Show Notes
Episode 36 - Is the CIA controlling Afrobeats? A viral theory claims US intelligence is picking who tops the charts. Wuchi & Wale dissect the Spearhead claims, Bloody Civilian’s role in the Tyla vs. Ayra Starr noise, Fireboy’s pink-pajama rollout, GDZILLA leaving Jonzing World, and why you need your PVC. We open with two Put You Ons, Vyce Vxrsa’s “Give Dem” (1:25) and Paybac Iboro’s “KSA” (3:01), because Nigerian hip-hop is alive and well. Then the hot take: is it weird that Bloody Civilian is touring with Tyla after skipping Ayra Starr’s album? (6:30) Then the main event, the Spearhead video (18:15). We concede what’s true (25:41), then pick apart the Chocolate City funding claim (27:48) and the CKay and Tems “mid-career” theory (29:44). We also get into David Hundeyin, Segalink, and VDM, and what happens when you don’t know when to stop (37:44). The real distraction three months before an election is the conspiracy itself (46:16). Burna Boy signed with Atlantic in 2017, then got more political, not less (48:06). Our verdict: the industry is rigged against underground artists, but... (58:33). Freyy is free after 8 days in police custody, and it’s one more reason to get your PVC (1:00:58). Then the diaspora debate: should Nigerians abroad be celebrating Independence Day while Nigeria suffers? (1:09:11) We also break down our Independence weekend in Chicago, Victony’s and Buju’s shows, and why three High Noons cost almost $60 (1:18:02). Fireboy’s album rollout, with the pink pajamas and the lip gloss: genius promo or cheap engagement? (1:32:28) Is Blaqbonez your artist of the year, and why does Asake’s “Ikebe 3000” verse hit different? (1:41:10) We close with Put You On tracks from Plusamari (1:48:14) and Yorkk (1:50:15), then GDZILLA’s exit from Jonzing World, and where it went wrong (1:53:50). Put You On this week: Vyce Vxrsa - “Give Dem,” Paybac Iboro - “KSA,” Plusamari - “+EAST42,” Yorkk - “O Boy.” Do you think the CIA is picking your playlist, or is the real distraction closer to home? Tell us in the comments. Follow @unreleasedng on TikTok, X, Instagram & YouTube. Artists: send us your unreleased music for review: [email protected] Rate us 5 stars wherever you’re listening, and get your PVC.
More from Underground Unreleased
Davido’s getting dragged for his uncle backing Tinubu. We think people are aiming at the wrong man. We kick things off with Paybac Iboro’s gritty “Monkey Work Baboon Chop” (2:17) before diving straight into the main event: Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke leading Tinubu’s campaign trail, and why fans think Davido needs to answer for it (3:19). We break down the receipts; from Adeleke’s August rally demanding answers on state insecurity after endorsing the center (13:43), to Governor Seyi Makinde exposing how federal allocations are being held hostage until after the ballots close (19:08). The keyword is shakedown. Davido already made his stance clear on where he stands (26:30). But if you're waiting for a pop star to save your ballot, you're already cooked (27:59). Grab your PVC and watch your boxes all the way to the final count (29:00). PYO (30:20) From there, we pivot to lifestyle optics: Ayra Starr's massive NFL halftime stage (31:40), alongside B-Red and Sina Rambo’s matching luxury whips, and why that timing is an unforced error in optics even if VDM’s corruption claims lack a smoking gun (33:57). We also discuss Governor Adeleke's track record (38:51) Then comes the music room. Fola’s new project gets a hard look; is he recycling flows? (40:45) Fireboy DML’s ZUKO gets dragged for pink pajamas, a lack of direction, and a brutal demotion on Wale’s tier list (48:40). Plus, a look at how Blaqbonez caps off a massive year (1:15:24). We close out with the Headies getting pushed out to April 2027 while Ayo Animashaun blasts artists for chasing foreign awards (1:23:38), followed by a quick-fire breakdown of the 2027 Grammy submissions from Ayra, Davido, Wizkid, and Victony (1:28:56). Put You On this week: Paybac Iboro - “Monkey Work Baboon Chop” & L Boi - "Igbe" Did Adeleke choose Tinubu, or was the choice made for him? Tell us in the comments. Follow @unreleasedng on all platforms. Artists: send your unreleased music to [email protected]. Rate us 5 stars, get your PVC, and protect your vote.
Over 10K followers on TikTok. 160 subscribers on YouTube. Nine months in and we're just getting started. This one's for the artists and listeners that got us here (0:00). This time, we're discussing just the music. We went remote and spent the whole episode reviewing tracks submitted directly by underground artists. And you know how we rock; we don't do any sugarcoating. We start with Bethizy's "My Baby" (5:44) and his throwback Highlife energy that took us back to primary school. Then CODYBLVCK's "Sativa" (18:58), a cool song, scattered theme, and the choir-vocal rant nobody asked for. Tyseb's "Casanova" (27:35) is a chill track that might be too chill for the current moment. REX0's "Fastester" (34:29) is the right idea but the wrong timing. And Swankii's "Show Love" (48:56) has a catchy hook, rough vocals, Adekunle Gold energy. Then we did something we've never done before: we broke down BIOLA's entire EP front to back. A Dreamer's Summer - five tracks from a 19-year-old software engineering student whose parents actually support his music career (53:18). Blueprint, Summer Lovin', Hold Me, The Interlude I, and Where's Home?. Full honest reactions to each. We closed with Dante Clyde (1:25:28), an alternative artist who's been writing songs since he was eight. An unreleased demo plus his single "DESIGNER." If you're an underground artist and you want us to hear your music, this is what it looks like. Just us, the music, and what we think about it. Reviewed this episode: Bethizy - "My Baby," CODYBLVCK - "Sativa," Tyseb - "Casanova," REX0 - "Fastester," Swankii - "Show Love," BIOLA - A Dreamer's Summer (full EP), Dante Clyde - "DESIGNER" + unreleased. 🎤 Artists - send your unreleased music for review: [email protected] Follow @unreleasedng on all platforms. Rate, comment, and if you submitted - let us know what you think of the review.
