Lasun Alagbe
Only God knows the kind of prayers that Nigerian rapper, Tochukwu Ojogwu, has been praying in recent days.
One prayer that is likely to have been part of such is: Let my profile skyrocket in a miraculous way and let it get done by those I least expect.
The miracle came through faraway Arsenal which, in a novel way, used his song to announce their newly signed player, Declan Rice.
Now, everyone is talking about not just Rice, but the artiste otherwise called Odumodublvck.
Tochukwu Gbubemi Ojogwu (born 18 October 1993), popularly known as Odumodublvck is a Nigerian rapper, and songwriter born to Igbo parents from Enugu State. He is known for his stage performances, genre-blend and portrayal of the Igbo people’s traditional hat. Odumodublvck is a member of the hip-hop collective Anti World Gangstars.
In 2022, he signed a record deal with NATIVE Records, in partnership with Def Jam. On 23 November 2022, he released his first single under the NATIVE, titled “Picanto” featuring ECko Miles, and Zlatan, which earned him his first chart entry on the Nigeria TurnTable Top 100 at number 79,and reached number 65. On 23 January 2023, he ranked number 4 on TurnTable‘s NXT Emerging Top Artistes.
Odumodublvck was born and raised in Lagos State. He had his junior high education at Christ the King College at Gwagwalada Abuja, where he got the stage name “Odumodu” in his second year of his junior high, and relocated with his family to Abuja at the age of 17. He studied Mass Communications at the University of Lagos for his tertiary education, where he graduated with a B.Sc.
In 2022, Odumodublvck released a joint studio album with B.O.C Madaki, titled The Drop, and a few months later he released a follow-up single, “Picanto”, featuring ECko Miles, and Zlatan. On 21 November 2022, the single debuted on TurnTable Bubbling Under Top 100 at number 8, and number 15 on Nigeria Hip-Hop/Rap Songs chart. On 28 November 2022, “Picanto” debuted at number 79 on the Top 100, and number 44 on Nigeria Radio, the song also reached Number 6 at Nigeria Hip-Hop/Rap Songs chart.
On 26 March 2022, Odumodublvck performed at the Jameson Connects concert alongside DRB LasGidi, and Vict0ny at Abuja. On 8 December 2022, he won the Next Rated Artist category at Galaxy Music Awards. The rapper gets a new Lexus IS 350, as part of the prize that comes with the Next Rated award. On 9 December 2022, he was announced on the line up of Vertical Rave concert opening acts alongside Teezee, Cruel Santino, PsychoYP, Odunsi The Engine, among others, to be held on 17 December 2022.
In March 2023, he released his first single on Friday 24, titled “Declan Rice”, shortly after surviving a surgery that almost took his life. On 27 March 2023, Odumodublvck earned his first top 10 entry on TurnTable official Nigeria Top 100 Songs chart at number 8.n On 1 April 2023, “Declan Rice” leads TheCable Lifestyle airplay chart at number 1.
Interestingly, West Ham united captain, Declan Rice expressed his excitement as Nigerians sang his name, courtesy of Odumodublavk.
Odumodublvck is known for fusing Afrobeat, with Drill and Grime music. According to Dazed, “His unrelenting style of drill employs high-life inspired melodies and Nigerian Pidgin English to tell vivid stories about his community and everyday experiences – his narrative style is so specific to Nigerians, it’s hard to pick up on the nuances as an outside
Rice completed his move from West Ham United to Arsenal on Saturday in a deal worth a staggering £105 million, making it the highest transfer fee ever paid by the North London club for a player.
The football club took to Twitter to share a video of Rice’s unveiling, featuring the catchy song “Declan Rice” by Odumodublvck playing in the background. The rapper, known for his genre-blending style, also expressed his congratulations to the footballer on social media.
“Congrats to my boy on your new adventure @declanrice with @arsenal,” Odumodublvck wrote. “God bless everyone involved in this milestone, my producers. Abuja Stand Up.”
