Following on the back of their hugely popular lead singles ‘Call Melanin’ and ‘Give’, which have amassed over a million plays on Spotify and YouTube alone, Houston based Ghanaian DJ and curator DJ BOAT, and fast-rising Nigerian artist and songwriter KOBI JONZ are excited to unveil their brand new collaborative EP titled Naija-Ghana Tape Vol. 1, as premiered via Trench Magazine.
Revered as one of the biggest international curators of Afrobeats music, Ghanaian native DJ Boat has been at the forefront of the rise of Afrobeats music internationally, ever since moving to New York and then to Houston, with his mixtapes clocking over 20 million plays, garnering over 80,000 subscribers on YouTube, and his Afrobeats playlists on Spotify making him one of the platform’s biggest independent curators of Afrobeats music, with over 170,000 followers.
Rising US-based Afrobeats star Kobi Jonz, on the other hand, began his career in Nigeria, collaborating with rap star Falz The Bahd Guy for his debut single ‘Paddle’, and since then, he has gone on to garner over 3 million streams for his recent music releases including 2018’s acclaimed debut solo EP Xylem, and the well received breakthrough single ‘Conscious’ featuring DJ Boat, with heavy support from the likes of MTV Base, Spotify, Apple Music, OkayAfrica, and Deezer, among others.
Their hugely anticipated EP Naija-Ghana Tape Vol. 1 sets the duo as among the next wave of artists to take Afrobeats music forward, following the breakout year that the genre and culture has had so far. From the opening track ‘Private Party’ featuring David Meli to the fan favourites ‘Call Melanin’ and ‘Give’, to the poignant but hopeful curtain call ‘Fade Away’, DJ Boat and Kobi Jonz have delivered an exceptional and captivating body of work, from start to finish.
Speak about the inspiration behind their Naija-Ghana Tape Vol. 1 EP, DJ Boat says, “the EP came about because of our deep desire to connect people of the diaspora to the unique sounds that comes from these two countries in West Africa. Having been born in Ghana and lived overseas, I understand the importance of black people everywhere connecting around our shared culture. The sounds on ‘Naija-Ghana Tape’ will take you back to your roots, allow you to connect to Africa, whether you live on the content or elsewhere in the world”.
Kobi Jonz adds that, “throughout the creation of this wonderful body of work, my core was set at hope and unity for all, especially amongst Africans. The name ‘Naija-Ghana Tape’ sprouts from both of our origins, DJ Boat being from Ghana and myself being from Nigeria. Different countries but we are one under the sun, as we are brothers. We wanted to create something that sends a message of unity to whoever encounters this great body of work”.
CONNECT WITH DJ BOAT: Instagram – Twitter
CONNECT WITH KOBI JONZ: Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
MEDIA & PRESS: Please direct all inquiries to Ayo Adepoju: [email protected]
