His father is by his side while we speak. He is not yet four, peering keenly at his father’s mouth, then at me. How quickly they mature. I met Anyafulugo in Oka the year his son was born, 2023. It was a quiet, dusty year, too quiet; and of many transitions, Ojadiligbo made himself the flute god in July and we all were dancing the steps. October, bits of my face peered back at me in illicit verses, Falz, Phyno, Stormzy, on the margins of notebooks. November, a gathering of many front faces of the Omenana renaissance, at what became the Umuofia Arts and Books Festival. There was Anyafulugo, music reporter and periodic Twitter scuffler, flanked by Lotanna Alaemezie and Chimezie Chika, giving a crash course in Afa consultation.
Two years later, we meet again, a fortnight before the release of his Powerful Civilian EP. It is intensely radiant outside, an average Thursday by southeastern standards. He works from home today. So his son Obi, who is his incarnated father, gets to follow him around. Beneath his cautious appearance, I imagine those little toes readily wiggling in beat if the new song “Soldier” begins playing. Anyafulugo is visibly pleased with the love the single has been getting.
Ebri Kowaki: I was surprised by the people who changed their DPs to Powerful Civilian.
Anyafulugo: Bro, that one shock me. Someone asked me how much wey I give boys wey change their profile picture, I say “Money ke?”
Wait, you did not run this thing?
Run wetin? I just put it as my Twitter and WhatsApp profile pic, wrote Powerful Civilian Szn. My people just begin dey change their profile.
For the most part, I ride on the social currency I’ve built over the years. I’ve seen southeast artists that do their Twitter PR. They send as much as N1 million to share to like 10, 15 influencers to post for like two weeks. If I give you 1 million you gats go bring Wizkid for me.
What has been the feedback on the music itself?
Two days before my song drops, I start getting anxious. Song wey I don dey vibe to, I go con dey doubt. It happened to me particularly for this “Soldier.” But the night it dropped, before 3am it had 400 streams on Spotify. And dis na organic. That is how it keeps going till the very right person hears the sound. You know, as Achebe said, he writes for just one reader. If that one person read and understood, then he was a successful writer. I see my music in that light, I always pray and hope that the very one person listens to it. And so far so good.
—
Outside media spaces, many people may have come into Anyafulugo’s orbit after July, 2024 through “Vladimir.” He harmonises admiration for the Russian president, by extension, everything anti-western, “Vladimir, you be my nigga / Ogwum agana nwe nganga,” to drill core that referenced and elicited the same street reflex Odumodublvck’s “Picanto” rode on a year before.
Fellow Onicha MC, Nuno Zigi, takes first verse on “Vladimir” (Remix) for Anyafulugo’s November debut studio album. His lyrical development on that album is remarkable and energetic. Followed by Ozoemena, 30 EP and a line of collaborations across the circuit this year, he makes music for the soul. That bounce kick, a line from a faraway violin, peregrine highlife chords impose nostalgia for palm kernel oil in your nostrils. Wholly embracing, even on the interior “PoI” where he grapples the loss of his father, abrupt adulthood and mad genius. The 13-track spills rousing excerpts as in this flow from “April 18”:
You can make a trench nigga a millionaire
but that millionaire bu a trench man
so gba torch, look before you leap, ogbe di slippery
aim before you shoot, ogbe bu military,
serve before you lead, ogbe bu real life, save before you splurge,
ogbe no send you, starve before you eat, ogbe go test you
Discern how this rapper prepares his table within the circuit; with novel subject matter, novel takes on the more common stuff. Even a conscious rapper feels the pressure to slip in such a bar or two in an industry defined by the gun-whipping, women-toting street boss narrative (partially influenced by ogbe, the lower class; partially by 2pac). Perhaps being married in conservative Anambra has something to do with it. To wit, Anyafulugo is the MC to divide bleak truth from rapper hyperbole. Disinterested in lifestyle, he would not be here if the evangelic had not compelled him. This was established within a year picking the mic. We have to know where the music comes from, but not before addressing the masquerade.
What does “Anyafulugo” mean?
It is the amputated form of the full name, Anyafulugo nulia adighi afu ya kwa da, Let the eyes that behold an eagle be grateful for you do not see an eagle every other day.
When did you start writing?
