This year, Zlatan is not stopping for anything. He has seen what the walls of Okotie Eboh looks like; seen his song set crowds on fire at big festivals. The artist wants that to continue. He wants to keep making strong statements that would clear Thomas’s doubts.
Talking about Thomas, people actively fear what will happen to Zlatan when the novelty of the Zanku sound wears off. This position is vocal, with many citing several examples of those who ended as have been, but could not quite remain being.
Zlatan Ibile addressed this set of people in an interview with Beat FM, Lagos in March. He said his sound will not just die like that. He has tinkered with this particular tune for many years before this eventual breakthrough.
“If you don’t know me you won’t know I’ve been doing this for a while now. You can’t just expect anything I’ve been doing for a while now to just pack up like that,” Zlatan Ibile tells Olisa Adibua and Osikhena Dirisu on Morning Rush on The Beat 99.9 FM Lagos last month.
Zlatan Responds With “This Year”
The artist just released a new song he calls “This Year”. It is Zlatan’s second single in about 6 days.
The raving artist came out of Okotie Eboh poised to move on from his unfortunate arrest and detention by EFCC over his association with alleged fraud boys.
What is significant about “This Year” is Zlatan’s possible intention for the new song. He and his team want people to move on from the detention incident to continue talking about his music.
His strategy is to inundate his audience with new music now that people are paying extra attention to him. The effectiveness of this strategy cannot yet be measured with confidence. However, there is relative success there: the detention bit is stepping down, while the music is stepping up.
The song he released last weekend, “4 Days In Ekohtiebo” is getting people talking. They say this is the first time Zlatan is rapping since he blew. That fact is still in people’s mouth.
“This Year” will likely get people saying things too as Zlatan expresses optimism that he would have a great year, while the haters keep hating.
Rexxie, who has been the brain behind most of Zlatan’s hit songs, is also the brain behind “This Year”.
Listen to Zlatan This Year below: