Blackmagic promised to take us to the Magic Republic in 2018 and didn’t deliver until 2021. J Cole promised us The Fall Off in 2018 and didn’t deliver until 2026. Logic promised Ultra 85 in 2017 and didn’t deliver until 2024. M.I has been hinting at The Wolf since 2023, finally released the album’s single, Mr. Fantastic, last year, with a listening session later on, but has yet to proceed—after previously teasing us with the Nas collaboration, Bigger, for years. You see where we’re going with this, right? Rappers are notoriously guilty of promising projects only to deliver years later, or even not at all.
Up until this week, LADIPOE belonged to the latter class, and was probably the worst offender on this side of the Atlantic. On his 2018 debut LP, Talk About Poe, he concluded a half-hour of pristine raps with REVIVAL, a record in the mold of Cole’s 1985 (Intro to The Fall Off), where he brags about his prowess in the studio and in the sheets, delivers lifelines for his longtime fans, and welcomes us to the REVIVAL (“I hope I’ve curved any doubt/The last of of a dying breed, man, and the rest don’t deserve any crowns/But this is the Revival, I’m gonna make so many proud”).
3 years later, the rapper and self-acclaimed ‘Leader of the Revival’ would open his 2021 Providence EP with LOTR II, a laidback stream-of-consciousness record that concludes with a declaration about his leadership, in the form of a prophecy. Then there was the “Where is Ladipoe?” stunt in July 2023 ahead of his Guy Man (feat. Bella Shmurda) single; the ‘Revival Sunday’ series before that. And all the singles and freestyles hinting at the album within the 5-year window from Providence.
Thankfully, we can finally say for certain that REVIVAL is here. On 28 June, 2026, LADIPOE released a promotional video for his sophomore album, a surrealist landscape of religious symbolism. The 16-track album is set to release on 16 July, 2026. Ahead of the album’s release, here are 5 things to expect:
Possible Inclusion Of Some Older Released Singles
While the official countdown currently includes just 4 released singles—Many People (feat. Ema Onigah), Motho Waka (feat. Maglera Doe Boy), Compose (feat. Taves), and NBA—there are inklings of even older singles being on the tracklist. A day before the official announcement, LADIPOE posted a picture of a clipboard with about 29 names on X. On closer inspection, about 3 of those (Folasade, Compose, and 17th Headies Lyricist on the Roll-award winning Hallelujah) are older singles, implying that this is likely a longlist of records for the album. This theory is weakened by the fact that 11 of those were asterisked—although, none of the aforementioned 3 inclusive. However, looking at the artist’s Spotify profile, the artwork for Compose, alongside that of other songs, including Rap Messiah, Feeling (feat. BNXN),Know You (feat. Simi), and NBA, have been replaced with a stylised red Gothic crucifix with mirror-images of the letter ‘R’ at the centre. LADIPOE can be seen forging the same crucifix in the REVIVAL promotional video. So, who knows? Those songs just might be on the tape.
Another LOTR Instalment
After releasing Talk About Poe in 2018, LADIPOE teamed up with producer Ikon Ekwuyasi for the first LOTR record released on 20 July, 2019—a 3-minute service on society, skill, sauce, and support, over bouncy piano chords. That’s also the origin of the “Nigeria’s best chance of a rapper winning a Grammy” appellation that’s trailed most of his career. Ikon also produced LOTR II. The pattern so far suggests a third instalment of the series, or at least something close to that on the album. Feel free to say Culture Custodian told you so when it’s out.
Bars. Bars. Bars. And killer concepts.
They don’t call LADIPOE verses ‘Lifelines’ for nothing—technically, Poe started it, and everyone followed suit, but that’s by the way. On both of his projects so far, we have seen the Lagos rapper dive in and out of concepts and bar fests. On Double Homicide, he traded Lyricist on the Roll-barworthy bars with Ghost in a masterclass in 16s. Falling is Raindance before Raindance, stellar Tems chorus and all. Mood is pensive grown man music, the kind to soundtrack late night cruises on Third Mainland Bridge after a tough day battling identity crises. And when he wants to, the fifth member of ShowDemCamp—yes, LADIPOE is an honorary SDC cat, alongside Lucci and the late Adeola ‘Kobain’ Randolph—can remind you he’s the Nigerian Rap Messiah. That energy is sure to be present on REVIVAL.
Some ‘$exy $ongs’ For You.
Aside from observing the screaming sections of the crowd at his performances or looking through the comments of his Instagram posts, one of many ways to confirm just how much of a heartthrob LADIPOE is, is to search his name alongside the word ‘married’ or ‘wife’ on X, and witness years of crashouts about the rapper’s marital status. He’s just that guy. And he’s made sure to provide that sweet lovin’ on records all through his career, including the more recent singles, Folasade, and a remix of Styl Plus’ iconic song, Olufunmi, in 2025. His retinue of stellar duets with female singers is a testament to this effect—Efya. Tems. Seyi Shay. Simi. Amaarae. Teni. And that’s not including those with his fellow lover boys like Rema, Fireboy, Funbi, Sir Dauda, or that one time he and Joeboy were Yoruba Samurais.
Debates About LADIPOE’s Place On Hip-Hop Lists
It’s almost a given that while this might be the conclusion to the REVIVAL saga, LADIPOE still has a continuation in store for his ‘Lifelines.’ Call it a hunch established through a lifetime of watching rappers craft out new worlds and new targets. Additionally, this also means there will be debates about his place in Nigeria’s Rap pantheon once the album drops; a trend he once discarded on Revival (“I don’t care about your top 5”). From the obnoxious to the sincere to the downright reprehensible, prepare for an avalanche of takes from temporary Hip-hop heads, and all those who can’t seem to enjoy music without making comparisons. That’s assuming, of course, that you, dear reader, aren’t in that bracket of jostlers. May the Revival find us pure in mind, brethren!
