May 31, 2023 at PDT
No Bad Boy, No Party
Making his name through viral skits and freestyles, Nigerian singer Bad Boy Timz had his first breakout hit with 2020’s “MJ,” a celebration of Michael Jackson’s dance moves that cemented Timz’s jubilant and infectious brand of Afrobeats (and spawned remixes with heavyweight stars Teni and Mayorkun). With his 2023 debut LP, No Bad Boy, No Party, he fully inhabits his role of chief festivities officer. “It's a clear sign that without me, there's no enjoyment, there’s no party,” Bad Boy Timz tells Apple Music. “Be it a wedding party, be it a club party, be it a carnival, be it whatever. If there's no Bad Boy Timz there, the energy's not high; the energy's not 100.”
The artist born Olorunyomi Oloruntimilehin credits his perpetually upbeat nature and sound to the experiences that shaped him. At age nine, he was shot in the face while riding in the back seat of his family’s car. “It’s a tragic story, but it's part of what shaped me to who I am today,” he says. “That's why I try as much as possible to make sure that even down to production, there are happy chords in my music. I try not to box myself into trying to make songs that just make people dance, because life is not only about dancing, but life can be hard.” Here, he breaks down his debut album, track by track.
“Igboro”
“‘Igboro’ is just an affirmation that nothing is impossible. I come from the hood, and ‘Igboro’ actually means ‘streets,’ like ‘from the ghetto.’ There's a saying in my hood that says, ‘The streets [are] so electric, anyone can shock you. Anyone can block you.’ So it's just a breakdown of my life, of what I've been through, and it's just a reaffirmation to myself and people from where I come from that impossible is nothing. Your dreams are limitless.”
“Tossmitoss”
“This song basically is just a warning. Like, 'Guys, beware, if bad guys and the bad girls are out to snatch your future husband or wife. So don't take it personal—you should go out and do the same. Go out and toss the men. Just do it.' It's a very happy song. It's a danceable song as well. Shout-out to the producer, P.Priime; he did a madness on that one.”
“Lockdown”
“I wrote that song [during] lockdown. It came from a genuine place. I was in love with this girl, but she was in the US, and I was in Nigeria at the time. But it just felt so real. The song is me professing my love to this girl, but she chose to play me like Maradona. She dribbled the hell out of me, bro. At some point, I was clueless and I'm like, 'Bro, just let go, man. Just let it go.' Love is not necessarily in every man's story.”
“Santorini”
“This is more of a vacation for the people that are not single. It’s one to ‘pepper dem’—to people who are single that, yo, we are in Greece right now, in Santorini, and we’re having fun. And we might decide to fly to Italy, just for pizza, just to show you, just to pepper guys. I just love the ambience whenever I see pictures from that particular area. It's a place where you can go with somebody that you love, and you guys can actually experience more love. It’s a city of love.”
“Skelele” (feat. Olamide)
“This is actually a true life story. At the time, I was in the UK. One day I went to [take out the trash] and my ex called me. So my girlfriend at the time was in the apartment. And then I go back upstairs [and] slept. By the time I woke up, all hell [broke] loose. My girlfriend almost committed a crime. There's some people who are just jealous lovers, like, ‘Yo, you can never be friends with your ex. I'm not having it.’ Olamide just concluded the whole storyline, like, ‘Listen to me. It's nothing serious.’ But she was not having it. She was just going off.”
“Pop (Alcohol Alcohol)”
“It's just enjoyment, basically. I want [people] to listen to the first verse and the hook in the club. The second verse, I want them to listen to it after they are drunk, like on their way home. Basically, ‘Alcohol’ is just a jolly life. Enjoyment. Sipping on all forms of highness, adventure, just having fun with it. And just remembering that you only live once, you cannot go back and correct yesterday. Just have fun. Just make it happen. Just pop some alcohol.”
“On Me”
“It's just being lost in love, man, and I'm just hoping to make it out alive. The girl was just like, ‘Don't worry—when I come to your house, we'll see who will win. I'll knock you out [in bed].’ I'm like, ‘So don't worry, I'll knock you out. You want to come and knock me out? It's not possible. Don't worry. We’ll have a match already. You’ll see that I'm competent [in bed].’ And this song was produced by my namesake, actually, BeatsByTimmy.”
“I Salute” (feat. Zlatan)
“It’s a standing ovation to all the bad bitches. This is just me shouting out to all the beautiful women in the world. Just saluting them, letting them know, I salute your doings. You are the best in the world. You deserve all the hype, you deserve all the accolades. You are beautiful just the way you are. And big shout-out to Zlatan for that fire verse as well. We had people talking like, 'Oh, Zlatan's about to get married? Wow.' He announced it in this song. You can tell that he's in love.”
“Move” (feat. Shenseea)
“This is a song that I made while I was having my label issues [which prevented me from releasing new music]. It's just a song that says, ‘Yo, I understand your perspective and I need you to understand my perspective.’ I don't want stress. I just need to continue to make my money and live a stress-free life. No bothering about anything. I just want to have fun. And we have a remix now with Shenseea. Her verse is so fire.”
“Mental”
“Bad boys need love too. Everyone needs love, man. I’m facing my goals, facing my front, but you still need that one person that you can always rely on emotionally. That one person that can always take you out of your reality and be like, 'Everything is fine.' And I like the fact that people can hear how high I can go in my voice. A lot of people don't know I can actually sing sing. So I like the fact that I can show people that I can actually touch them emotionally as well.”
“Make Sense” (feat. BNXN fka Buju)
“BNXN and I [have made] music together since 2018; I met him at Lojay’s house. This song is basically Lasgidi gospel—the gospel of Lagos: ‘May all our endeavors and whatever we put our hands in continue to be fruitful.’ And we always have to stay true to the bro code. Regardless of what's going on in your life, you always have to remember that there are people in your life who were there for you before the whole world was there for you. It's conscious music, but it still has the bop to it.”
11 Tracks
