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Psycho YP | Zikoko!
  • Yellow Card Signs Psycho YP and Odumodu: What It Means for Young Nigerian Creatives

    “There is hope for young creatives in Nigeria,” was the first thought that came to mind when I saw the news that Yellow Card had signed fast-rising artists Psycho YP and Odumodu Blvck, as its brand ambassadors in Nigeria.

    The pair were nominated for their collaboration, Bando Diaries in the Best Hip Hop song category at the just concluded Soundcity MVP Awards 2023 and even though they didn’t win it, they thrilled the audience with arguably what was the best performance of the night. 

    As African giants, we must value every effort to invest in the rich young talents we have to offer the world. Unlike most global brands, Yellow Card is pioneering support for the next generation of Africa’s cultural representatives by partnering with them and encouraging the growth of young Nigerians through financial inclusion. 

    Young artists on the rise in Nigeria can now believe even further and be patient in their process to mature their craft, as all forms of brand partnerships and recognition can find them early and walk the entire course with them. 

    Yellow Card: Best in Promoting Africa’s Rising Talent Pool

    As crypto enthusiasts settle into the new year and look forward to the promises crypto holds for 2023, Yellow Card is the unicorn to set your eyes on.

    Yellow Card is bossing up and leading the way in promoting rising creatives and teeming youths in Africa by investing early in the home soil rather than existing just for profits. 

    With the global rise of African music, especially Afrobeat, content creation has exploded recently. Yellow Card is tapping into this by partnering with Nigeria’s rich creative circle. 

    Yellow Card is developing partnerships to advance access to cryptocurrency adoption and awareness of its vast opportunities on the continent. It does this by relying on the uniqueness of the music artist’s brand and music genre, and the latest unveilings of Psycho YP and Odumodu Blvck are critical steps in that direction.

    Everything Special About the Yellow Card and Psycho YP partnership

    Nicholas Ihua-Maduenyi, professionally known as “Psycho YP,” became one of the brand ambassadors of Yellow Card, Africa’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency exchange. The Nigerian alternative hip-hop rapper, singer, and songwriter is one of the biggest and fastest-rising African artists, using music to showcase his rich talent in Nigeria and Africa at large. 

    Psycho YP is a strong believer in Yellow Card’s vision to continually show creativity in providing financial solutions across borders on the continent, making this a perfect match for both brands.

    Psycho YP has a lot of successful projects, such as YP SZN 1-3, Euphoria, and great singles, such as “Stronger”, “Midlife Crisis”. Etc. Psycho YP continues to be one of Nigeria’s finest musical geniuses with his unique flows, bars, and lyrical dexterity. 

    His finesse sets him apart like a Boss, just like Yellow Card has been bossing up the crypto space in Africa. 

    You can join Psycho YP to make your money move and flex on Yellow Card. Click HERE to sign up with the code BIGYP, or log on to https://explore.yellowcard.io/psycho-yp for more information.

    Watch the official YouTube promo video here:

    Everything Special About the Yellow Card and Odumodu Blvck partnership

    On the other plane, Nigerian rapper and songwriter Ojogwu Tochukwu, better known as Odumodu BLVCK, is the second latest brand partner and ambassador to join the Yellow Card family. The Afro-grime Nigerian artist has brought a fresh sound to the industry since coming onto the scene in 2019, which has resonated with fans locally and globally. 

    The Picanto crooner blends with Yellow Card’s core values of being African first, bold while being Global and Local amongst other great qualities. Odumodu Blvck embodies it all, from his rich cultural sense and fashion representation to his bold vocal dexterity and communal drive, which can be heard as a loud echo from his latest single, Picanto, “100 men for my domot.” Indeed, Yellow Card wants to be on the doorstep of every country in Africa. 

    Odumodu strongly believes in Yellow Card’s vision of financial inclusion for all. He is a community-driven personality who believes everyone deserves fair access to better financial services,  whether rich or poor. 

    With Nigeria at the forefront of driving Africa’s crypto growth, this partnership seems to be a step in the right direction for Yellow Card. 

    If you’re an Odumodu fan, you can use his promo code ODUMODU to take advantage of and enjoy exclusive fan offers on the Yellow Card app.

    To make your money move into financial freedom. Click HERE to sign up.

    What Yellow Card offers Nigerians

    You may be wondering what more Yellow Card can offer and how that could benefit you. Below are 4 reasons why many Nigerians use Yellow Card and why you should, too.

    1. Send and Receive Money Across Africa With Yellow Pay

    Sending money locally within the country can be a hassle. It becomes even more difficult when you want to move funds to other African countries. This is what Yellow Pay has come to solve, as you can now send and receive money instantly through the platform with just a few taps on your phone. 

    With Yellow Pay, you can send Naira to someone in Ghana, and they will receive the equivalent in cedis at the best exchange rate with zero charges involved. Yup, it’s completely free.

    1. Buy and Sell Cryptocurrencies

    Yellow Card continues to make it easy to buy and sell bitcoin, USDT, and other cryptocurrencies without the fear of losing money doing P2P or dealing with other merchants that can scam you out of your crypto. Yellow Card allows you to buy bitcoin at the best rates and get the best value for your money.

