the project, Shopé replies saying it’s for everyone interested in African music, as well as Hip-Hop and R&B—for those willing to appreciate unique blend of music which he has created. In his words, “I see myself as occupying a very unique position, in the sense that I stay in the diaspora. I’m not just trying to create a bridge. I literally am the bridge. My connection to Nigeria isn’t just ancestral. It’s not just like, oh my parents came from there. I’m from the country, much like I’m from here.”
Shopé speaks more on the journey of transformation and self discovery, through which he revisited his African roots and found a haven for his art. He tells of his early years after immigration to Toronto—the discrimination and challenges that came with it, and how it affected his journey, as a Nigerian in a foreign land. “I wasn’t embarrassed about my Nigerian origin, I just didn’t esteem it, ” he explains. While at it, he mentions how his parents were a great grounding force for his African background, and the major role they have played so far, in his journey to becoming.
Shopé expresses his keen interest in Nigeria, his homeland—and African creativity at large, of which he is most proud to be a part of. “We’re in a beautiful stage right now, where it’s a blank canvas, so we’re going to define whatever the heck we want it to be.” Shopé says, when asked about the variations and misconceptions of African music.
Songs from the extended playlist plays, setting the atmosphere into a pleasant frenzy. Excitement from the audience is evident as the comment section is bubbling. Rikiki comes off as a diverse body of work, expressing many narratives and emotions. The listening proceeds with Shope, taking breaks to explain the intentions, inspiration and essence of each track in depth. On shedding more light to the inspiration behind the title track “Rikiki”, Shopé says, “Rikiki is essentially a word we created to convey confidence and belief in who you are. I’d say that’s probably the most important message. Be proud about who you are, live in that, and be ready to accept everything that comes with that. Live with your convictions, but be ready to embrace the love, the hate, the consequences, and everything that comes with it.”
Shopé is on the way to attaining even greater heights in Africa and the international musical scene as a whole.
As the release date approaches, in partnership with 49th Street, a private listening session with Shopé will take place. While we anticipate all that lies ahead, we hold on to Shope’s words of admonishment which says, always strive to be a trendsetter in your own way. Judging by the giant strides African creatives have been taking of recent times, it’s safe to say Africans are not sleeping on that.
Register here for the private listening session – https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/shope-pepper-dem-exclusive-fan-early-preview-tickets-119477194505
