CiDAR PRESS X 2 BABA: A mental synergy

CiDAR PRESS X 2 BABA: A mental synergy

          Some songs start off with a loud energy; their fire is instant, magnetic, and pervasive. Others ease their way in; they permeate the space, settle into the groove, and before you know it, you’re already hooked. “Mental,” 2Baba’s latest Afrobeats offering featuring Afropop star Fave, lies somewhere in between. 

       There’s something refreshingly effortless about the music. It glides in smoothly, yet from the moment it starts, you feel the momentum building, spilling, and already taking over.  

         2Baba comes into the song with the familiarity of a voice that has soundtracked generations of Nigerian music, while Fave injects the song with her own distinct fire and youthful edge. In a seamless manner, these two energies meet in the middle, creating a record that feels so electrifying.

         And perhaps that is what makes “Mental” interesting beyond the song itself. It is a meeting of different eras, creative instincts, and musical identities. 

     “Mental” reflects an artist who is increasingly comfortable with exploration: listening to the music, following the feeling, and allowing the song to become what it wants to be. That freedom is particularly evident in the track’s easy groove and gradual build. It doesn't rush to announce itself. It draws you in, settles into its rhythm, and lets the music reveal itself piece by piece. And somewhere within that simplicity is the experience of an artist who has learned that sometimes, knowing when to leave the music alone is just as important as knowing what to add to it.

For 2Baba, experience has not meant becoming comfortable enough to stop exploring. If anything, it has given him the freedom to become more curious. He speaks about still wanting to encounter sounds that make him wonder what else is possible, while remaining grounded in the identity he has built over the years. There’s a lot behind this and a lot more to learn from the legend. 

         In this conversation with CiDAR Press, 2Baba takes us behind “Mental” and into the mind of an artist who, after decades in the game, is still listening, experimenting and asking himself what the next chapter of his music could sound like. 

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Questions:

CiDAR PRESS: If you were to describe the song “Mental” in 3 words, what would they be?

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2BABA: Smooth. Unpredictable. Addictive.

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CiDAR PRESS: What was the process of making “Mental” like? Did a beat inspire the music? Were there lines from it that were stuck in your head? Did you come in ready to spit fire on the mic? Or was it a mixture of all these things? Where did the idea for the song basically come from?

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2BABA: For me, it was more about catching the feeling first. Sometimes you hear a beat and immediately you know the direction, but you don’t necessarily know exactly what you’re going to say yet. You just know there’s something there. With “Mental,” it was that kind of vibe. Once the feeling entered, the melodies and words started coming naturally. I wasn’t trying to force anything or prove anything on the mic. It was just about finding that pocket and allowing the song to tell us where it wanted to go. Sometimes the best records happen like that.

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CiDAR PRESS: The record has this cool, almost effortless opening before the energy gradually picks up in a thrilling way. How did you want the song to feel from the very first beat?

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2BABA: I wanted it to draw you in without announcing itself too much. You know that kind of song where you’re listening casually and before you realise what’s happening, you’re already inside the groove?That was the feeling. Calm at first, but there’s something underneath it. Then gradually the energy starts revealing itself.

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CiDAR PRESS: There’s a nice contrast between your smooth delivery and FAVE’s feisty energy on the track. Was that chemistry intentional, or did the song naturally find that balance? How exciting was it for you to make this record with someone with a different style and approach, and how was it balancing that energy with your own?

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2BABA: I think that’s actually one of the beautiful things about the record. We didn’t need to sound the same for it to work.

FAVE has her own energy, her own tone, her own vibe. She came into the record and brought that fire in her own way. Me, I approached it from my own side. I wasn’t trying to chase her energy, and she wasn’t trying to become me. That’s where the chemistry comes from sometimes. Two different energies meeting in the middle and creating something neither person would have created alone.

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CiDAR PRESS: What did you enjoy most about making this particular song?

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2BABA: The freedom of it. There wasn’t that feeling of trying too hard to make a particular kind of record. We were just making music and enjoying the process. Even listening back to it, you can hear that freedom. Nobody sounds like they’re struggling to impress anybody. Everybody is just comfortable inside the music.

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CiDAR PRESS: Was there anything you changed significantly between the first version of the song and what we’re hearing now? How many stages of reworking and tweaking did it go through to make up what it is now?

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2BABA: Every record goes through that process where you listen again and start hearing small things differently. Sometimes you remove something, sometimes you add something, sometimes you realize the thing you wanted to change was actually what gave the record its character. With “Mental,” the important thing was not to overwork it. Once the feeling is right, you have to know when to leave the music alone. You can polish something until you polish the life out of it. So the final process was really about making everything sit properly while protecting that original energy.