Where were you when this song dropped? (0:55) This week on Underground Unreleased, we're getting political before we get musical. We open with a message for listeners back home: get your PVCs (3:30). With elections looming and the country on edge, we break down the state of Nigeria, the First Lady's tone-deaf "roasting corn doesn't take much" charity (5:41), and why silence from Nigerian artists is part of the problem. Then we pivot to the Macklemore and Ed Sheeran controversy (11:15) - Macklemore's Palestine stance, the pressure from Robert Kraft, and what it says about the cost of speaking up. We ask: was Macklemore a bad friend, or is this bigger than industry relationships? We also tackle the hot take: are Burna Boy and Ayra Starr "settling" by headlining NFL halftime shows abroad? (Spoiler: no. Relax.) (25:04) Plus our 2026 Album of the Year debate (31:33) — Victony's Star Life, Wandé Coal's King Coal, Kastyle's Stylish, and the case for and against Rema's upcoming project being his Honestly, Nevermind era (41:14). Davido is in his "I Got Time" era and coming for DJ Tunez (56:24). Fireboy's LA pivot has us concerned (1:03:30). And some fresh Put You On tracks from Nu Baby, Tommy Tomad, and KIRBS (1:11:06). And as always, we review submissions from underground artists including Talon Miller, a white rapper from New Orleans (1:12:00) Put You On this week: Nu Baby - "Kalorie," Tommy Tomad - "Olomi," and KIRBS - Treason 🎤 Artists - send your unreleased music for review: [email protected] Follow @unreleasedng on all platforms. Rate, comment, and don't forget - your future is in your hands.
We're calling it. This is the last Odumodublvck episode. Unless something wild happens (and it might), we're closing the file. We kicked things off with the music : Flairr Amalii's "RiRi" off Project More Swag before laying the Odumodublvck & Blaqbonez saga to rest for good (0:46). Our resident lawyer friend weighs in with a full legal breakdown on the 2M naira settlement, cease-and-desists, and what actual evidence requires (4:56). Naturally, this turns into an unprovoked regional war between Lagos and Abuja where shawarma was somehow the deciding factor (10:09). Oh and if anyone needs a lawyer for corporate work in Nigeria, we know a guy. Send us an email and we'll connect you! In the spirit of accountability, we also corrected the record on Smada because when it comes to allegations, half-counts actually matter (24:09). To wrap things up, Wale had one final word to the wise for Odumodu himself on the danger of playing one persona on the mic and a very different one on Twitter (32:35) An old Tems clip made the rounds this week (35:12): is she an Afrobeats artist or not? She doesn't seem to think so and we gave our thoughts on that. We tear through the chaotic 21-month Headies nomination list (41:07), breakdown Davido’s latest Twitter feud with Erigga (1:01:07), and drop fresh Put You On tracks from Takoumi, LYRXX, KiDi, and Nosa Ade; and an unreleased song from MJ Papi (1:07:38) Put You On this week: Flairr Amalii - "RiRi," Takoumi - "Gogo Daho," LYRXX - "Parago," KiDi - "2 Much Sugar," MJ Papi (unreleased), Osa -"Parte" and Nosa Ade - "Love Like This." Follow @unreleasedng on TikTok, X, Instagram & YouTube. Artists: send us your unreleased music.Rate us 5 stars wherever you're listening, and pull up in the comments.
Three-mic episode. Taiwo pulled up as our biggest Davido fan on record, and we came in wrecked from the Asake concert the night before. We switched things up again and opened with the music: Kimi's "Westside Tides," Guess where he's from. We liked the song so much that we also got suspicious about whether AI had something to do with it (1:28) Two listener hot takes and one hot hate: is Ayra Starr getting the push she deserves post-Roc Nation - especially at the same level Tems has gotten a push? (6:25) And is Davido really "a talentless hack"? Yeah, we'll answer that one. Rage bait or not (10:19). We then kicked things off in Chicago at Asake’s tour opener, rating the vibes, the crowd energy, and whether the performance actually hit or fell flat (13:02) PYO (24:25) And then we got into the main event: Odumodublvck vs. Blaqbonez. Again. Except this time, there was a lot more to unpack. Odumodu's wife responds to the pod, Blaqbonez gives his side, allegations of harassment and threats, the 32 calls, the Ghana trip, conflicting stories, shifting language, and why we're still nowhere close to knowing the full truth. At some point, the whole thing stopped being a rap beef and started looking like a courtroom drama (27:41) Speaking of bad blood: Davido and Wande Coal. Why the unreleased verse never came out, whether Davido was right to reject the remix, and whether Wande had been harboring resentment for years. Plus, why does everybody seem to crash out at Davido specifically over his talent? (1:00:09) To wrap up, we discussed Ayra Starr and Llona's albums (1:07:57) Put You On this week: Kimi - Westside Tides, Kaestyle - Cairo, and Kemuel - Pitakwa Girls Riddim. Follow @unreleasedng on TikTok, X, Instagram & YouTube. Artists: send us your unreleased music. Rate us 5 stars wherever you're listening, and pull up in the comments.