Going viral is an understatement in how far along Afrobeats has come, smashing international charts and launching many icons into the global world, and Bad Boy Timz is another we’ll be adding to our ever-growing list of global Afrobeats stars, as his brand new single “I Salute”, featuring Zlatan, is pure fire from start to finish. This is the follow-up to Bad Boy Timz’s single “Big Money” and Zlatan’s EP titled “Omo Ologo”.
Bad Boy Timz, real name Oloruntimilehin Timothy Olorunyomi, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and rapper who has risen quickly in the Afrobeats music industry. He currently has millions upon millions of streams to his name, with over half a million monthly Spotify listeners – which we can only presume will continue to rise in the next couple of years. He started his music career in 2019 with his debut single “Check and Balance” which he later followed up with his debut self-titled “Timz” EP which accumulated 10 million streams that year, he later went on to win the Rookie of the Year at The Headies 2020. He has been rising exponentially over the last two years, going on to accumulate over 100 million streams, across platforms, and even charted on the US Billboard Top Triller Global charts. He is set to release his debut studio album, “No Bad Boy, No Party”, on May 25, 2023, which is bound to bring him more success, if his awesome streaming numbers are anything to go by.
As for Zlatan, real name Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael who is also known as Zlatan Ibile, he is a Nigerian rapper and singer-songwriter who started his career at just 19 when he won the Airtel-sponsored 2014 edition of One Mic Campus Tour music competition. He has gone on to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the industry including Olamide, Burna Boy, and Tiwa Savage. He also has millions of streams to his name, with over half a million monthly Spotify listeners, leading him to rack up 16.7 million streams for his collaboration with Burna Boy titled “Killin Dem”, on the platform, with “Cash App” – a collaboration with Bella Shmurda and Lincoln – being his second-most streamed Spotify track, at 8.2 million streams. He continues to prove that he is on top form in the Afrobeats industry and we expect to see him go globally viral in the next year or so if that.
Infusing mainstream pop into their Afrobeats style, Bad Boy Timz and Zlatan effortlessly impress with this addictive track. Rhythmic from the very start, “I Salute” showcases Bad Boy Timz’s soulful flow and intrinsic vocals that hook the listener in. As the track continues, drums are added to the backing track and then, at the end of the first chorus, a huge melodic percussion instrumental is heard with drums, bars, and bells as well as vocal sounds and chords used to create an explosion flow that, not only makes this song iconic but also will get stuck in one’s head in some shape or form. Zlatan adds his own vibe to “I Salute” which only emphasises how incredible this track truly is. The song then takes a form of its own, using mainstream pop’s rhythm and structure to create this awesome Afrobeats track that we can’t help but listen to again and again.
Stream “I Salute” by Bad Boy Timz featuring Zlatan on Spotify here:
“I Salute”, by Bad Boy Timz featuring Zlatan, is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms, via Shock Absorbers Music / EMPIRE. Be prepared for Bad Boy Timz’s forthcoming debut studio album, titled “No Bad Boy, No Party”, which will be dropped on May 25, 2023.