“Dem borrow you shoe, you go party go dance like Poco Lee,” sings Zxus JDO in his newly released debut single Hush. There are other such humorous lines in the percussion-heavy song that also works as social commentary, as the 23-year-old Zxus, whose real name is John Davidson Omon (JDO), shines a torchlight on the extremes to which people go in their pursuit of material success.
The song’s title Hush alludes to Hushpuppi, the Nigerian former social media influencer who, in 2020, was arrested by the Dubai Police for cyber-fraud and has been sentenced to 11 years in a United States federal prison. “I wan get money like Hushpuppi,” a line in the song goes, which is then counterbalanced by the refrain “show your working,” ‘working’ being slang for ‘process’ or ‘formula.’
“This song addresses people who want quick success but do not want to put in the work. It also celebrates people who are hustling and doing well for themselves,” says the Benin-born artiste who then goes on to describe Hush as a “street pop jam.”
“I like that people can interpret the song in different ways,” says Zxus when asked if he worried that some listeners may think of the song as glorifying crime. “I don’t want my songs to be one-dimensional. That’s more of a plus to me than a downside. But the song isn’t glamorizing fraud; it’s glamorizing a grass-to-grace story.”
Producing the song are Nigerian producers Northboi and Docside, the former renowned for producing Wizkid’s hit songs Joro and Soco. Zxus describes Northboi as a “spiritual vibe producer” and thought he needed to also have Docside on the song in order to make it “danceable.”
A graduate of industrial chemistry from Ambrose Ali University, Zxus’s goal now is to have his music heard. “I want people to hear my music, and since Hush dropped, the reception has been overwhelming.”
Although he wrote his first song to the instrumental of Eminem’s Toy Soldiers and the Detroit rapper has greatly influenced him, Zxus cites the Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar as his greatest influence. Eedris Abdulkareem, D’Banj, Burna Boy, P Square, Wizkid, Davido and Rema are also some of his influences. His music taste is just as varied as his influences, as he says he experiments with dancehall, hiphop, trap, street pop and afrobeats. “I will make a salsa song if I want to,” he says.
An EP scheduled for March 2023 is on its way. But before then a music video for Hush will be released. “I am always going to keep experimenting with other genres,” Zxus says. “I’m going to let my inspiration guide me.”