‘Best of Both Worlds’ – An MM Exclusive With Kel P

The lack of collaborative efforts within Afrobeats has sparked conversations about artists not focusing on continent based features – but both Kel P and Wande Coal are changing the narrative when it comes to collaboration within the dynamic world of Afrobeats. 

Kel-P is a GRAMMY Award-winning, multi-platinum producer and songwriter, often recognised by his iconic tag ‘It’s Kel-P Vibes’. Stepping out as  a solo artist, Kel P and Afrobeats front- runner Wande Coal have joined forces to create a project that is nothing less than an explosion of bright sonical colours.

 The two spent the best part of  2024 fine-tuning a project that was created from a natural creative synergy that existed between them. 

‘Best of Both Worlds’, is an electric and colourful EP that sees the two artists embark on a mission to restore the spirit of collaboration in the genre of AfroBeats. Here to shake the world with their new music and reinstate their reputation as frontrunners within their own rights, Kel P and Wande Coal have offered ‘Best of Both Worlds’ to show us the results that breed from creatives joining forces and bringing their best foot forward, together. 

Sitting down with Mixtape Madness, Kel P broke down some of the stories behind ‘Best of Both Worlds’:

You’re a multidisciplinary artist –  There’s a plethora of artists you’ve worked with and records that you’ve contributed to, including  ‘African Giant’, ‘Made In Lagos’ and ‘Rave & Roses’. What have you learnt about sharing success with others? 

It’s beautiful when people collaborate to make something amazing. A lot of people in Africa don’t love to collaborate. I love to collaborate because I believe there is no level of success that does not involve a group of people.

 You can’t do it alone, and that’s why collaboration is amazing – things always come out well when you have different creatives all exercising their ability in one room. 

‘Ejo’ translates to snake in Yoruba. Yoruba is such a poetic language. Do you subconsciously switch to Yoruba when English doesn’t provide you with the words you want to say? 

‘Ejo’ means that the girl is whining her waist like a snake, as if there are no bones. It’s about a girl Wande Coal met at the club and everybody had their eyes on her because of the way she was dancing – she was the highest in the room. 

There’s some things that I try to sound like in English and it sounds silly, and when I sing the same thing in my dialect, it sounds so powerful. 

It doesn’t bother me when people don’t understand. Music is a universal language. 

Your previous EP, Bully Season Vol 1 saw you being intentional as to not work with any artists or producers, establishing yourself as an artist. Coming back to this EP, what have you learnt about your strengths alone and while collaborating with someone else? 

Honestly, I always love to do things alone but I used to not be such an open person. I started by doing things alone while doing things for other artists. When I started making my own music I discovered that I needed to find my own sound as an artist because my music sometimes would consist of  songs you would hear and say ‘Oh give this to Burna Boy’, or ‘Give this to Wizkid’.  Deciding to work with producers that could bring out the best inside of me was so influential to that journey. 

The only other collab-EP in Afrobeats has come from Sarz. As Africans we have a drive to succeed – determination is in our blood. Why do you think there is so little collaboration of this nature in Afrobeats ? Are we better together, or is it an every man for himself approach that you see in the industry ? 

I think the reason why a lot of records don’t only get to a certain point is because of the culture of not collaborating. It’s hard for Africans to put their own people on, and when they do, they sometimes don’t want it to be bigger than them. It’s the people . 

Collaborative projects are underrated, even though we’ve seen so many duos do well. Silk sonic, Jackboys with Travis Scott, Watch The Throne – Jay Z and Kanye West. you spent a year fine tuning this, and so how did the collaboration/connection with Wande Coal come about and how is it that you pick someone to collaborate with on a project? 

Wande Coal and I met in 2019, and made one song. Then we didn’t see each other for a while, and when we saw each other again, we just began to record music together again.

We caught a vibe, and never knew we’d be making a body of work, or an album – we were just making music. 

Wande Coal has a vibe. Being in the room with him is amazing. It was easy to work with him because he’s an amazing artist, and so we just kept things going. 

The vibes were there, the synergy was there. It was until we had made a lot of music that management came into the picture suggesting that because we had so many good records, we should put them together to form a body of work. 

But we started the whole thing as just simply making music, and we weren’t thinking about anything else. 

On ‘Best of both worlds’, there’s a lyric I love that says  ‘No matter what they do to me I’m still here’. Working with artists who are seen as frontrunners in Afrobeats, have there been times where people try to overlook you and your massive talent? 

So many times, so many times. But that’s the industry for you, and it happens in every industry, the film and entertainment industry –  it happens in every industry. I decided to not let it get to me because I don’t want to be distracted from what my job is and the joy that music brings me, so it’s something that isn’t a big deal. 

Talk to me about the title of this EP – What are the two worlds?

In my own world, coming from Nigeria as a producer, I’m the best. That’s how I see myself, the guy who came into the landscape and changed everything as I introduced my sound. Everyone heard it on the African Giant album, and then on Made In Lagos too.

Wande Coal  is the only artist in Nigeria that has been making music for the past 19 years and is still doing it like yesterday. He is the only artist in Nigeria that can drop an album right now and not drop another one for eight years, and still come back and still be relevant.

After he dropped his first album, he stayed quiet for six years, and when he came back he was still relevant.

So that’s why Wande Coal is the best in his own world. When it comes to music, I give it to him before anybody. He’s been a student of the game his whole life, and he’s still a student of the game wanting to learn, hanging around with the younger artists. Even as someone who has done it so many times. 

Collaboration is in your blood. In 2017 you were in a group with four guys I believe, called the dynamites, where Sarz taught you how to produce. Tell me a bit about that…

Humble beginnings. I just found myself in the production world living with Sarz, and I just had to put in the work and continued doing so. Some of the things that develop you as an artist are actually  some things that I learnt whilst being a producer in that time. I count that time as contributing to my artist development. 

 For the future of African music and Afrobeats, how do you think artists teaming up with each other to champion this unique genre will lend itself?

I just want to see them more collaborative with each other. I’d love to see Burna Boy and Wizkid tour. Rema and Omah Ley. Everybody just has to collaborate. 

That way you put the culture on the map. I want afrobeats to be its own movement, just like we’ve seen Hip-Hop be its own movement – the baggy jeans, the big chains.  

You’ll see an Afrobeats album, but you  never see a lot of foreign features with smaller artists from African countries on the projects. Afrobeats artists are doing their thing and they’re doing amazing, don’t get me wrong – but they’re not being collaborative. 

You’ve seen and achieved a lot –  a Grammy, with four nominations, and such a star studded list of production credits. What’s next, since to the ideal person you’ve already achieved a dream? 

I still need advice as much as anyone does, even the younger artists and producers. I’d tell them to keep working and just  keep going. There’s nothing you’ll do for the first time that will work. People think that you can come out and drop a song and boom.

 If whatever they want to do doesn’t work now, that’s a crucial point where we get to see if they can face the challenges that come with being an artist, and if they can prove themselves there.