There are many ways to make a statement in the Nigerian music scene. While some artists move from total obscurity to overnight sensation, artists like Bella Shmurda<\/a> garner celebrity and reverence brick by brick, i.e. one release at a time. Citing King Wasiu Ayinde, Oritsefemi, Olamide<\/a> as influences, the singer started gravitating towards music while growing up at Okokomaiko, a popular shanty town in Lagos. Like Burna Boy<\/a>, Sound Sultan or Olamide, Shmurda\u2019s experiences in those periods would catalyze his penchant for shedding light on the murky realities of average Nigerians. The bonding power of shared suffering will see his credibility manifest amongst residents of these areas, which includes students of Lagos State University (LASU), where he also schooled. \u201cIt’s one of the hardest things I\u2019d have to do<\/em>,” he says of juggling music and schooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shmurda\u2019s steady rise took a different turn after the release and eventual virality of \u201cVision 2020\u201d which encapsulates failed promises of the government and yearnings of the people to survive a system that stifles them. Olamide would later opt for a remix of the record, which according to the singer born Akinbiyi Abiola Ahmed, \u201cis a cumulation of personal stories and happenings around me<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2020, Shmurda, alongside his crony, Lincoln and Zlatan<\/a>, upped the ante with \u201cCash App\u201d, a boisterous number themed around Nigeria\u2019s cyber-crime culture. It quickly became one of the hottest records in Nigeria and elevated Shmurda to a pedestal where he goes head to head with Tems<\/a> and Omah Lay<\/a> for the highly coveted Next Rated bestowal at Nigeria\u2019s apex award event, The Headies. This also follows his appearance on albums of Afrobeats dignitaries like Olamide, Davido<\/a> and most recently, Wizkid<\/a>. In July, Bella Shmurda was announced as the only African artist among the annual Youtube Music Foundry program whose past alumni include Dua Lipa, Dave, Rema<\/a>, Tems among others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, we caught up with the singer to discuss his formative years, the significance of his voice and recent project, High Tension 2.0<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n