Bisi Kuti “Bizzonthetrack”, known as ‘Bizz’ to his closest friends, is a prolific producer, singer, and rapper from Lagos, Nigeria who has been writing and producing music since 2016. Just over a week after the release of his latest single album, ‘Suicidal’, he talked to TheReplayMAG about his approach to his music, his large discography, and his struggles with severe anxiety.
Bizz’s stage name came from his nickname, but it was mainly the result of a conversation he had with his friends. One friend suggested using that nickname as a standalone name, but Bizz already knew of an artist with a very similar name. In the course of conversation, the name ‘Bizzonthetrack’ was mentioned. He and his friends were sceptical about it, but the name stuck. And a name is less important than the quality of the music: Bizzonthetrack believes that the quality of the music should speak for itself, regardless of someone’s opinion of the stage name attached to it.
Bizzonthetrack was born in the slums of Lagos, Nigeria, and ‘grew up in the ghetto’, like the majority of the people living in Lagos. His parents were always ‘trying to make a living’. Food was available, but he was aware that he missed many opportunities that his peers had access to. His childhood taught him to focus on the things he excelled at, and made him want to make a name for himself in whatever industry he chose to work in. That determination to succeed also helped him to deal with his own ‘crazy’ anxiety. Whilst he still prefers to avoid people, and deals with performance anxiety, he’s able to push past that as part of his role as a musician.
Bizzonthetrack began his musical career as a producer and rapper in 2016. He wrote many songs, but had no access to a studio of his own. His early experiences with music production led to a shift in focus from rapping to singing, as he realised that melodies are easier to understand and often catchier. They’re also ‘easier to be laid to’, he believes.
Bizzonthetrack’s music is a deliberate blend of many different genres. He was heavily inspired by alternative music, especially the songs of ‘Florence and the Machine’, but he found that alternative music seemed to be relatively unpopular amongst Nigerian listeners after talking to his friends and peers. To appeal more to Nigerian listeners, Bizzonthetrack chose to incorporate elements of the Afrobeats genre into his work, drawing on the work of Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti in particular in the process. Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti is often credited with the foundation of Afrobeats, which fuses American styles like blues and jazz with traditional Yoruba music. Bizzonthetrack also chose to include local dialects in his lyrics, to better connect with his main target audience. Years on from that, though, his choice of genre is far more relaxed. He prefers to see his music as a blend of many genres, and leave it at that.
Bizzonthetrack now has a home studio, so can record songs whenever he gets inspiration or motivation. He doesn’t stick to a ‘specific ritual’, and draws on stories from his ‘day to day life’. He used to use Cubase as his main production software, but has since transferred to Logic Pro. His priority is, and always has been, the quality of the music itself. He’s able to adapt to whatever production software works best for a given moment, as long as the output is as good as the input.
Bizzonthetrack’s most recent release dropped in late June 2023. It includes the title track ‘Suicidal’, as well as the song ‘Loco’. It’s the result of the third collaboration between Bizzonthetrack and his friend Hybridbwoy. The two artists met in 2019 in Lagos. Their first collaboration, an album called HXB, was released in January 2020. Their second project, HXB 2.0, dropped at the beginning of 2023.
So where will he go next with his work?
Bizzonthetrack, like many artists, wants to expand his discography and fanbase. His wider dream is to perform his music in tours and concerts worldwide. He wants to explore more genres, and add elements of many types of music into his own work. In fact, his next release promises to do just that: in early August, Bizzonthetrack will be back with a new EP that combines parts of house music, piano songs, and Afrobeats with alternative music.
To find Bizzonthetrack click: https://linktr.ee/bizzonthetrack
CREDITS
Writers: Izzy Peacock
Editor: Johannes Oghoro
Graphic Designer: Johannes Oghoro
Creative Director: Iyanuoluwa Funmibi
Playlist Curator: Johannes Oghoro
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