Adebajo Oluwanifemi Adebanjo, better known as Niphkeys – the moniker under which he dazzles the world – is clearly a man who stops at nothing in the pursuit of excellence. Since announcing himself to the Nigerian music scene in grand style in 2020, he has gone on to establish himself as one of the industry-shaping sound connoisseurs everyone wants to get a piece of. It stands to reason because he has proven himself to be a first-class record producer, sound engineer, and songwriter. And somewhere in the midst of all that, he’s found time to emerge as a first-class graduate of a Nigerian federal university – you know what the odds of that are like, right? But as earlier implied, where there’s excellence, there’s Niphkeys.
For many of us in 2020, songs like Zinoleesky’s “Ma Pariwo” and “Kilofeshe” and Naira Marley’s “Koloyewon” were crucial to getting us through the torrid days of the pandemic. But for Niphkeys, who produced those tracks, it was a sign from the heavens that his decision to delve into music production in 2015 was the correct one. Back then, he would make beats for his friends in school, improving and perfecting his sound intentionally over the years. By early 2020, what was supposed to be his big break got even bigger really fast; his production during a recording camp with Lyta impressed the artist’s team so much that they had no choice but to introduce Niphkeys to the top dog, Naira Marley. Thus, began his very fruitful relationship with Marlian Music which has birthed numerous hits thus far.
A big part of any music producer’s success lies in their ability to develop a signature sound, and Niphkeys has certainly done that for himself. He uses shakes, percussions, bass, and all the usual basics, but it’s really his use of vocal samples that defines his production style. The vocal samples are sometimes so subtle they don’t breach the consciousness, but the inclusion always gives his instrumentals that trademark sound that artistes love to hop on and consumers can get enough of. So next time you listen to Mohbad’s “Feel Good,” Zlatan’s “Ale Yi,” or Lyta’s “High Vibration,” listen – really listen – beyond the vocals and get to experience the masterful production underneath.
Perhaps his close affiliation with the likes of Naira Marley and Zinoleesky might tempt you to think of Niphkeys as solely a Street music specialist, but his skillset goes way beyond that. After all, he was the producer behind “Mind Games” by Buju, and “S.M.K” by Fave, amongst other Afrofusion and Alternative sounds. So whether it’s on his own or as a part of “The Tripsss” – a group that includes his brother IBKissleek and Torikeeche – you can trust Niphkeys to dabble into almost any genre and get it just right. It’s anyone’s guess if he knew he would be where he is today when he started playing the keyboard in 2010, but we’re very sure he didn’t come this far to come this far. So cheers to one of the finest producers in the land and all the music that’s yet to come from this first-class individual.
