Zlatan Upholds the Currency of Aspiration on His New Album "Symbol of Hope"

Zlatan's trajectory is the stuff of dreams. From repping street hop to becoming one of the most respected rappers in African music, and going on to gain even wider cultural relevance via fashion — he’s been a worthy source of inspiration for several young people across the continent. All of these wins inspired the Nigerian artist’s latest album. “Symbol of Hope is like a gratitude to my maker for [what] He made happen,” Zlatan tells OkayAfrica, “ I worked towards my dream and saw it happen. The reason why it’s titled Symbol of Hope is ‘cause of the testimonies that I get. When I get some text messages, I’m like, ‘Am I just an artist or I’m a preacher?’” 

Making the biblical connection with symbols of hope, Zlatan wields his influence with delicate understanding. “I’ve had people be my own symbol, that gave me hope to chase my dream,” he says “and now that I’ve been able to get to where I am right now, there’s a lot of people looking on to me.” 

On Symbol of Hope, two of such figures make guest appearances: Olamide and Davido. At different times Zlatan has spoken about Olamide’s influence on his early career, paying for a recording session and resulting visuals. Davido has been a close friend and collaborator since their first song in 2018. “It feels great [to have them both on the album],” says Zlatan, “I watched these guys on TV like every other person; now over the years, I’ve become colleagues with them. It’s amazing. That’s why people who know the journey when they see it, should know that you can become friends with your heroes.”

A version of the album has been ready since last year but Zlatan has been adding a few touches to some of the records. Picking from a pool of over 40 songs, there was the challenge of selecting the right singles and angling for the right storytelling to positively cushion the album. “Get Better” and “Demons” were quite fitting in that purpose, featuring the vivid voices of FOLA and Qing Madi respectively. Aspirational in theme, they reflect the easygoing sound Zlatan has matured into. Even when he embraces a more colorful sonic palette, the enduring temperament showcases a man who’s conscious of his current standing and proud of the effort it has taken to get here. 

You hear this on “Oyoyo,” a saxophone-laden record that mints Zlatan’s uncanny ability to be inspirational. “I say I trust the process even when I no dey see result,” he raps in the first verse, framed as a response to a recurring question about his journey. “Till Thy Kingdom Come” holds perhaps the aspirational core of the album, a classic Zlatan performance which recalls the spirited flows of his early music. On “Genesis,” he utilizes Flavour’s iconic serenade in a highlife-drenched retelling of a triumphant tale. 

“Over the years, I’ve started to get into the production aspect of the music,” he admits. “Before, I just focused on rapping and singing, and let the producers [do their thing]. Now my ears are open to what I really want and how I want it to sound. I constantly have a back-and-forth with the process and that’s why it took a long time just to make sure I created something great.”

Zlatan's Artistic and Entrepreneurial Ascent

Outside of music, Zlatan has been very hands-on with his fashion brand, Zanku To The World, known by its acronym ZZTW. A Lagos-based clothing store with edgy, striking designs, it’s been donned by various celebrities. Often depicted in his videos and appearances, he’s achieved the essential unity of visual and audio, but for Zlatan all of this was natural. 

“I had my first pop-up in 2018” he says tongue-in-cheek about the growth of ZTTW, “I even made people auction for a jacket I handpainted. Since then, I’ve been selling. I have a page where I’d share the link on my Insta story, and make sales asides from music, and make money. It was going on ‘till I decided to have the first walk-in store, which now made some people think I was just getting into it. The fashion has always been a dream; I always wanted to look good.”

Many people present at the start of Zlatan’s career wouldn’t have anticipated him flowering into such fields of creativity. Early records like “Oja” and “Bolanle” aligned with the deliberately rough textures of street hop, telling stories which weren’t quite distanced from his neighborhood of Ikorodu. By 2023, Zlatan was spitting quite differently, more expressive in the nuances of storytelling and enunciating better. “Omo Ologo,” the opening record from his EP of the same title, was the first time he mentioned the phrase ‘symbol of hope’ on wax. It was also one of his finest technical performances, suggesting where Zlatan was headed artistically. 

By the time he delivered his show-stealing verse on “IDK,”  a standout from Wizkid’s S2, it was clear that Zlatan had ascended to a higher level of craftsmanship. The evidence shines still on Symbol of Hope, where stellar verse follows stellar verse until the closing record. Asked about this audible improvement, Zlatan attributes them to the purposeful usage of time. “I don’t think there’s any reason I’m still doing this if not to get better,” he affirms. “Obviously, two years ago, I wasn’t the same age. Growth is constant, so I can’t be growing in other aspects of life and not grow in my field. God has given me some sort of peace of mind from above that’s making me not record under pressure, or make music under pressure.” 

He recalls when it used to be different, trying to make it out from the limitations of a life on the edges. “Those days it used to be ‘how long are we gonna be here for? It was a lot of pressure,” he admits. “Right now, I'm making music with good spirit, energy, and peace of mind. So whatever you see right now that’s going on, I want to do even better than this.” 

Stream Symbol of Hope here: