Off the back of dropping Part 1 of a historic debut album entitled ‘Hokage’ last month, Nigerian-born, Irish-raised rapper Offica is set to share Part 2 of this unique project with Part 2 out 17th November on MOVES Recordings.
Entitled ‘Hokage In Lagos’, the 4-track release sees Offica embrace his Nigerian influences, as he delivers banger after banger of irresistible energy and rhythmic intensity. Each track is built from an iconic sample from afrobeats finest tracks such as ‘Oliver Twist’ by D’banje and ‘Personally’ by P-Square. This unique approach is typified on ‘Odi Dan Dan’ which also features Odumodublvck, as Offica weaves his bars and UK Rap leanings across a hugely exciting Afrobeats inspired soundscape.
Having just returned from a tour of Australia and a headline show in London, Offica returns to Lagos for the very first time since he departed as a baby, to launch Part 2 ‘Hokage In Lagos’ with a live show on 17th November – a huge moment for Offica.
The project as a whole draws inspiration from Offica’s unique musical and cultural background, as he seamlessly pulls from Yoruba mythology, Irish energy, UK Rap sonics and his love of the Japanese Anime series ‘Naruto’ – with the theme and title being based around a Naruto character called Hokage, the king of his village.
Part 1 entitled ‘Hokage in Drogheda’ focuses on his ‘classic’ rap sound and relates to life in Ireland, which features fellow A92 members is packed full varied beats and flows, as introspective hip hop tracks like ‘Overthinker’ and ‘Living Proof’ are countered with forward thinking energetic tracks such as ‘Dedication’ and ‘Stick To the Plan’ as well as bass driven rap bangers like ‘Bluebird’ and ‘Have Fun’.
Speaking about the musical duality that the tape represents, Offica says: “Growing up in Ireland my parents always spoke Yoruba to us, so we understand the language and culture, but obviously living in Ireland all my life I’ve adapted to the Irish way of life. I feel like Nigeria is a huge part of me and so is being Irish so I wanted to reflect both sides in my first full project.”
Since first dropping his first hit ‘Naruto Drillings’ four years ago, Offica has redefined what it means to be an Irish rapper, breaking records with a run of classic singles and game changing freestyles. He has carved a niche for himself by seamlessly incorporating Irish and Yoruba slang into his lyrics, providing a unique window into his culture and identity. Offica’s artistry goes beyond boundaries and is a testament to his unwavering commitment to authenticity.
Since then he has continued to make waves delivering captivating freestyles for Kenny Allstar and Charlie Sloth, whilst dropping tracks with YouTube phenomenon KSI, and achieving the highest streaming UK Drill freestyle of all time, with A92 x Fumez the Engineer ‘Plugged In’ (120m+ streams) and streaming a further 80m across his remaining catalogue, all without dropping a full-length project to date.
‘Hokage’ promises to be a dynamic journey through sound, art, and identity, further solidifying Offica’s position as a trailblazer in the Rap and drill scene.
To find out more about Offica, go to:
TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Facebook | Twitter