Music
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Interview: Type A Is Nigerian Music’s Secret Weapon

We talk to the producer behind some of Nigeria’s best afrobeats hits, including tracks from Fireboy DML, Joeboy, Blaqbonez, CKay and more.

Kelenna Agada, better known by the name of Type A, is a 26-year-old music producer from Imo State, Nigeria.

Currently based in Lagos, Type A isn’t a name that immediately ring bells as far as the Nigerian music industry is concerned, but it’s an entirely different story for the songs that he’s responsible for creating. Type A has been producing music professionally since 2020, and over the brief span of his career he has crafted music for some of Nigeria’s best talents including the likes of Fireboy DML, Blaqbonez, Aramide, Simi, Joeboy, and several others.

Type A is the producer behind Joeboy's “Cubana" and "Celebration," rapper Blaqbonez' Bling," “Haba” and "Commander," and “Sare” by Nigeria’s beloved songbird Simi. However, his strongest collaborator so far has been Fireboy DML, the Nigerian singer and songwriter who officially debuted in 2019 and since then has quickly become one of afrobeats’ biggest stars. Type A crafted the production for a reasonable chunk of the hitmaker’s discography, including “Tattoo”, “New York City Girl,” “Shade,” “Go Away,” and “Airplane Mode” from his critically acclaimed sophomore album APOLLO, as well as “Glory,” the pop-rock inclined outro to his most recent studio album, Playboy.

The Type A and Fireboy DML have an undeniable chemistry. The duo’s creations are marked by pristine production, compelling songwriting, and pop sensibilities that result in an urban, story-led blend of contemporary afropop that has become Fireboy’s calling card.

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Photo: Osunkunle Oluwatobi.

3 Producers Shaping the New Sound of Nigerian Pop

At the root of all these exciting new Nigerian projects are rising producers who spend hours shaping the sound. Get to know Type A, P.Priime, and Bond.

Nigerian music has swung back into full throttle with a slew of projects that inspired fresh debates among listeners, critics, and observers across the world. Taken together, mainstream releases like DJ Cuppy's Original Copy and Fireboy DML's Apollo provide an accurate snapshot of contemporary Nigerian pop's present and future, furthering the co-option of diverse sonic themes into the tapestry of music in the west African country.

At the root of all these exciting new projects are rising producers who spend hours shaping the sound that forms the elemental base of the music that we know and enjoy. On both Original Copy and Apollo, a trio of fresh producer talents comes through with a flourish. Kelenna Agada, professionally known as Type A, had a hand in polishing the experimental edge widely identifiable in Fireboy DML's sophomore offering. Across the five songs Type A produced for the album, the mood oscillates from chirpy to cloudy to sensual with relative ease and heightened acuity. Similarly, 18-year-old Peace Emmanuel Oredope, widely known as P.Priime, has worked with Fireboy DML on both of his albums in addition to his standout work with Olamide and Zlatan since 2018. Finally, Ini Umoren, professionally known as Bond, had his hands full as music director on DJ Cuppy's debut Original Copy that now represents a metamorphosis for the DJ-singing hybrid.

The three producers talk to OkayAfrica about their careers, working on these albums, and being at the vanguard of exciting music from Nigeria.

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