With his internationally crafted sound, Toronto-based Mosope Adeyemi known as, Shopé is bringing a unique energy to the global musicscape. The 2019 CBC Searchlight winner was originally born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, but later immigrated with his family to Toronto at the age of eleven. No stranger to the classic immigrant struggle, the Nigerian-Canadian’s personal and musical narratives weave a tale of poverty, determination, love, and faith, while skillfully blending Nigerian Afrobeat, with North American Hip Hop/RnB. The product, which he terms, Afro-fusion, is an infectious mix of equal parts rhythm and melody that is honest, and vulnerable, yet bold and confident and is encapsulated on his debut seven-track EP, RIKIKI.
RIKIKI, heralded by the earlier released, Pepper Dem is not only the versatile singer’s debut but a bridge to establishing a solid connection with the motherland and lovers of modern African music.
To further entrench the vision of his internationally crafted fusion of sonic influences, Shopé offers a project that essentially serves as a primer on Afro-fusion’s place in global pop with a built-in tweak that allows the singer to explore his emotional range unlike any time before.
The project, aptly titled RIKIKI, is anchored by Shopé’s wispy voice for most of its runtime, with only one feature, Angeloh, joining on Pepper Dem, the EP’s opener. On Sorry, he makes a Hip-hop and Afro-pop hybrid that employs rap’s confessional hue to craft an apology to his lover. The center of RIKIKI is filled with slow-burner RnB tracks like I Admit It and Need Someone.
His message becomes bolder and breezier on Tell A Man, adopting different tones and patterns to deliver a jaunty bop. Closer, and titular, Rikiki, ends the project on a light note with jocular rapping over prominent drum patterns.
Combining his passion for music with an equal passion for education, Shopé is setting himself apart as a one-to-watch international artist, bridging Western and African cultures, and in so doing, empowering those in the African diaspora and beyond.