Get Familiar with Oyedele, the Dream-Chasing Sound Alchemist
The Nigerian act speaks on jazz fusion, self-expression, and the fearless pursuit of dreams.
In 2023, Oyedele released the extended play Irawo, a bold exploration of traditional Nigerian folk sonics merged with his signature blend of experimental rap. Irawo marked a culmination of his musical journey, beginning with 2017’s Vinyl Plays (when he performed under the stage name Deelokz), and evolving through tracks like 2022’s “Hold Me” with Dillz ft. Basil and “Faramo.” Oyedele’s soundscape is ever-morphing, inspired by ruminations on both personal and national matters.
His latest project, the mixtape Dream Man, continues his boundary-defying musical pursuit. He finds interesting ways to make siblings of classic jazz and African rhythms, offering his own interpretation of influences, ranging from John Coltrane to South Africa’s Gwijo. He’s smooth as silk on “Midsummer Rap,” a reggae preacherman on “The Devil is a Lie” and otherworldly on “Curse of True Love.” While his lyrics often twist into cryptic riddles, Dream Man remains grounded through his use of Yoruba and Pidgin English, maintaining a deep connection to his roots.
On lead single “Biggie Biggie,” Oyedele yearns simply for a life free of strive. It’s a glimpse into his idea of being a dream man: a head full of ambitions and feet planted in soil; a life of “bravery and fear mixed in a single cup, dancing, and balancing.” In conversation, Oyedele breaks down his journey as an Afro-fusion artist, his creative multiplicity, and the minds and moods behind Dream Man.
Give a brief biography of yourself.
My name is Oyedele Alokan and I am a musician. I actually do a lot of things, and I exist to different people as different things but I am Oyedele all the time. I carry that essence with me everywhere I go. In this context, I am a career musician going for the long haul.
How did music begin for you?
I have always existed around music. As early as I can remember I can see my dad playing Paul Play’s reimagination of his father’s songs. I think that’s the first piece of music I remember liking and enjoying. Then I got into Hiphop, and rap music— first through The Remedies, then the bling era, gangster rap era, the 90s, 80s– a little taste of all kinds of subgenre within the hip-hop cuisine, if you may. I would write some rhymes in secondary school but those were nothing serious.
So my elder brother was on this facebook rap group where they battle rap, but in text—partakers are called textcees and the group was/is RGA which stands for Rap Gladiators Arena. I joined the group and I became a text battler, that was how I began sharpening my proverbial sword in this. Like a year after, I went with my brother and his friend to a studio and we did this freestyle of Sauce Kid’s “Too Much Money”—that was my first time in the studio and I remember it was a lot of noise but the booth felt like home. So I went again, and again, thankfully I showed a level of promise that the studio owner, Dominas, of blessed memory— allowed me to record whenever I popped up.
That was how the journey began, and it’s all been flux since.
Who are the rappers that inspired and continue to inspire you?
For rappers I listened to back in my formative years and still really listen to, I really like Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick, Possessed of Rhyme Asylum, JayZ, Paybac, Nas, I listen to everybody, man. And more recently I’ve been hooked up on a lot of jazz music, soul and country music. Artists like Cher, John Coltrane, Tom Waits, Neal Hefti and all. Basically, I am inspired by whatever kind of music speaks to me.
Your music cuts across genres. Tell me more about your fascination with genre-bending and how you would describe your sound.
I describe my type of experience as soul music with a consistent rap cadence. I wouldn’t say I go about trying to experiment or bend genres consciously but I love to create new things. If it sounds good, or fresh to me– then I am totally about it. I listen to the beat to hear its story, because every instrumental has something it is saying—if you can resonate on that frequency, then the work becomes like 50% easier, you know?
I also listen to a lot of music and I have songs in my head that I’m sure would not see the light of day if I don’t make them. So that kind of approach keeps me creating what most people would call experimental. For me, it’s just natural and an attempt to clearly communicate how I feel and what I'm going through at any given point in time—at the highest fidelity, of course.
Walk me through the creation of Dream Man, from conception to execution.
Mehnn, Dream Man EP took me a while to put down, it also took me a short time. I’ve been interested in making jazz fusion for a couple of years now, and my instagram algorithm is probably on the same page. They’re always suggesting solos, tutorials and all kinds of stuff. There was a day I was scrolling through Instagram, probably watching Klemfamily videos, because I watched that as a guilty pleasure type shit (LOL)—I stumbled on Brandonscottdrums playing drums over a piano loop and it sounded so smooth and relaxing. It spoke to me, and I had to listen, so I saved it and made a mental note to revisit and rap to it. 2 months later, around November, I was trying to make a Christmas playlist and I stumbled on John Coltrane’s “My Favourite Things” and that spoke to me too. I mean I could hear the world in that song, and I knew I had to flip it. I took out some time to work on these two ideas and they became “Midsummer Rap” and “Midsummer Dusk.” This, I recorded around Christmas time, and those were the foundational records for the project.
