Love Garden sees the Godfather of Alte joined by the king of Neo-Highlife for an instant shot of sunshine… With a beat made by Ragee (producer of Davido’s global smash Unavailable), Boj and Adekunle Gold slide over the intertwining guitar and bass of the track like hot molasses, switching between English, Yoruba and Pidgin for a yearning love song that makes sense in any language.
Love Garden is the first single drawn from 12 Summers, Boj’s much anticipated new album, and follow-up to his award-winning classic Gbagada Express. Expect more top tier features, silky smooth vocals and innovative Alte beats, a new high point celebrating 12 years of Boj changing the face of afrobeats…
Bolaji Odojukan-aka Boj-has been blazing an artistic trail for over a decade, laying down the foundations of the sound known as Alte (meaning Alternative); a fusion of cool electronica, slick Afrofuturism and wavey RnB that stepped away from the more commercial sounds of Afropop in search of something deeper.
First developing the sound alongside school friend’s Teezee and Fresh L as part of the group DRB Las Gidi, Boj stepped out into the solo limelight with his 2014 debut album Boj on the Mic. This album introduced the world to an artist raised between the UK and Nigeria, an upbringing that folded in everything from street level London grime to global Afropop.This open hearted approach to music resulted in Boj’s peers paying attention, and he has become something of an artist’s artist, as comfortable jumping on a track alongside Skepta as he is featuring with Wizkid.
BOTM was followed by his 2017 album Magic,which saw Boj refine his sound alongside legends such as Wande Coal and Simi. Then in 2018 came the first of his regular EPs with long time friend and collaborator AjeButter; Make E No Cause Fight-a top tier selection that included the modern classic Tungba, one of Boj’s first songs recorded with the producer Spax with whom he would develop the Alte sound into a mixof the organic and digital. After dropping a sequel to Make E No Cause Fightin 2019, which added Nigerian rap prince Falz into the mix, and the much loved crew album Pioneers with DRB Las Gidi in 2020, Boj then spent Covid laying down the tracks for his next album proper-Gbagada Express.
The album took it’s title from the Lagos studio Boj opened, a hub of Nigerian talent-as to prove the point, the Gbagada EXpress album, released in two parts from 2022-2023 featured everyone from Wizkid, Davido, Ayra Starr, Mr Eazi, Fireboy, BNXN, Victony alongside UK names such as Enny and Knucks.
With Gbagada Express picking up an AIM Best Album nomination, bagging an Album of the Year spot from The Guardian UK, and finally winning the Headie Award for Best Alte Album, it marked the mainstream arrival of a talent who had built for years. This position was consolidated by a stand out appearance on Dave’s platinum certified We’re All Alone In This Together, and Boj’s own UK debut live performance,a sold out Village Underground headline show with appearances from Enny and Wizkid.
Rather than resting on his laurels, Boj immediately went back to work, dropping another installment of Make E No Cause Fight at the close of 2023, then hitting the studio to record the demos that form12 Summers, his new album which acts as a statesmanlike overview of 12 years carving his own path, growing up in the limelight as a musical
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