    1. Learning Crypto Easily

    Yellow Card also makes learning crypto easy. The company believes that financial inclusion through crypto can only spread through education and community sensitisation. This has led to the launch of a free learning platform called the Yellow Card Academy, where you can learn everything about crypto and go from beginner to expert beneficiary of this helpful technology.

    1. Saving in Dollar backed Currency (USDT)

    With the teeming global recession, an unstable economy, and currency devaluation on the rise, keeping one’s wealth in a more stable financial asset is important. 

    Since the US dollar has proved the most dependable, buying dollar-backed stablecoins like USDT (Tether) or USDC is the more accessible option for most people outside the United States who want to save money in dollars

    Yellow Card makes it easy to buy and sell USDT with as little as 500 Naira. 

    Make Your Money Moves on Yellow Card

    Yellow Card Financial is Africa’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency exchange. It was founded in Nigeria in 2019 by Chris Maurice and Justin Poiroux and has remained committed to making cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT stablecoins available to anyone in Africa. 

    For Yellow Card, it is financial inclusion for Africa or nothing. Yellow Card currently has the most significant geographical footprint in Africa, with a presence in 16 countries and growing. 

    Yellow Card has a pan-African vision and is doing everything possible to get crypto benefits to Africans while solving its local financial challenges. 

    Get Started with Yellow Card Today

  • Psycho YP Doesn’t Know How to Drop a Mid Song

    Psycho YP isn’t exactly sure where he stands on the “rap music is dead in Nigeria” conversation. On the one hand, the 24-year-old rapper is proud of his healthy catalogue — YP has released EPs back-to-back since he debuted in 2018 with Ypszn. But on the other hand, he doesn’t really fuck with the industry. 

    “I know my music will always slap,” he tells me with an air of confidence that’s almost intimidating. “But the industry is fucked. If I dropped A-Q’s last album as YPSZN3, boys would’ve dragged me on social media for putting out something mid. But that same album might win the Headies for Best Rap album next year. Rap music is moving at the same pace as Nigeria right now. You have to accept the fact and try to kill it in your own lane.” 

    YPSZN3, YP’s 2022 EP and the final chapter in his YPSZN series, is a hard-hitting project chronicling his experiences navigating life between Abuja and London. Cutting across multiple hip-hop subgenres like drill, grime and trap, YP paints a vivid picture of internal battles with self-doubt (Sinner), encounters with the Nigerian Police (Silent Mode) and the conflict of juggling multiple relationships (Commitment Issues).

    The project is unapologetic, emotional and loud AF, with guest appearances from Zlatan, Odumodublvck, Ycee, Reeplay, Backroad Gee and more. 

    RECOMMENDED: We’re Judging Anyone Who Didn’t Listen to These 10 Albums in 2022

    When we talk about the story behind Silent Mode, one of my favourite tracks on the EP, YP laughs as we swap stories about the different times we’ve either been arrested or harassed by the Nigerian Police for simply existing. Even though humour is a recognisable Nigerian trait used to disguise trauma, YP’s story about sleeping in jail and mastering alternative routes to avoid the police is, unfortunately, the reality of most young Nigerians. 

    “I don’t really talk about my life experiences on social media or in person,” he explains. “I pour everything into my recording sessions. Rap is all I know.” 

    YP grew up listening to a combination of Young Money and P-Square, although he identified more closely with the former. Despite citing the works of Chocolate City rappers, M.I, Jesse Jagz and Ice Prince as early Nigerian rap influences, it was until Blaqbonez’ dropped Mr Boombastic in 2019 that something changed for YP. “That album made me realise rap could actually cause a wave on the Nigerian music scene,” he tells me, taking a deep pause before adding, “But Blaqbonez doesn’t even rap anymore. Everyone is singing now. I still haven’t listened to his new album, Young Preacher.” 

    This pressure to sing like everyone else is something YP is all too familiar with. Afropop seems to be the major genre selling out shows and climbing the charts in Nigeria. “There’s a sense of self-doubt that comes with being a Nigerian rapper,” he says. “Everyone keeps asking when I’m jumping on the amapiano sound. Then I go home and still get questions about why I’m not singing like Buju (BNXN). I have to keep grinding until they see that my grind is paying off.” 

    With five well-received EPs, a 2020 Headies nomination for Best Rap Album, a North American tour opening for Rema and his title as the Best Rapper of 2021 from Native Magazine, I put it forward to YP that his grind is actually paying off. He agrees to an extent, but he’s also conscious of the pressure that comes with people projecting this rap saviour identity on his image and music. After all, look what happened to former rap saviour, Kanye West

    “I can’t make an album that’s mid or full of skips,” he admits. “People aren’t rapping like they used to. So, one slip up and everyone starts saying, ‘Rap is dead’ again. I have to keep pushing myself.”

    What’s next for a rapper who’s more consistent than the naira? Well, more music. 

    Although he’s a bit tight-lipped about what he’s currently working on, YP assures me his debut album will soon make its way to the public. But for now, he’s picking up the flowers being thrown at him for YPSZN3. “Everyone is happy I didn’t fuck up,” he says. “I can’t have anything less than greatness right now.” 