The first song I wrote was “Chibuzo.” Either 13th or 14th of December, 2023. 2023? Yeah, I recorded it, then dropped January 8th or so. That “Chibuzo” song happened because it was supposed to. I think about how that song came and prior to that, how I always asked musicians around me how do you write? Like, do you write melody first? Do you get the beats first? You know, it always confused me until it was time for me to start writing music. One person I asked very well is Somtopapi (formerly signed at Eastside Music). Every time, I was mostly in awe watching artists create, and he’s one of the most talented artists I’ve met so far. The way I paid attention to the way he paid attention to details, I seduced the music spirit. You know say music na woman. So that’s attention.
I was around music spaces. I was doing the whole PR writing—wrote Jeriq’s Billion Dollar Dream’s album literature, was Aguero’s A&R for a while—but I was not really a musician. All that changed when I did what I was supposed to do in my village. One day I was sleeping and music happened. You know, I pacified my agwu (muse). She manifested as music in my dream. So “Chibuzo”came, I wrote it on the couch in my old house. My wife helped me write the hook, I wrote the rap. And I was like okay, “Na me write music?” My wife said “yes.” I went to the studio. Funny enough, the studio used to be very close to where I’m living now. The producer later told me that song was the last they recorded before they moved.
Then 29th November 2024, I released my first studio album, Psychotic or Iconic. That to me was a very audacious step because 29th made it one year since I first entered a music studio—that’s Eastside. If you hang around something with intent, after a while, something is bound to happen. That is how we started, and you know the saying, “Over time practice makes perfect.” The music con dey whine me, I no go lie you. I go dey, nothing wey I dey think again, if no be make I go studio write. One year after entering studio, I delivered album; I said to myself, ‘that’s good.’ I’m a catalogue artist. I’m not the type that would drop a single and promote it for 8 months, that’s a lot of time for one song; I’d rather just stack my catalogue.
You’ve been on a run this year.
Yes. And this year I collected my first paid gig.
Who have you been listening to?
I don’t play some artists from the East, so I don’t sound like any of them. But Phyno—Chimamanda said in 2018 that Phyno is doing with the Igbo language what Jay Z and Nas do with English. That description of his art has stuck here. He’s our senior brother, you know. Since I started doing music I take time on Friday to listen to every song that drops, any music I see. I try to consume as much as possible while ensuring it doesn’t rub off on my own.
What are you looking for?
I’m just trying to know what people are listening to. What other people, other fans, are listening to. I started going out more as well, going to clubs and such, not to participate, but to listen to the kinds of sound the deejay is playing and the progression, how the people are responding and all of that. It helps in music creation. For example, the last song on my EP is “Obago.” It was the last I recorded and the first I wrote while thinking of how to perform it. When it came, I was writing with the consciousness of a whole ass crowd, knowing where to use each word or punchline.
Where are you trying to take that listener to?
I’m trying to take them to themselves. I’ve always argued that if you fail at being yourself, you cannot be any other thing else. Right? Any other thing you want to be, the precursor is being yourself. When people listen, I want them to come home to themselves, let their body and spirit become one. You understand?
How do you ensure you are not misinterpreted, being in an industry plagued by escapism? You are trying to make a return journey as it were.
I don’t worry about misinterpretation. Art is subjective; different strokes for different folks. And misunderstanding is a part of it. I know I have a niche, the people who gravitate towards my sound, or who are to yet to, would always find something there. I try not to think about interpretation while making art because I think it impedes the flow. I want to do the song in a manner that fulfils my spirit. Media used to fulfil me but music satisfies all of me. It makes me feel more seen, more heard, more misunderstood. You know, I don’t bother myself with being misunderstood. I even it like it sef. I mean, many people misunderstand me already in real life.
You don’t even help matters, carrying a goat-skin bag in your videos.
Ehen na. Na the wave I dey like ride; that thing wey people no wan talk, I go talk am, wetin wan happen tomorrow make e happen today make I see am.
There is something that this music thing has done that I don’t really like. I’m a very opinionated person. I think anybody who reads, who has a level of understanding should be able to form opinions and stand by their opinions. But as an artist, you would write something and someone would come to your DM and tell you, “Your fans that one, this thing you’re writing, you know it is controversial. Have you seen Wizkid or Burna Boy talk about the country? Do you know what is happening more than them?”
