How Rema, Fireboy copied our style – Alte singer, BOJ

Budding Nigerian alternative singer, BOJ, has asserted that young Afrobeats stars, Rema and Fireboy are heavily inspired by alté.

BOJ, whose real name is Bolaji Odojukan, is one-third of the musical group, DRB LasGidi with TeeZee and Fresh L.

Speaking in an interview with The Beat 99.9 FM, Lagos, he opined that both artistes derived the inspiration for their dress sense and mannerisms from the alté community.

Alté is a fusion genre of music that combines elements of afrobeats, dancehall, reggae, hip hop, and alternative R&B. It means alternative and individualistic and non-traditional modes of self-expression through music and fashion.

BOJ said; “Santi has always been there from the get-go. Santi, LOS and us [DRB LasGidi] but Santi’s name was Oxy B back then. So, I would say we are the ones who pioneered alté.

“And what is happening now was always bound to happen. We were the cool guys and there were a lot of young kids that gauged us and were like, ‘Okay, we want to emulate these stuff.’ Even if it wasn’t that we are doing exactly what they are doing, we are letting guys know that you could do things differently in whatever field you are in.

“Everybody in the alté makes different types of music. So, the music wasn’t actually called alté. It is everything else around it. I would say that the fashion is one of the things that translated the most into the mainstream in terms of the aesthetic of the mainstream. I feel a lot of the mainstream new cats are actually alté guys. I would say Rema is an alté guy, I would say Fireboy is. If you gauge the way they dress, the swag, the way they move [it’s all alté].”

In other entertainment news…

Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, known professionally as Oxlade, has revealed that there are some songs by his colleagues that he wishes he sang.

The ‘Ku Lo Sa’ crooner while speaking in a recent interview with Beat 99.9 FM, Lagos, said he wishes he sang ‘You’ by Omah Lay and ‘King’ by Fireboy DML.

Oxlade stated that Fireboy is his best friend but he really wanted to be the one who owns those songs, and believes that he would drop impressive vocals on Omah Lay’s You.

He said; “The song I wish I sang that I really wish I sang… They are two actually. There is ‘You’ by Omah Lay. I feel like I would murder that song with vocals.

“And then there is ‘King’ by Fireboy. That song… For the first time in my life, I really wanted to be the person that sang ‘King.’ Fireboy is my best friend. We are pretty close.”

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