The Nigerian music industry has witnessed a handful of successes from the street scene with the class defying trend starting with the Late Da Grin. More than a decade later, artists like Olamide; a pioneer of his class, Reminisce, CDQ, Masterkraft and now Zlatan have taken the mantle of building bridges between social classes with their music. For Zlatan, owning a cushy spot has been relatively easy considering his trendsetter status which culminates this month in a 17-track album, a feat very few have been able to achieve.
On the star-studded album, which according to Zlatan spans his life experiences and reflect a number of his perspectives, we get to experience him in his full form and the length of his relationships with a diversified class of Nigerian artists and just how well he can spin sounds to suit his narrative. On Superpower with Davido and DMW Signee, Yonda, we see the trio integrate fast-paced Hausa flutey music with Afropop to create a sound bending bop while he tries his hands with Dancehall on the Patoranking-assisted Distracted. Scopatumana spotlights the Zlatan who’s in tune with the society while Shotan, Gbeku, and Omo Olope all are extensions of his happy-go-lucky side, the one the media fell in love with since he delivered his signature version of leg work on Chinko Ekun’s Able God.
Among other prominent takeaways including it’s well defined, Zanku is proof that the Alleluyah Entertainment signee is ready to roll with the big dogs and the 17-track album is his induction into a society that has come to love experimentation and new trends, both of which Zlatan brings to the table.