What do you get when a young artist samples a beloved modern classic, a song old enough to be foundational to a veteran artist but young enough that most of us remember exactly where we were the first time we heard it? You get Taves’s “Uche Jumbo.”
It reads like a succession story: Wizkid dropped “Don’t Dull” at the very start of his reign, back when he was still becoming the star the world would come to know. Over a decade later, a potential heir to the afropop throne has reclaimed it at the start of his own rule. Taves has just released his brand new single, sampling “Don’t Dull” for the first time ever. No one had touched it in the years since it reshaped the sound of Nigerian pop, and Taves is the one who finally reached for it, like plucking a fruit off the tree at the exact moment it hits peak ripeness, not too early, not a beat too late.
Produced as a bridge between generations, “Uche Jumbo” respects the foundational sonic history of modern Afrobeats while introducing listeners to Taves’ own vocal depth. By sampling a record that transformed the genre over a decade ago, he’s paying homage while placing himself inside that lineage on his own terms. As the global spotlight on African music keeps intensifying, Taves stands out as part of a new wave of artists who refuse to be boxed in, and “Uche Jumbo” is proof of exactly how he plans to make his mark.
In this exclusive conversation, Taves shared the story behind the track with us.
On how the song came to be
“I made the initial idea for Uche Jumbo during a 12 a.m. session with OG Sterling. To be honest, we weren’t even supposed to have that session, but I called him last minute and said, ‘I just want to pull up and record.’ He was down, and we ended up making a couple of records, but Uche Jumbo was the one that really stood out.
The following morning, I was playing the demo in my living room when my stylist, Fadil, pointed out that the ‘awon eleyi’ part in the hook reminded him of Wizkid’s Don’t Dull—that ‘awon eleyi won bad gan’ section. He wondered if adding elements from Don’t Dull would make the song even cooler. I spoke with Arieenati and OG Sterling, we linked up a day later, and the rest is history.
I had to have the intro the way it is because, in my opinion, the intro to Don’t Dull is so iconic. Once you hear it, you know you’re about to have the best time. It’s honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard on an Afrobeats record.”
On what the song means to him
“To me, this song represents the side of me that loves having fun. My life has gotten a lot more serious over the past couple of months, and when I made this song, I was genuinely having so much fun. It’s a reminder that no matter how serious life gets, I always have to leave room for enjoyment too. Plus, it’s a really sexy record, you know, who doesn’t love a sexy song?”
On why he chose to sample that particular song
“After the initial idea for the sample came from my stylist, Fadil, I knew it would be an amazing fit because that’s one of my favourite Wizkid songs to date. I really can’t stress how cool every part of that song is, from the intro to the ‘oya oya ask your mummy, awon eleyi won bad gan.’ Everything about it represents a different level of swag and confidence, and that’s exactly the feeling I wanted to reflect in this song. So when Fadil brought up the idea, it was a no-brainer.”
On why he named the song after Uche Jombo
“Growing up, as most Nigerians can relate to, Nollywood movies were an unavoidable and central part of our lives. We’d buy stacks of CDs and watch those films over and over again. Uche Jombo was actually my childhood crush because I saw her in so many of those movies. When I was finishing the writing for this song, I wanted parts of it to reflect the nostalgia of the sample as well, and that’s where Uche Jombo and Agbani Darego came in, two of the most beautiful women in Nigeria.”
Listen to Uche Jumbo here.
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