In the vibrant world of African music, few collaborations ignite passion quite like that of PsychoYP and Azanti. With a discography that sizzles, this dynamic rapper-singer duo is set to elevate their artistry with the release of their sophomore album, YP and Azanti Vol 2. Raised across the UK, Canada, and Nigeria, they share powerful narratives of life, love, and the emotional complexities that come with youth.

Following the success of their debut album, YP and Azanti Vol 1, which heralded a new era for Hip-Hop/RnB duets in Nigeria, this latest project promises even greater sonic depth. With Azanti at the helm and a nod to various musical eras, including the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, they continue to blend genres and push boundaries.

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In this exclusive interview, we dive into the duo’s creative journey, exploring their unique synergy, the evolution of their sound, and the emotional resonance that defines Vol 2. Join us as PsychoYP and Azanti share their experiences, insights, and what fans can expect from this exciting new chapter in their musical story.

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How has your approach to collaboration evolved from YP and Azanti Vol 1 to Vol 2?

[AZANTI]: For YP and Azanti Vol 1, it was more like YP hopping on stuff that was trying to introduce me to the industry. On this one, I think that I am taking more of a backseat for YP and Azanti Volume 2. I am flexing more production types. I am less on the verses and I am doing more hooks. YP has more standout rap verses and performances where he is sounding like a different beast. He is sounding like Jay-Z, more mature and steezing. He is flexing more of his rapping as opposed to Volume 1 where we made more RnB and less Hip Hop. This Volume 2 has more room for Hip Hop to cut through.

Do you have an audience for this project? Tell us who you’re aiming Vol 2 to resonate with?

[AZANTI]: For YP and Azanti Volume 2, there is definitely a target audience. We know what our audience wants to hear. We have tested the waters with a few other collab records, apart from the YP and Azanti series. At this point, it kind of feels like people want to hear us together on the same track. The audience we are trying to settle is people like us, youngins, shawties, hustlers, people trying to make money or get a girl. This new project seems to be more braggadocio, more now-we-made-it type of vibes. We have done YP and Azanti Volume 1 and four years later we drop Volume 2, and it encompasses the journey, where we are right now and prospects for the future, meanwhile I am still trying to explain my several love interests that I always tend to have and YP is explaining his bad guy, gangster-esque vibe too. I think it is a very unique synergy of worlds. I am the more vulnerable, emotional character in this play, and YP is almost like a good cop bad cop type of vibe.

Can you describe how this projects has changed your approach to songwriting and production?

[AZANTI]: It gives us the freedom to take centre stage when we don’t feel like being centre stage. On most of the records, I am flexing more on production and I am not really doing too much; I do a hook and YP comes through with his verses on some Jay-Z type of shit. Usually, he is going to want to rap and go crazy on the beat, but sometimes he hears my vibe and decides that he wants to sing. It gives him the leeway to be on his singing shit. YP and Azanti gives YP the leeway to be more vulnerable and have more singing melodies. For me, it is almost like I am experimenting now; because I am trying to test the waters to see how my production enters mainstream on the radio. YP and Azanti just opens up different sides of our creativity.

How do you approach the selection of beats for YP and Azanti Vol 2?

[AZANTI]: We are very diverse artistes. Compared to YP and Azanti Vol 1, YP didn’t rap as much as he has done now. When I hear a beat, it usually depends on how I hit the track and get on it. Over time, the beat needs to feel almost nostalgic in a sense. It needs to feel intentional. We are really diverse and genre-wise there are no limitations, but I always want to hear vulnerability. I want the listener to feel like we are about to tell a story, and we are being truthful and honest about how we see the world. With beats, it is more about the feeling; I can’t really explain it in genre terms. But it is deeper than that. I don’t like beats that sound regular.

PsychoYP, tell us about how you and Azanti met and connected.

[PSYCHOYP]: Azanti and I are not really age mates or former schoolmates or something like that. I was in the UK pursuing my studies and I had a mutual friend with him. One day, another friend of mine in Abuja who is a mutual friend and we were just chilling one day in my yard and he played me some of his jams. So, I told him to send me more of his jams to listen to. Around the same time, Azanti emailed me and sent me DMs on CREATORS’ CORNER social media too. His name kept coming up so much and one day I decided to check him out and I checked his Instagram and found out he had tried to reach me. I went to my email and I checked his jams. I felt he had a great vibe. I honestly don’t know why I pursued the project or even decided to sign him. I just knew I wanted to sign him.

What is your creative process like with Azanti?

[PSYCHOYP]: We had this WhatsApp group chat with just me, Azanti and most of the producers from 44db. I put Azanti in the group chat and the producers would send beats on it and he could record. I already had an understanding of how I worked with the producers. For the first two days, we made a few songs. And then it flowed from there.

Do you guys have a selection criteria for finished songs?

[PSYCHOYP]: We have so many records that should have been out already. We just have a gut feeling about when the music is done. We have so many songs that are on Volume 1 that still didn’t make it on Volume 2. A lot of the songs were mostly Azanti’s vibe and take. He had to record verses that he felt would match that energy.

Can you describe the different genres you’ve blended in this project and how they contribute to its uniqueness?

[AZANTI]: We are fusion artistes. We are always tethering on the lines of whether it is Hip Hop or Afro RnB. We are not making this project to make all the songs feel the same. All the songs kind of feel vastly different. In YP and Azanti Volume 1, it was an RnB Project, but we touched different sides to it, from trap soul, bashment, highlife, to dancehall and a little bit of Afro. This new project is even more sonically diverse because now I am in my pop bag and YP is also trying to hit some pop records. We have grown as artists and our musicality has improved. You are going to hear it. In some songs, we referenced ‘70s vibes, while in some other songs it’s ’80s and ‘90s vibes.

How does your synergy influence the overall quality of the music you create together?

[PSYCHOYP]: Working with Azanti is always a new type of vibe. I can only do so much and I appreciate the ideas he tends to tilt towards. Whenever it is time to work, it’s just a good vibe. I am a very picky individual, so everything you are sending to me has to be fire. There are only so many people that can match my energy. Azanti is one of the few people that I know that can match my work rate. It’s always great to make classics. I would always look back at the series and appreciate it like, ‘We really made this shit!’

How does this album make you feel?

[AZANTI]: Classy. It feels really classy.

[PSYCHOYP]: Sensational!

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Featured Image(s) Source: Supplied