Nigerian Rapper Blaqbonez Drops His Third Studio Album ‘Emeka Must Shine’ Featuring Ludacris, Zlatan, Victony + More

Nigerian rapper Blaqbonez has finally released his third studio album, 'Emeka Must Shine.' 

This 14-track hip-hop rap album, featuring collaborations with Ludacris, Zlatan, Victony, Black Sheriff, ODUMODUBLVCK, and more, embodies the Emeka Movement. 

Blaqbonez expressed on Apple Music that the album conveys a message of determination to ensure Emeka's success, emphasising that nothing can hinder Emeka's shine. 

“We're going to do everything to make sure Emeka shines, nothing is gonna stop Emeka' and stuff,” Blaqbonez shared with Apple Music.

On the album, Blaqbonez shares that he merged different personas across three different albums which comprise reggaeton, rap, and singing.

“Mr Boombastic has a reggaeton type bounce and vibe, right? It’s inspired by the Caribbeans and Jamaican music. There’s Bad Boy Blaq - the rapper - then there’s Emeka The Stallion. Emeka The Stallion is the singer, the one that sings with a clear voice and everything. 

What I did for this album, in each song there’s elements of these three versions of me. It’s like I could be singing but then I’m flowing, I’m rapping and there’s a little bit of a reggaeton bounce and a vibe to it. I merged all the parts of me into one.”

Blaqbonez also shared with Apple Music:

“Everything on this album came to me seamlessly. Everybody that worked on it, worked on it out of love so I’m really grateful that the whole process was organic and exciting. Even like M24, he was supposed to travel somewhere and he had to quickly try to get the verse to me. He’s not somebody I knew before, and we didn’t pay him, he just loved the song and he wanted to be on it,  and that was really nice. 

You know Black Sherif paid for the studio session where we recorded the intro. The Zlatan song ‘BAD TILL ETERNITY’, he invited me over to his studio and showed me so much love. And you know everything… it wasn’t like ‘oh, come and hop on this song’, or ‘you do this and my label is sending this to this person’. It wasn’t, it just felt like everybody collectively said ‘we’re gonna make sure Emeka shines this year, and we’re gonna give Emeka whatever Emeka needs,” says Blaqbonez.

Stream 'Emeka Must Shine' by Blaqbonez below: