Steven Umoh, known by his stage name Obongjayar, is a Nigerian musical artist based in
London.
After releasing multiple EPs, his debut studio album, ''Some Nights I Dream of Doors'', was released in 2022.
Early life
Steven Umoh grew up in
Calabar,
Nigeria. He was raised by his grandmother; his mother had moved to the UK to escape Umoh's father, who was abusive. Early in his life, Umoh primarily listened to bootleg rap, particularly
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Usher
Usher may refer to:
Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place:
* Usher (occupation)
** Church usher
** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony
** Fiel ...
,
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...
,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
and
Ciara.
Umoh moved to live with his mother in
England at the age of 17, but stayed active in the Nigerian music scene. He grew up a devoutly religious
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, but became less so after he attended university in
Norwich.
In college he sang primarily in an
American accent, influenced by his childhood spent listening to American
hip hop music, but he transitioned to singing in his natural Nigerian-British accent before embarking on his professional career.
Career
Obongjayar started his career publishing his music on
SoundCloud. His work caught the notice of
XL Recordings executive
Richard Russell, who then asked Obongjayar to contribute to his Everything Is Recorded project.
In 2016, Obongjayar released his first
extended play, ''Home'', described by ''Noisey'' as "a unique voice: one that navigates darkness with nocturnal, near-spiritual hymns."
He followed ''Home'' with a second EP, ''Bassey'', which was noted for its sparse production and
afrobeat rhythms,
as well as its themes of spirituality, politics, and his experiences as a Black person.
He also contributed to Richard Russell's 2017 EP, ''Close But Not Quite.
''
In 2019, Obongjayar featured on
Detroit rapper
Danny Brown's fifth studio album ''
U Know What I'm Sayin?
''U Know What I'm Sayin?'' (stylized as ''uknowhatimsayin¿'') is the fifth studio album by American rapper Danny Brown. It was released on October 4, 2019, by Warp Records. The album features guest appearances from Run the Jewels, Obongjayar, JP ...
'' on the tracks "Belly of the Beast" and "uknowhatimsayin¿".
In collaboration with afrobeat producer
Sarz, Obongjayar released a third EP, ''Sweetness'', in 2021. He featured on rapper
Little Simz's second studio album ''
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
''Sometimes I Might Be Introvert'' is the fourth studio album by British rapper Little Simz, released on 3 September 2021 by Age 101 Music and AWAL. The album succeeds the Mercury Prize-nominated album ''Grey Area'', released in 2019, and the ...
'' on the fourth single "Point and Kill", which was later accompanied by a music video. Obongjayar also released the song and music video "Message in a Hammer", the lead single for his debut album.
''Some Nights I Dream of Doors'' was released in May 2022.
Style
Obongjayar's music has been called "hard to describe", incorporating elements of
afrobeat,
spoken word,
soul, and
electronic music. His lyrics incorporate
spiritual overtones, although they are not readily identifiable with any specific religious tradition.''
'' A unifying feature of all of Obongjayar's music is his unique voice, which slides between
rapping
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
, singing, and spoken word.
References
External links
Latest releases (Soundcloud)Instagram
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Living people
Afrobeat musicians
British male musicians
British people of Nigerian descent
Nigerian male musicians
People from Calabar
Year of birth missing (living people)
Nigerian alté singers