On the 23rd of May, 2016, Afrofusion singer and songwriter, Minz released his first official single on digital streaming platforms. It’s hard to say if it was meant as such, but the track in question is quite auspiciously titled “Neva Stop.” 6 years on, and Minz has indeed never stopped. Year after year, he has consistently put out singles of top-notch quality. Between clawing his way to relevance as an independent artiste and earning a distribution deal with emPawa Africa, Minz has probably had a thousand reasons to quit in that debut single and his latest track, “Lady.” But he never stopped, and now he’s in a prime position to reap the rewards of his determination and doggedness.
It’s interesting to know that Minz could have forged a successful career out of music. He could have easily gone by Dami Aminu, his government name, and made something out of his first degree in International Law and Diplomacy. But he decided to stick with the music, perhaps because his love affair with this art form spans as far back as his secondary school days. The Surulere-bred artiste even flirted with rap music upon leaving secondary school. Although elements of Hip-hop are still abound in his sound today, he has now fully settled into an Afrofusion sound that mixes Pop and R&B sound with our indigenous Afrobeats music.
On July 10th, in response to a tweet stating that Nigerians are sleeping on him, Minz quoted and replied, “In a few months, this go be history.” His successes in 2021 indicate that tweet is more than just braggadocio. Last year, he bagged not one, not two, but 4 feature appearances on Runtown’s “Soundgod Fest Reloaded” album, and all were standout performances. He also recorded an appearance on DJ Spinall’s album alongside Bella Shmurda and once again stood tall. All that was in addition to his October hit track “234,” which received massive airplay and positive reviews for its stellar sound. He capped off a wonderful year by headlining his concert, “By Any Minz,” on December 15. The lineup included Runtown, Bella Shmurda, Blaqbonez, Wani, LAX, Mr. Eazi, and many other artistes. Not only does that array of stars show the connections Minz has built in the industry, but it also shows the calibre of creatives who genuinely respect the talent Minz possesses.
On the 7th of July, almost exactly 7 months from his headline concert, he released his first single of 2022, further justifying the patience and trust of those holding onto $Minz for dear life. The song is only 2 minutes and 26 seconds long, which is perhaps its only downside. But even that is not a downside because it boosts the replay value by 100%. Over the beat produced by Chopstix and Tuzi, Minz sings a sensual ode to his picture-perfect woman. Joshua Faulkner’s mixing and mastering deserves a fair share of the credit, but the most praise goes to Minz for his awesome performance. The rumor mill says that this is the year we’ll finally get a full-length project from Minz. If that turns out to be true, then it’s awesome news for fans of good music because that’s what you will always get from an artiste with the skillset of Minz.
