The Light Dims- A Tribute

“You have caused great sorrow

You have caused great sorrow

You, who killed the juvenile sparrow

And denied it tomorrow”

In August 2021, after one EP and several hit singles, I wrote about Mohbad. At the time, I was stuck on his song, ‘Feel Good’, which was an interesting sample of the James Brown classic of the same title. I made an attempt to plot his trajectory; exploring his craft before Marlian Music and his evolution as a rapper/singer.

Leveraging his melodious baritone and eclectic mind, Mohbad had the gift of creating earworms. Whatever Imole touched, he turned to gold- whether it was a James Brown classic (Feel Good) or an incompetent contestant’s entry on Nigerian Idol (Peace). Despite his troubles with his record label and personal battles, he somehow managed to latch on to his magic.

In Blessed, his final body of work, he opens with Beast & Peace, a reflective masterpiece where he tries to sell his dual persona. One other element that made Mohbad’s music relatable to the street was his candour. Coming from humble beginnings, he was unbridled in talking about his journey- a failed attempt at tertiary education, turning to cybercrime, his exuberant aspirations. He was the Nigerian youth.

The circumstances of Mohbad’s death remain shady and maybe time would reveal the unknown. But some things remain established. Ilerioluwa Aloba lived up to his name; he was a promise. The question left to answer is whether that promise was fulfilled.