With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.
Oxlade loved a girl who had a boyfriend, and for nearly six months they moved in secrecy, until her friends and family intervened and she chose the other guy. The Lagos-based twenty something was heartbroken, so he went into the studio and made Oxygene, his first project since breaking out in Nigeria’s afro-fusion scene with a feature on rapper Blaqbonez’s “Mamiwota.”
Oxlade’s love songs aren’t drenched in pain, they’re upbeat like he’s reflecting on the good times in a relationship instead of how it went wrong. On “Away,” the EP’s rhythmic centerpiece, Oxlade doesn’t sound bitter, but almost grateful for the experience. It’s catchy, dancey, and optimistic; this shine has expanded his reach from Nigeria to the UK, and it would be no surprise if it soon found him fans in the States. If graduations weren’t being cancelled nationwide, this song would find its way onto all the after party playlists.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Oxlade and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.
