When it comes to up-and-coming Afrobeat artists, Omah Lay is and has been one of the hottest names on the Nigerian music scene. The young singer has made waves with his unique sound, blending elements of Afrobeat, highlife, and R&B to create a style all his own. But while his music is undeniably catchy and infectious, it’s Omah Lay’s lyrics that truly set him apart.
Today, the team at Culture Custodian share our thoughts and opinions on Omah Lay and his most memorable verses in this installment of our ongoing In-House music commentary series.
1. Bad Influence
“Cause the doctor said I burnt my liver
I’ve been drinking, smoking cigars
Used to sing and play my guitar
Now I’m lost in this
Sambisa”
This line is from Bad Influence on his Get Layd EP and I think it’s a very relatable expression of pain.
A lot of people turn to alcohol/drugs when they are down (I’ve been drinking more alcohol for the past five days – People by Libianca) and in this verse, Omah Lay reveals the extent of his hurt when he goes “the doctor said I burnt my liver” letting us know that whatever he went through was so bad, it impacted him in tremendous ways. He also speaks of the loss of his creative spark, a big deal for any artist/creative when he says “used to sing and play my guitar, now I’m lost in this Sambisa.” Omah Lay sings about not being able to recognize where he is (Sambisa)/who he is and it’s such a vulnerable song. What makes it even more iconic is its placement, in an EP like Get Layd where he mostly sings about love/sex, which I think makes it stand out even more.
Naomi Overo
2. Godly
“Me I no fit drag the shine, Oluwa na im be my kanji dam. Me I no fit connect the light”
This verse from his single, Godly, the third track from his album What Have We Done, is my favorite.
It is my favorite because it concisely ascribes the power of life to God, which also reiterates the song’s spiritual theme. In that verse, Omah Lay surrenders to God and acknowledges Him as the dam that lights up his life, a feat he can’t attempt. The verse is simply an acknowledgment of God’s power.
Alex Omenye
3. Infinity
“She no like groundnut
But she go chop am if you give am cucumber
Waka from trans amadi
Till her leg begin shake, awilo lokomba
Baby make I give you solid
Make I even mix am with aale and awòpa
Ewe tetelite telite telite telite”
Why? Because though very brief it adequately communicates the theme of sexual prowess.
Because of the unique way he pronounces words just so it can flow—the word ‘groundnut,’ for instance, is given an extra syllable. Because it has some humour—he alludes to Awilo in a funny line.
Michael Aromolaran
4. I’m a Mess
“I’ve been drinking too many shots of cognac
One for the belly, another for the broken heart
Three for addiction, four so I don’t go back”
These lines are found in the chorus/post-chorus of Omah Lay’s I’m a Mess, off his 2022 album Boy Alone.
In the song, Omah Lay talks about his emotional vulnerability, one which entails depression, mood swings and being heartbroken. While he generally admits to getting drunk as a way of seeking solace and freedom from his emotional demons, it is the way he specifies the purpose of each bottle taken in those lines that is inventive. He seems to suggest that anyone who takes a bottle of alcohol does so for recreational sake, and having more than one suggests that the person has other disturbing experiences to quell. The escapist potential of alcohol addiction is encapsulated in that brief session.
Adedamola Jones Adedayo
5. Understand
“thunder thunder fire that your reason way dey give you ginger may you leave me, thunder fire that your reason”.
This verse is from Understand.
It’s my favorite because women aren’t good people, she put my man through a lot and still wanted to leave him at his lowest, fear women.
Dipo Akinsanya
6. Soso
“I poto poto my eyes, ten shots, high rise, touch God, I cry offshore, cut my dreadlocks
Girlie, me I don pray, maami, I don break commandment, I can’t stay for one place
For God’s sake, my bae
Come and ginger me, only you dey feel my pains, Give me vitamins wey go take these pains away
Soso, oh, Soso, Soso, oh”
My favorite Omah Lay verse is from Soso, off the Boy Alone album. I used to know only the chorus of this track until I saw that Oli Ekun video and then I actually paid attention to the lyrics for the first time, it has stayed with me since.
First of all, “i poto poto my eyes” is powerful imagery, idc, you just know that man dem’s face was a mess. Also, this verse and its choppiness show a progression of an emotional and mental breakdown that is so all over the place but still has a method to it. Omah Lay is crying his eyes out, then he’s getting so high that he can ‘touch God’; he cries some more, then he cuts off his locs; he prays, he sins, and at the end, he still returns to square one where he’s pleading again. The longing and pain in ‘Soso, oh, Soso, Soso, oh’ is so tangible, I don’t know what Omah Lay was going through when this track was made but I hope he’s doing better now.
Opeyemi Rasak-Oyadiran