Renowned for his record-breaking DJ sets and for cultivating the cultural hub that is Obi’s House, DJ Obi is stepping into a bold new role with the release of his latest single, “Patek” featuring Nigerian music icon Timaya. Marking a transformative shift from curator to creator, DJ Obi opens up about the evolution of his artistry, the personal journey behind his sonic identity, Obi’s Sound, and how this new chapter allows him to express a deeper, more intimate side of his musical vision. With “Patek” blending Afro-fusion with sultry R&B influences, DJ Obi invites listeners not just to dance, but to feel and connect truly.
On your new single “Patek” featuring Timaya. This marks a new chapter as a recording artist. How does this experience compare to your established career as a DJ and curator, and what inspired this artistic shift?
It’s a completely different atmosphere. This is brand new to me, it’s something that feels like the next chapter, but it feels like it’s the right time. I am in the studio phase, where I can be considered the sensei, but I can also be considered the student right now in how I’m learning what’s supposed to be put out, how to put it out and overall learning more about the music – even though I am already pretty knowledgeable about the music business. Now, I’m learning more about music itself – its creation and how to express myself musically. It’s a different experience because as a DJ, I’m usually expressing myself through other people’s music, but I’m now expressing myself through my own which is a bit more personal.
This is why I’m going down the line of creating Obi Sound. As a DJ, I have that personality and I can make you dance, but now I want to make you sit and really listen to the music. Part of what inspired that artistic shift is Obi’s House. I’ve always been the party DJ, but doing my own event has led to creating a cultural shift and gathering all those people in the same place every Monday night only translates to me that I have your listening ear. If I’m able to break new records for other artists, I should be able to put stuff out that speaks about me. I’ve always wanted to do it my way, personally. Now that Obi’s House has a strong presence, we can create Obi’s Sound. I can even play it the way and present it to you the way I want. Those are some of the factors that gave me the confidence to say I can tap more into the artistry right now.
“Patek” is an afro-fusion track blending Afrobeats and R&B. Could you elaborate on your creative process with Chillz in developing this sound and what you hope listeners will take away from the song?
“Patek” came at the right time. We made “Patek” back in 2020 during COVID. It was at a time where I was foreseeing the fact that this kind of sound was going to make its entrance into the Afrobeat scene. I started working with different producers on what I call now Obi’s Sound. It’s my natural state of mind, even as a DJ, when I personally want to listen to music and I want to be able to put out music that I can stand by. When I was in the studio with Chillz, these were the things I spoke to him about. I wanted to show my other side apart from the party DJ and show the kind of music that I like to chill to, smoke to, hang out to and make it more personal because I feel if you’re going to put out music, let it be something that is personable. That is what builds the connection with the people that are listening to it.
We started out with the chords, and back then, I had this brand-new love for the sax. I always wanted to listen to music that had a saxophone in it. If you’re listening to “Patek” closely, you’ll hear the saxophone going off as well. I infused my personality into it. In the studio, I do this thing where I described the sound to the producer to help produce the sound I’m talking about, even if it comes down to looking up certain noises.
Chillz is an amazing producer. He’s one of Timaya’s personal producers, so it was a very easy option to have Timaya on the track as well. Timaya at that time was in a different state of mind. We’re used to hearing him in a lot more party music and a lot of African Nigerian club music. He’s a legend when it comes to that sound. But this was something different, and part of what I want to do with Obi Sound is show different sides of people that I personally love. Artists that I know, love the R&B sound. Even artists that do put out club hits, what I know they truly love from hanging with them on a personal level, is R&B. I know that they have it in them and they can bring it out in the studio.
In “Patek” there’s a lot of sexiness, a lot of confidence built into this song for the women because of the lyrics. That’s what I want fans to take away from this track. When people listen to the song, I want them to feel real. I want them to feel themselves. I want them to feel confident, but it also doesn’t objectify women. It’s sexy and it’s uplifting at the same time.
You’ve already made history with your Guinness World Record for the longest DJ set. How did that incredible feat shape your perspective on endurance, dedication, and pushing boundaries in your career, and how does that mindset influence your approach to this new artistic endeavor?
That experience opened my mind to the fact that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. As long as I put God first and I put my confidence in it and I’m bold about it, there’s nothing impossible. Impossible to me is nothing. It’s not about what I cannot do. It’s what I can do, but in due time. Not everything can happen all at the same time. There’s going to be times and seasons. If it can’t happen right now, you wait and be patient and while you’re waiting, you pray for the time to come so when the time comes, you’re going to
be ready. Sometimes it’s more about preparing your mind, which is what helped me back then to even attempt such a thing as a Guiness World Record. I’d already done it in my mind. I just needed to be physically executed. I think about the fact that I’ve completed a world record, it just gives me more confidence to do other things because that was damn near-death experience, but I was able to conquer even that. Sometimes when I do get lazy, I just tap into that drive or that fiery beast that is in there to say, I’ve done something great before, so let’s keep it going.
Obi’s House has become a significant platform for rising stars like Tems, Ayra Starr, and Tyla. What motivated you to create this space, and what role do you see it playing in the broader ecosystem of African music and its global expansion?
Obi’s House is a big testimony. Different factors led to me creating Obi’s House, it is a divine idea. Obi’s House is about five years old right now, starting in 2021. But musically, doing what it’s doing right now is one of the dreams I’ve always had for it. It’s such a big testimony in my life, just because everything that I’ve envisioned is what is happening. God has been amazing by giving me this platform, because as a DJ, it’s one of the only ways to be able to express myself in a 360 format. To be able to do your own events and dictate what music gets played where you’re not getting told what to play is like DJ liberation! These type of things are what I’ve always aspired to do and I’ve prayed about it, so I call it answer prayers. These are the things that give me confidence as a DJ, being able to tap in as a business person and being
able to also do what I love! We’ve been able to create such a big cultural movement that is shaping R&B, and like you said, breaking new artists. I believe it’ll keep going in the future, but on a much bigger scale – it’ll get elevated, like festival status. It will always be the home for brand new art, artists, new music and we can watch those artists elevate as they keep coming back to Obi’s House every year, no matter how
many cities they must go to and tour – they will always come back home.
Being signed to Roc Nation Distribution is a significant step. How do you envision this partnership amplifying your reach as an artist and furthering your mission to champion African music on a global scale?
I got signed to Roc Nation in 2023 and what attracted me most, aside from Black excellence, is their 360 approach to the business. I like that they have all boxes checked off in terms of the services they provide for the artist. Not to mention, it felt like home and I was talking to family when I walked in the building.
Roc Nation has always been a champion for inclusivity and expanding the global sound of what Black music is. Having a team that truly believes in you is rare in this industry and I feel like I have the right team to help me amplify my reach as an entertainer.
With the release of “Patek” following “Take Me Away,” what can fans expect from DJ Obi as a recording artist in the future? Are there any upcoming projects or sonic explorations you’re excited to share?
Fans can expect more music from me and some of my favorite artists that represent the African Diaspora. You will for sure hear more of the Afrobeat and R&B fusion music, which I call Obi’s Sound and different variations of how I interpret that genre. I have a few singles that we are working on that will be ready to release this year and then a final project to close out the year. I’m still putting the final pieces to the project together, including features. Obi’s House is going on tour this year across the States, Canada and the UK so I will be sure to tap into artists locally during my travels to wrap up my debut project as an artist.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
