A DOSE OF BOJ’S MAGIC: EXPLORING ‘GBAGADA EXPRESS VOL.2’ [@BOJDRB]

Step into the world of BOJ and unravel the secrets behind his latest EP release, ‘Gbagada Express Vol. 2’…

They say the more elusive an artist is the greater their art, and BOJ, the enigmatic pioneer of the Alté movement, proves this to be true. We managed to catch up with the exceptionally talented musician to delve into his latest EP release, ‘Gbagada Express Vol. 2: Moving Mad,’ his continued expansion into the world of fashion, and his unwavering devotion to his girlfriend. 

Having been raised between the UK and Nigeria, BOJ has become a dynamic force, blending traditional afrobeats with unconventional directions and pioneering the innovative movement that has come to be known as Alté. “I think because of that, I draw inspiration from different places. When I was here I was influenced a lot by a lot of sounds that I didn’t really listen to, like pop stuff. When I go out with my white friends they listen to different types of music completely. Naturally, as an artist, all these things just come together without you even knowing. It extends to my fashion sense as well.”

Starting with a reflection on his musical roots, BOJ weaves the tapestry of how his upbringing laid the foundation for his unique musical journey and enabled him to become a driving force behind Alté. The term Alté is used to describe Lagos’ underground and genre-bending Afro-fusion sound, first coined in the 2014 song ‘Paper’ by DRB Lasgidi aka BOJ and his school friends Teezee and Fresh L. The movement embraces unconventionality and has transformed into not just a genre of music, but a lifestyle and a cultural phenomenon. “My love of music came from my parents because they loved music. Growing up I was an only child for nine years so I hung out with my parents a lot and I used to listen to what they were listening to. Shaggy, Wyclef, Fela, a whole bunch of people like that.”

BOJ is also notorious for his maverick dress sense. “I used to do things where I’d take traditional clothes from Nigeria and I’ll put them on like converses and stuff like that. Mix and match things like that. I would wear traditional pants and have on a tank top or just some weird stuff like that, you know? So you mix both cultures together because that’s really who I am.”

Fearlessly mixing and matching his fashion choices, he does the same with his musical inspirations. Drawing from a diverse range of artists and effortlessly weaving their influences into his sound. “I was so dead for Sean Paul, I used to reread all his lyrics and go through each song, learning it like it was homework and an artist from Nigeria called Asa. Like, she’s one of my biggest influences. In recent times, I like Burna Boy and Rema. I feel like he’s the one that’s gonna take this sound global, I think I think he’s already on the way. People like Burna, Wiz, they’ve set the tone and opened the floodgates.”

The music scene in Nigeria has expanded on an unheard of scale, with Nigerian artists dominating the African music industry and Afrobeats becoming a worldwide phenomenon in recent years. BOJ experiences this as an invigorating process “I think it’s so interesting what’s happening right now. People being so interested in sounds from this side. I think what sets Nigerians in particular apart is the ginger, that’s the word to use for it. You can’t stop any Nigerian from getting where they’re trying to get to. That’s the difference between Nigerians and every other African country. Nigerians make every other country seem extremely laid back.”

Ginger definitely played a part in drawing his latest EP release ‘Gbagada Express Vol. 2: Moving Mad’ into reality. The highly anticipated album is a masterpiece that showcases his exceptional artistry, featuring infectious beats, introspective lyrics, and captivating collaborations with a slew of talented artists like Odumodublvck, Ayra Starr, Knucks, Tay Iwar, TSB, and Mellisa. “I want people to go back and feel like they just had an experience, when it’s finished and then the first track comes back, I want them to be like, oh shit it’s done already? Almost like being in a trance or something.” Probing into what inspired the theme and content of the EP he starts to gush. “Right now I’m very into my girlfriend. So most things I sing about are whatever’s happening in that relationship, I mostly sing about my experiences, what I’m going through, how I’m feeling, how people are perceiving me, how I perceive myself.”

It’s easy to see why he’s so enamoured with her, an exceptional stylist and the brainchild behind Tems’ iconic looks, Dunsin Wright is a powerhouse in her own right. Together they continue to carve out a bright future for the Alté scene. “When I first moved back to Nigeria, the first thing that they noticed before the music was the fashion. It was like, who the hell are these weird kids like, what the fuck are they wearing? So that was the first thing that put us out there. We call ourselves Alté because we’re just different from everyone else. Then all of a sudden, Alté has now become the genre of music when at first it was really about the lifestyle and the way we move and the way we look and we just kept going. It’s nice to see Nigerians be more open to trying out different styles and adopting different things.”

This open experimentation has cultivated the ideal space for BOJ to carve out his own brand. “On Gbagada Express Volume One there’s a song called Action Boyz featuring Obongjayar. Whenever I’m doing something I like to tie merch to it. I felt that Action Boyz was like a buzzword and so we went with that. The first line of merch we did sold out super quick and they wanted more.”

Having recently signed on a new creative director for the Action Boyz brand, BOJ presents an air of confident contentment. At this point in his career, he’s more than proved himself to be exceptional. He even flaunts a spot on Dave’s last studio album ‘We’re All Alone in This Together’, but there is still one person he’s waiting for. “Asa is one of my biggest musical inspirations. I’ve worked with most of the people I want to work with but I still want to work with her. I’m just such a fan that I haven’t even reached out, you know. There was a time I commented on one of her pictures like we don’t follow each other or anything, but I commented something like I love you and she responded and said I love you too. I kid you not, I’ve got it printed on a T-shirt. It’s almost like I just want to keep it like that. But if I was gonna die tomorrow I’d reach out to her”

It’s clear BOJ isn’t above a little fandom, we all have heroes we look up to but in terms of who holds his life up, we don’t need to look any further than the people that he surrounds himself with. “The people around me they’re everything to me, even when it comes to creating music, when it comes to that vision they keep me going. They keep motivating me every day. You know, so I’m grateful for that. Even when they have their own lives they take time to be there for me.” With a deep devotion to his craft and the unencumbered support of his loved ones, the heart and soul of BOJ’s trajectory are definitely in safe hands.

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