Blowing up in Nigeria is no easy task, and when your stock-in-trade is rapping, your job gets that bit harder. To achieve it, you have to at the very least be lyrically adept, drop verses that are punchline heavy and make sure your flows are catchy. Oladips is a man blessed with the aforementioned qualities and more, which is why he has been able to establish himself as one of the best indigenous rappers in the Nigerian music industry for in recent times now. He has not always had it nice and smooth, but you don’t build the loyal and sizeable fanbase he has off anything other that talent and skill.
Registered under the government name of Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji, it was never really in doubt that he would pursue this career path. Backed by a mindset of boldness and confidence, the Ogun born and bred artiste made an habit of putting himself out there right from his teenage years. At the age of 16, he had already earned himself a reputation as a battle rapper on a number of Facebook groups. A year later and his cover to Drake’s hit song “Successful” was exactly that – successful – and it earned him recognition on the internet and off it. He kept grinding and putting out covers and freestyles, and he eventually got his big break when he came out tops in “The King is Here” challenge hosted by D’banj. Reminisce, recognizing what Oladips was and what he could become, offered him the recording contract that opened the doors to a wider audience for the young artiste.
Though that story did not have a particularly happy ending – Oladips walked away from the label following a major bust-up over financial matters – he did churn out hit songs during his couple of years there. 2017’s “Lakukulala” with his former boss, Reminisce and 2018’s “O Sure” featuring Olamide readily come to mind, as both songs enjoy massive rotation on the radio and streets. A rough patch followed upon exiting Edge Records, but he has been found his feet again this 2021 thanks to “Mainland To Island”, his collaborative EP with Zlatan Ibile and a number of stellar feature appearances. He very recently contributed to the Amapiano epidemic with his latest release “Òké” and it’s only fair to say Oladips is back on the map.
Curiously, Oladips is yet to release a solo project despite being well into his fifth year in the industry. The hullabaloo with Reminisce and Edge Records would have no doubt contributed to this gap in his discography but hopefully he would rectify this soon. And when he does, if it sounds anything like “Mainland To Island”, has the optimum promotion and distribution, the rapper could very well be stepping up to a new level on his quest for fame, glory and everything that comes with it.