Afterwards, I was just saving instrumentals, ideas, loops and such– stowing them away and visiting them over time. Then I had a conversation with my friend, Tobi Ajiboye, he’s also my Creative Director and we were talking about the rawness of the mixtape era, the early 2010s, when DatPiff was hot. We talked about the cyclical nature of trends and pretty much clocked it that the mixtape was returning. Initially, the project was supposed to be six songs but why not ten? So I kept recording and putting stuff together. I heard Burna’s “Thanks Freestyle” and it spoke to me, I heard FKJ’s “Us” and it said a lot of things too. All these ideas, I would load up into Logic and piece together in the most crude, primitive way possible, I thank God for knowledge, I know much better now. That was basically how the mixtape was conceptualised.
On the execution, I recorded in the night, wee hours of the morning type shit. I mixed the first set of records but I had to send it to Braynezee to lend his finesse on it. Then we went back and forth to get it right– I’d listen, Tobi will listen, Bryan will listen. Yeah, it’s a mixtape but the curation was pretty hands on.
Dream Man is a kaleidoscope of experiences and observations bedded in a rich texture of sounds. What does its title and themes mean to you?
Mann, to be a dreamer is hard work man. It is sleepless nights and a lot of putting yourself in the fray. It is bravery and fear mixed in a single cup, dancing, and balancing. It is being active even when you don’t feel like it. Alienating and finding community. It is everything pushed into a singularity– living in your visions. That’s what the title means to me.
The execution of the themes drew from my personal life—almost like a three-act journey of becoming and finding the courage to step on to the pitch and bat a homerun. That was the buildup, and pay off.
How did you work with producers on the project?
It was a mixtape, so there was very little influence from external producers. I did a lot of the tweaking and arrangement myself. As I said earlier, the most primitive Logic techniques known to man. I was making lascaux graffiti onboard the Tesla Roadster… type shi.
Which track was the easiest, and which was the hardest to make?
I don’t think of songs on a scale of being easy or hard to make. Some might take me a long time to write and a short time to record. Some might take me a short time to write, and a long time to record, it varies, really.
I think I spent the most amount of time recording “Traffxc,” I probably laid that verse over 17 times trying to get it right. To write, I think “Thought Experiment” stewed on my laptop for over 3 months, but I wrote and recorded it in one night. I have to say though, Statement was recorded in one take, so that’s cool. Yeah, it’s a mix of everything. I think hard is such a subjective concept that can be compartmentalised into different things—some were hard because I had to be honest with myself in a way I never have been. Some were hard because I had to sing a certain type of way, or I needed a level of breath control. Every song has its ticks.
What sets Dream Man apart in your discography?
Jazz music is the height of human expression. Where an average person needs to find words to say something, jazz is pitch perfect—it’s soulful and it does not stutter, you know? And Dream Man being a jazz fusion project is an attempt to communicate and engage on that high level—in ideas, and in execution.
You also direct your music videos. How did that begin?
I express myself in different ways, and filmmaking also happens to be a great channel to push the envelope when it comes to things like this. I remember in 2016, I had this BlackBerry Z10 that had a great camera, even by today’s standards. I’d take pictures of everything I saw, playing with the focus and aperture. I would also read up on framing rules and such. Always had a fascination for the stories our eyes can tell—and I think that transferred into professional work as well. I have directed some commercials and documentaries over the years and it just felt natural to carry it over into the music.
I don’t always direct my music videos though, Tobi Ajiboye– my creative director as I mentioned earlier curated visuals for the Dream Man project. And this really complements the emotions and message within the project.
Your videos are as eclectic as your music. How do you develop the ideas, and what do you always hope to communicate in your videos?
The idea, and end goal is to bring hope to the people. We are merely vessels in this regard. Everything must have a message—inspiring, thought provoking or otherwise. It needs to touch people, and it doesn’t indulge in sensationalism as a feature. That could be a bug, though.
As regards executing videos to music, it runs parallel to the song. The video is there to add to the story or the feeling depending on what it is. Tobi and I would discuss the music and talk about ideas for the visuals. Then we’d map out a plan to know exactly what we’re doing, and shoot. And we always have to be resourceful, Tobi is very crafty with the tools and this makes it possible to really bring out excellence within the stories we create.
A green screen and a couch can turn into a living room, or a warehouse or clouds like in the “Biggie Biggie” and “Da’gboru” videos. It opens up a pandora’s box of possibilities. It is magic, really.
What do you hope listeners take away from Dream Man?
Belief, hope, clarity, determination. The listening expression is supposed to make you aware of the odds that are stacked against you as a dreamer and achiever, and it’s supposed to contain a level of resolve needed to harden your heart to keep going. I hope people leave with the conclusion that I’m a great rapper, musician (laughs)—I also hope people keep listening and never leave.
Any plans for Dream Man or future projects?
There’s a lot of music coming off the release of Dream Man. Being a mixtape, a lot of the songs aren’t present on streaming platforms so the fans on Apple music, and Spotify haven’t had much to listen to safe for Irawo EP and a couple of singles. There’s a lot of music coming, visuals and continued evolution of the artistry. It’s all going to be bigger, and better and I encourage everyone to strap in for this ride. It’s going to be one to remember.
Go HERE to stream Dream Man.
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