The Ones: Naira Marley and Zlatan’s “Am I a Yahoo Boy”
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.
Naira Marley and Zlatan - “Am I a Yahoo Boy”
Naira Marley and Zlatan’s “Am I a Yahoo Boy” has become a UK and Nigerian phenomenon surrounded by controversy. The song itself is irresistible, as Naira Marley and Zlatan trade verses with the roughness of grime and the bounce of Nigerian trap over an afrobeats rhythm. “Am I a Yahoo Boy” is about if Naira Marley and Zlatan are in fact “Yahoo boys”—in short, internet fraudsters. They laugh off the accusation. Nearly a day after the song and video were released—last Thursday—the duo were arrested on charges related to cyber crime. Now, it’s unclear if the song was dropped in anticipation of an arrest or if it’s another case of the government cracking down on music that can be perceived as a glorification of crime—a prominent issue in rap, especially through the UK’s war on grime. Regardless, Naira Marley and Zlatan have stumbled into a UK and Nigerian hit with “Am I a Yahoo Boy.”
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Naira Marley and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
