Zinoleesky

A rising star of the Nigerian Afrobeats scene, Zinoleesky fuses a distinctly electronic sound with amapiano, rap, and pop. After signing with the Marlian Music label, he broke out with 2020′s Chrome EP and his 2022 follow-up project, Grit & Lust. Born Oniyide Azeez in the Agege suburb of Lagos, Zinoleesky first rose to public notice posting freestyle rap videos online and building a grassroots fan base with early singles like “Who Knows” with Lil Frosh and “Money” with Zlatan. His growing popularity earned him a contract with Naira Marley’s influential Marlian Music imprint ahead of the 2020 EP Chrome. With its standout singles “Ma Pariwo’′ and “Kilofeshe,” Chrome helped Zinoleesky break into the Nigerian mainstream. He honored his label benefactor with the 2021 track “Naira Marley,” then continued to notch hits with songs like “Gone Far” and the Lil Kesh collaboration “Don’t Call Me.” 2022 proved to be a prolific year for the young artist with widely streamed hits like “Loving You,” “Rocking,” and “Personal,” with the latter of the two appearing on his eight-song album Grit & Lust. ~ Timothy Monger