Seyi Vibez sings with an unmissable sense of prophetic predestination. Whether he’s channelling frustration, joy and angst, exploring his fascination with material success, or mulling over candid advice offered by his mother, the pulse of the Ikorodu-bred singer’s music reverberates with an unshakeable belief in his upward trajectory. A key part of a modern generation of Lagos street-pop acts subsuming influences from rock, R&B and trap into the core of their confessional music, Seyi (born Balogun Afolabi Oluwaloseyi) announced his arrival on the scene with 2020’s soul-inflected “God Sent”, as daring a proclamation as any in the Afropop arena. He doubled down on his gripping message of hustling on songs like “Catalyst” and “Big Vibe” off 2021’s NSNV. Proof of Seyi Vibez’s standout talent has been provided by high-profile co-signs from Nigerian rap icons Ice Prince (“Hustle”) and Vector (“Mercy”), as well as celebrated beatsmith Rexxie (“40 BTC”). A collaboration with fellow Ikorodu-bred street-pop star Zlatan stunningly brought the forthright energy of Lagos’ mainland to life on “Professor Peller”. For all of these high points, a brighter moment was still on the horizon for the singer. The release of his debut album, 2022’s Billion Dollar Baby, launched him decisively into the mainstream and opened up new lanes of expression within the singer, finding him swapping verses on a duet with Simi on “Darling” and exploring the trade-offs of his grind on “Saro”. It’s a wholesome snapshot of an ascendant superstar still guided by an unyielding belief in destiny.