Oxlade is Afro-R&B at its core—sad, sultry, and spicy. His harmonies are celestial, and his vocals are a cheat code.

Forget vibes; Afrobeats men have always known how to sing. Styl Plus, Banky W, Wande Coal…the list is endless. Oxlade is a direct descendant of the latter — celestial harmonies, ferocious falsetto, and lamba that ties it all together. 

What results is a sound that is sad, sultry, and spicy. Afro-R&B in all its glory!

Since his debut EP, Oxygene, in 2020, Olaitan “Oxlade” Abdulrahman Ikuforiji has grown from strength to strength. With multiple hit songs, certifications, and milestones covered, Oxy has become a bonafide star. His second EP, Eclipse, came a year later, but his audience awaited his debut album.

Oxlade From Africa (OFA) arrived in 2024, complete with the RIAA-certified Gold single “Ku Lo Sa” and collaborations from a plethora of global artists. Perhaps a nod to the title, he chose a supporting cast close to home: 4 Nigerians (Tomi Owo, Wande Coal, Flavour, Ojahbee), 1 Ghanaian (Sarkodie), 1 Ugandan (Bobi Wine), and 1 Congolese (Fally Ipupa). Still, he had eyes for the international market by featuring a Jamaican (Popcaan) and a Briton (Dave).

Fittingly, OFA focused on familiar themes of love, heartbreak, and passion. It was also a timely reminder of Oxlade’s vocal prowess and why he is highly regarded. With over 400M streams, it was the second highest-streamed Nigerian album of the year – although criticism was rife that he packed the LP with many pre-released singles from two years back. 

Now, barely 7 months later, the Oxlade From Africa: Deluxe has been released. With four new songs, the singer doubled down on his ethos of romance while charting new territory. Oxlade shared this as the inspiration behind the project, 

“I want everyone to go back to the drawing board, connect with their origin, and enjoy this while my sophomore project is in the works. I want my fans to feel my love through this project and know that the old Oxy isn’t returning. I’m growing, I’m evolving, just like they are, and I want them to grow with me on this journey through my music.”

Here are three takeaways from the deluxe version of the album:

Oxlade remains R&B’s resident bad boy

Since Away off Oxygene, Oxy has worn his romantic sensibilities around his neck like a garland. You know those Yoruba demons (men, sorry) that know the right words to say every time? Oxy does, but he sings them instead.

On the deluxe, he started with Doingz, an up-tempo Amapiano bop. Here, Oxy is flirting with his love interest by saying, “my doingz dey bambooze her.” Read bamboozle as ‘bamboozle,’ which means ‘confuse’ or ‘trick.’ He also lets her know he can provide for her needs with his personal savings of 10 billion. A smooth, rich talker? O ti lo!

Then, there’s the part where he claims to be desperate for love. The oldest trick in the book, right? His real intention is arguably to chop her ponmo, as shown when he praises her bunda early on. Naturally, she’s enamored by his charms and responds by calling him Odogwu as she ‘adds to her cart.’ 

This feels like a match made in heaven, as both parties know each other’s intentions. He’s a bad boy showing off to his baddie with street poetry, melody, and money in his arsenal. Add all these with a danceable beat, and you have a hit-in-waiting.

His harmonies are still A1

Unsurprisingly, most of the best vocalists were raised in the choir before finding their feet elsewhere. This isn’t any different for Oxlade, as the church provided his foundational art form knowledge. That’s arguably why he takes harmonising to heart.

On Omalicha, he serenades his love interest by cheekily claiming she’s jazzed him, and now he’s destined for the psych-ward. Naturally, her beauty makes her shako (form) cos she has all eyez on her like 2Pac. Bars? No emotion can’t be conveyed with lamba, to be honest. Afrobeats is A1!

But the most interesting part of the song is the harmonising of his vocals. He floats smoothly on the bass guitar’s riffs as the instrumental builds steadily. Then, there’s the signature falsetto, although brief but poignant. 

Life is vain, maybe music too?

With maturity comes reflection in life at every stage. Oxy segues from sexy crooning to low musings about the multiple struggles of daily living. On Sho Mi, he affirms God’s sustenance despite the troubles around him, even quoting verse 4 from the popular Psalm 23. Technically, Sho Mi is a Yoruba word that loosely translates to “protect me.”

He paints a visceral picture of a struggling family, perplexed neighbors, and anxious landlord—basically, the reality of the average person in Nigeria today. On a more personal level, he speaks about how he doesn’t want to fall off, go broke or jonz. 

Turns out stars also have similar existentialist fears.

Finally, on Vaniti, Oxy vents about the vanity of life in relation to your efforts. A conversation with his grandmother puts things in perspective for him: wealth, possessions, and luxurious living amount to nothing in the end. 

He says, “Nothing wey u carry come wey u go carry go.”

It’s a fitting way to end the nearly hour run-time of music.