With a shiny gold incisor that signifies his journey to the Holy Land of Mecca, Reminisce became an El-Hadj and made his new title the title of his fourth studio album of 2016.
Now, the OG rapper is ready to feed his fans with his fifth offering, his first full-length album in seven years.
On August 7, 2023, Reminisce made the announcement and dropped a single and music video, E.N.K.R.
The album title, Alaye Toh Se Gogo (ATSG), is a reference from the 1996 Nigerian film, Owo Blow, and a testament to Reminisce’s suave street credibility. Disputably an artist with some of the most encapsulating albums and titles in Nigeria, his debut, Book of Rap Stories (2012), saw a young Remilekun Khalid Safaru navigate the industry, seeking acceptance and a breakthrough. BORS gave us hits like Kako Bi Chicken (produced by Sarz) and 2Mussh (produced by Legendury Beatz).
2013’s ALAGA IBILE (chairman of the local rap movement) was a huge success with singles like Daddy, Eleniyan and Fantasi. His third album, Baba Hafusa which announced his first daughter’s name, became the first African Hip-hop album to debut on Billboard Charts in this streaming era, at number 12 on the World Music category — just a year after Olamide’s number four debut on the chart with Street OT (2014), though that was CD era. Crazy.
During the lockdown of 2020, Reminisce put out a six-track EP, Vibes & Insha Allah, that revealed his other kids, Mo and Fatimah. Since then, it’s been two to three singles a year (Omo X 100 and Hello E in 2021; Alaye Toh Se Gogo, Hustle and Overdose in 2022).
After taking a break from releasing music to focus on acting (King of Boys, Rising: City of Dreams) and a radio football show (The Agenda With Reminisce), Reminisce is back and set to drop a new album on October 27, 2023 — the new date he announced after he cancelled the album release in September.
Alaye Toh Se Gogo will be a series, and ATSG Vol. 1 will have 13 tracks. It will feature big hitters like Mayorkun, Asake and Olamide, a frequent collaborator (Government, Respect, Loyalty & Honour, Omo X 100). It will include released singles like Hustle (featuring BNXN and D Smoke), Shina Peters (with Mohbad), an extended version of E.N.K.R (featuring Ycee and Rhookcastle) and Oxlade-assisted single, Why? (produced by Rhookcastle).
These five bops indicate that Alaga Ibile will give us an all-round rap album — exciting news for hip-hop heads and enthusiasts of the ibile rap movement. Reminisce also stated that seven songs will get music videos.
He did it for ALAGA IBILE (2013), so he can do it again.
He also hinted at a joint music project with Olamide Baddo after they put out their respective albums. Baddo’s UNRULY is out already, and ATSG Vol. 1 will drop in two months, so we guess we’re about to be fed good.
Transcending from the youngster rapper of Books of Rap Stories to an elder statesman role in the local rap scene with ALAGA IBILE, Reminisce has opened up about fatherhood on Baba Hafusa, dropped lessons that come with maturity and success on El-Hadj, and in the last few years since his last album, transformed into an action figure, like Ogogo (Taiwo Hassan) from Owo Blow.
Consistency, cutting edge lyricism and credible street storytelling tied with bilingual delivery and amazing beat selection — this is how Reminisce has impacted the culture and stayed relevant for so long. We look forward to Alaye Toh Se Gogo Vol. 1, the next chapter in the story of his reign as Alaga Ibile.