The original Afrobeat, before they watered it down.
You understand? It bothers me. If I want to say something, my manager go text me “Delete, bro.” Delete what? This thing I said now did I lie? I did not lie, but we are bothering about likeability. We want our song to be welcomed. It is very characteristic of Nigeria, there’s a trick to every trade. And in this trade it is being hypocritical; turning a blind eye to what ideally you would pay attention to. E follow for the fake life na. Fake life is not only when you wear someone’s Timberland and ice, fake like is also when you suppress what you want to say because of the space you occupy.
Can a safe space exist without the suppression of people who want to threaten it?
Explain.
Sociopolitically, a lot of civic understanding is happening as a result of the oppression people are facing. The government is getting so bad no one can ignore it. But our organisations are a reaction. No one is seriously thinking, “if you take away this government, what then would be there?” So how do we secure a link that, while awakening to identity and resisting oppression, you are thinking of where your actions would lead you post revolution?
This is some question. I wrote on Twitter that when the project drops people would understand why I chose that title and why it’s dropping now. I have very strong opinions about Nigeria, but wait. There is a difference between outright activism and activism as a lifestyle. The way you move, where you go to, the way you sound, the people you hobnob with are already acts of activism. For instance, when I got married, I told my in-law that I am not a Christian, so I cannot do white wedding. Strong catholic family. That is a hallmark of my activism as an Igbo man. So whenever and however the government is taken away, where do people go from there? Hmm. When climbing stairs, you do not see the whole flight of stairs, but you take the step anyway.
I disagree. We cannot just hope things would work out. You don’t know if we’re entering fire from frying pan.
Do you know how much trouble the Nigerian identity has caused? And what it can still do to us? What can get worse? Tell me what can? The problem is we don’t want to compromise the small comfort we manage, we no wan trade am for anything. That is our problem as a collective. See the person that won election the other time, go court go dey speak English. How would a character like that take power from anybody? Yes, na you good, na you dey eligible, but there’s a trick to every trade. You cannot fight chaos with reason.
Powerful Civilian would show us sides of you we have not met prior. Are you trying to provoke something in Nigerians? Powerful civilian is a contrast to bloody civilian, I imagine.
On the titular song itself, I paid homage to characters dead and alive. We worship humanity in a way, you know, in Igbo land. I invoked Fela, Ken Saro Wiwa, Sankara, Madiba. The only living person I invoked is Nnamdi Kanu. Yes, then Martin Luther: “woke up with a dream like Martin Luther King / feels like I’m writing you from Birmingham jail / we go boycott the bus if e no go carry us . . .”Makes you see the trajectory of the project. And I also invoked Malcolm X on the song.
As a child who grew up in his parents’ books, I was fascinated by these grand characters in history. I read Nonviolence is the First Article of my Faith by Gandhi and all of those. You notice that all of these people were nonviolent, that is the core of this. These people charted a course and achieved it, at least to significant degrees, receipts dey. They gave me the move. So at the end of the song I say that If you stand for your right you be powerful civilian. My intention is not for people to hear it and carry placard. I don’t think what we need now is another EndSARS, we don’t need to hit the streets. What we need now is calculation. Powerful civilian no be who get chest, na who dey think. You use here first, the battle is here, everything wey you wan do na here. Then those who want to fight are the bloody civilians. The idea is nonviolence, while maintaining your stance. Nonviolence does not suggest my inability to be violent, i wa ta go? But a first step; the right step is to be peaceful. But if someone punches you, you cannot turn the other cheek. Na why I no like Christianity; it’s breeding weak people. If pesin wipe you you wipe am back. But do not throw the first punch.
So your drill era don end?
No o. End ke? E no go end.
But the sound dey transition . . .
E good as you dey see am. For this project ehn . . . Next year, I want to learn keyboard and production. The kind of music I can do no be music wey dem dey jump around for stage dey shout; na proper music. I was in the choir for over 20 years, actively. That keyboard get wey e go carry my sound go.
Powerful Civilian is out now.♦
Ebri Kowaki. Culture journalist, music executive. Appeared on The Republic, Afrovortex, African Writer Magazine and elsewhere. MAAR 2025 fellow.