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CiDAR PRESS: At this stage in your career, when you walk into a collaboration, are you still looking to be surprised by what the other artist brings? What surprised you about FAVE and what does her sound bring that particularly stands out to you?

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2BABA: Definitely. That’s part of why collaborations are still interesting to me.If I already know exactly what you’re going to do before you do it, then where’s the excitement? I want an artist to bring something that belongs to them.

FAVE has character in her voice. You hear her and you know there’s personality there. She can be soft and still have attitude. She can be melodic but there’s still this confidence behind it. That’s something I respect because you can’t manufacture identity. When an artist knows how to bring their own identity into a record, it gives everybody else something to react to.

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CiDAR PRESS: You’ve made music across very different eras of Nigerian music and the legendary name “2Baba” practically speaks for itself. When you approach a song like this today, has your creative process changed from how you approached records earlier in your career? Or is there still something that feels like it stands the test of time?

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2BABA: Plenty things have changed, but the foundation hasn’t changed. Technology has changed. The industry has changed. The way people discover music has changed. Even the speed at which music moves now is completely different. But one thing that has never changed for me is feeling. Whether na 20 years ago or today, if the music doesn’t make me feel something, then there’s a problem. I’ve never wanted to make music simply because something is trending. You can understand what’s happening around you and still remain yourself. Maybe experience has made me more relaxed now. I don’t feel like I have to fight the song. I listen more. I allow the music to breathe.

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CiDAR PRESS: You’ve had some truly memorable collaborations over the years. What makes a collaboration feel worth doing for you now?

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2BABA: Connection. I’m not interested in collaboration just because two names will look good together on a tracklist. There has to be something musically interesting about it. Sometimes it’s the person’s voice. Sometimes it’s their writing. Sometimes it’s their energy or even the difference between both of you. The question is always: what can we create together that I probably wouldn’t create by myself? If there’s an interesting answer to that question, then I’m interested.

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CiDAR PRESS: Are we going to see any more fire collaborations in the coming future?

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2BABA: Ah, definitely. [Laughs.] There are always conversations, always music being made. Some things I can’t talk about yet, but “Mental” is definitely not the end of that conversation. Expect some interesting combinations.

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CiDAR PRESS: At this point in your career, do you feel free to simply enjoy making music for what it is, or does every new track still feel like an invitation to explore something new and reinvent yourself? Or is it perhaps a bit of both?

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2BABA: It’s definitely both.

There’s a freedom that comes with experience. You’ve seen different seasons, you’ve watched sounds come and go, and you realise music is bigger than trying to prove yourself every time you enter the studio. So yes, I enjoy it more. But curiosity never leaves. In fact, that’s one of the things that keeps you alive creatively. I still want to hear a sound and say, “Ah, wetin be this one?” [Laughs.] I still want to work with people who make me approach music differently. I’m not trying to become a different person every time I make a record. I’m just allowing myself to keep discovering different sides of who I already am.

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CiDAR PRESS: What feeling do you hope fans take away from listening to “Mental,” and what can we expect from the song?

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2BABA: I want people to enjoy themselves. Not every song needs a long explanation before you connect with it. Sometimes music should enter your body before it enters your head. “Mental” has that energy for me. You can vibe to it immediately, but the more you listen, the more little things start revealing themselves. So whether you’re listening alone, driving, outside with your people or wherever you find yourself, just allow the record to take you where it wants to take you.

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CiDAR PRESS: Has working on “Mental” inspired how you think about the kind of music you want to make next?

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2BABA: Yeah, because every record teaches you something. Working with different generations and different creative minds reminds me that there are still plenty places music can go. I have my sound and my identity, but that doesn’t mean I have to stand in one place. “Mental” reminded me that you can experiment without losing yourself. That’s something I’m definitely carrying into whatever comes next.

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CiDAR PRESS: Are there any more projects for us to look forward to? Is “Mental” the first of a new dispensation?

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2BABA: [Laughs.] New dispensation is a serious word o!

But yes, there’s more music coming. I don’t want to reveal everything yet because I also like people experiencing things as they unfold. But I’m in a space where I’m enjoying music again—creating, experimenting, connecting with different artists and different sounds. I’ve been blessed to experience many different chapters of this journey, and I don’t look at this stage like I’m trying to recreate any of those chapters. I’m interested in what the next one sounds like. So if “Mental” is the first taste of that, then make everybody just dey ready.

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Well, you heard it here first! There's more magic to come from this legend. In the meantime, cop yourself some "Mental" music.

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Until next time, xoxo