Art as a form of imitation; A look at Nito-P’s artistry

By Taiwo Okanlawon

The second half of the 2010s was a formidable part of my love for music, this was the period I was able to listen to what I wanted. Years before this time, my music taste was dictated by the radio stations in the city I lived in and more importantly what my elder brothers and sisters play on their record players.

By the time I had the chance, I was able to listen to what I wanted. Rappers like Lord of Ajasa, Dagrin and later Olamide were some of my early introductions to indigenous rap. I had to listen to some of their earlier records to have an idea of who they were.

Take for instance, Lord of Ajasa’s Second Turning by the Left album (2008) was one of the earliest records I had to listen to in order to grasp the formative years of Yoruba Hip Hop.

Later, I checked out Chief Executive Omo Ita (CEO) album by Dagrin. One dominant trait of these albums is that they were inspired by early US Hiphop. Either they have pristine storytelling like NAS or they are running on flow like 50 Cent.

Influence is a big factor in music. One generation gets inspired by their predecessor, they pay it forward as the times goes. This is one of the benefits of life. Dagrin was inspired by Lord of Ajasa, Olamide took some influence from Dagrin.

In 2020, while the world was battling with COVID 19, music was my only succor, I listened to arrays of stars, beyond the well known one, I also checked out underground artists. Some of them had no social media presence, so I had to check blogs and music websites to download and listen to their songs. Although they were many, Nito P stood out for me. His arrays of songs which were scattered online helped me through the lockdown.

“Ghetto Life,” one of the earliest songs I listened to, was released in 2020 across major blogs. Although he sounded like Dagrin, Nito P still tailored his lyrics around the plight of under-privileged souls. His immaculate flow was amplified by the boisterous production.

Nito-P was heavily influenced by Dagrin and Olamide, his earliest record found him almost singing like these artistes, as time goes on, he tend to discover his strength, this way, he shows his creative side by exhibiting his strength while downplaying the influence of his mentors which seeps into his old record.

“Flying Higher,” reminds one of “Swag,” by Cartiar and Dagrin. In another arc, it can also be likened to the 2011/2012 Olamide.“Show Me Your Craze,” takes a bit from Timaya.

Nito-P’s future looks bright, it is exhilarating that he has discovered his strength, stuck to it. What is needed is more releases of extended plays, full length albums, in this way, he gets to show himself to the fans.