    Consistently shooting for greatness sounds like a lot of pressure. But something tells me YP will be just fine. 

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  • We’re Judging Anyone Who Didn’t Listen to These 10 Albums in 2022

    There’s a lot of music in circulation these days (like, A LOT), so maybe I shouldn’t blame you for not consuming everything that dropped in 2022. From Asa’s triumphant return with V to Burna Boy’s moments of introspection on Love, Damini, the music scene was popping like crazy. 

    But in case your playlist got drowned out by all the heavily-promoted albums this year, these ten are totally worthy of your attention. 

    Sad Romance — CKay 

    Why you should’ve listened: Love Nwantiti is one of the biggest Nigerian songs of the last decade, but what if I told you CKay has songs that’ll drag Love Nwantiti by its edges because they’re a lot better than it? Seductive and playful, CKay’s Sad Romance is a well-thought-out record that’s unfortunately drowned out by his overplayed viral breakout song. 

    Standout songs: Samson and Delilah, You and Mmadu. 

    Heart of the Heavenly Undeniable — Somadina 

    Why you should’ve listened: Somadina makes music for the emo kid obsessed with anime, who believes fairies exist and dreams of floating in space. Drenched in delicate punk-rock and ethereal vocals, the music on Somadina’s Heart of the Heavenly Undeniable sounds just as weird as the album title. The record might be an acquired taste, but best believe it’s tasty AF. 

    Standout songs: Small Paradise, Citrus Tears and Crzy Girl

    YPSZN3 — Psycho YP 

    Why you should’ve listened: Wizkid has said, “Rap is dead,” but I’m confident he hasn’t heard Psycho YP’s music or his 2022 EP, YPSZN3. Presenting the final instalment of his YPSZN series, Psycho YP curates a project that creatively cuts across trap, grime, drill, and R&B. YPSZN3 is unapologetic, emotional and loud AF — exactly how I like my music. 

    Standout songs: My Country People, Haffa?, Bando Diaries and Sinner

    Festival of the Sun — Ogranya 

    Why you should’ve listened: You know that friend who talks about having a hoe phase after their breakup but still ends up in a brand new relationship two weeks later? That’s Ogranya, or at least, that’s what his music sounds like. Festival of the Sun is a poetic EP about love, yearning and heartbreak. Ogranya wants you to have a good time but still think about that random ex as soon as the dancefloor empties out. 

    Standout songs: Brenda, I’m Sorry and Ecstasy. 

    Matter of Time — Dami Oniru 

    Why you should’ve listened: “I sing what I feel. Don’t know how it looks to you,” sings Dami Oniru on Just 4 U, Matter of Time’s bold opening track — and that’s exactly what she does over the EP’s 20-minute run time. Dropping nuggets of wisdom on love, self-love and the desire for something more out of life, Dami Oniru uses this EP to position herself as one of the most exciting acts on the music scene right now. 

    Standout songs: Soft Life, Know My Name and Just 4 U.

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    Bahd — Falz

    Why you should’ve listened: For his first project since 2019’s Moral Instruction, Falz takes a surprising break from socially conscious music to make an album about having fun and being in love. It sounds like a different version of Falz, but somehow it still slaps like old Falz. 

    Standout songs: All Night, Parampe, Another Me and Woman. 

    For Good Reason — Aylø 

    Why you should’ve listened: It’s hard to explain, but  Aylø’s music sounds like what I imagine being high is like — immersive, emotional, confusing, adventurous but incredibly fun. On For Good Reason, Aylø builds on the heavy trap/R&B foundation that has helped him out from alté peers like Odunsi the Engine, Tay Iwar and Santi.

    Standout song: James Bond, Tekkers and Blvnk 

    My WurlD With U — Wurld 

    Why you should’ve listened: When Wurld first popped up on my radar with Show You Off in 2016, he was the unknown IJGB looking to find space in the growing soundscape of Nigerian music. Six years later, with several hit singles to his name, Wurld dropped My WurlD With U, an album that takes a deep dive into the life of a famous man just trying to find love between Lagos and Atlanta. 

    Standout songs: Same As You, Press and Sad Tonight

    Something New — Yinka Bernie 

    Why you should’ve listened: While Omah Lay’s Boy Alone introduced a wide range of Nigerians to sad emo boy music, no one executes this sound with the same level of vulnerability and honesty as Yinka Bernie does. 2022 was a challenging year, and Something New reminded me it’s okay to break down and rebuild as many times as is necessary for my journey. 

    Standout songs: It’s Okay to Cry and Who Do You Call? 

    Some Nights I Dream of Doors — Obongjayar

    Why you should’ve listened: Obongjayar is more than just a singer; he’s a movement all on his own. Wielding a voice almost instantly recognisable, Obongjayar’s songs sound almost intrusive, like you’ve been granted access to someone’s diary. But the best part? This diary reads like something you wrote because Obongjayar’s stories feel universal — we’ve all lived them. 

    Standout songs: I Wish It Was Me, Tinko Tinko, Paradise and Message in a Hammer.

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