Santi

After suddenly retiring from rapping under the name OzzyB, Afropop artist Cruel Santino (previously Santi) was reborn as the de facto honcho of the Nigerian alté movement. • Upon discovering Drake’s Thank Me Later, the Nigeria-born artist realized it was possible to achieve success as a singer-rapper and began making music as OzzyB. • Shortly after dropping his 2011 debut mixtape, Diaries of a Loner, he retreated from the music industry and began exploring the works of indie-pop artists Santigold and Vampire Weekend. • He reemerged in 2013 with Birth of Santi, an announcement of his new moniker and his first attempt at creating music uninhibited by the limitations of the rap genre. • In 2016, Santi released his defining coming-of-age project Suzie’s Funeral, which established him as a leading force in Nigeria’s alté scene. (Alté means “alternative”—it describes various sounds, including R&B, indie and dancehall.) • Santi released his debut album, Mandy & The Jungle, in 2019. Lead single “Rapid Fire” has racked up more than 7.5 million streams. • As a result of copyright issues, Santi changed his name to Cruel Santino in 2020.