Obie Iyoha releases his new ‘BumbleBee’ EP today.

It’s been four years since Obie Iyoha‘s last full-length project, but the Nigerian-American rapper from Michigan hasn’t stopped working. In addition to putting the finishing touches on his long-awaited sophomore album PNKMN, Obie’s been hard at work fine-tuning his sound and providing fans with visual content.

Today February 7, Obie releases the BumbleBee EP, an addictive seven-track blend of Afrowave, Hip-Hop, and Afro-Soul. With the help from producers Offrami, Motorcity Mello, Schematic, Ransom Beatz, and more, Obie draws inspiration from artists like Brenda Fassie, Fela Kuti, Wizkid, J Hus, and Red Hot Chili Peppers to forge a sound representing the ethos of immigrant Americans from Africa.

“A week after I got back from Nigeria in mid-2017, my car broke down and I was salty. Salty because I had big plans to launch my newly founded production company ‘Llama Haus’. Salty because I could not afford another major set back if I had any hopes of breaking through the noise with this new wave of music stirring around in my soul. My mother blessed me with a phone call about a week and some change after my car was pronounce dead, and said “I bought you a car. It’s a gift, but you’re going to pay me back!’. I could barely contain my excitement, but then she sent me a photo of the car she had got me, and my heart dropped into my bowels. A bright yellow hatch back with four doors and low mileage. I thought she was playing a joke on me to be honest, so I laughed, and with gratitude I hopped into this car and began my journey. This EP is an ode to the vehicle that stuck it out with me and my squad around the country for my first pop-up tour, rain- sleet-hail-snow, and through my journey creating my forthcoming album ‘PNKMN’, set to be released in 2020. I named her ‘Bumbe Bee’.” – Obie