After teasing the highly anticipated project earlier in the summer with the hard hitting ‘IC3’ featuring Backroad Gee, which was championed by the likes of BBC Radio 1, KISS FM, and Apple Music 1, and on the back of supporting global music star Rema on his sold-out North American tour last month, chart-topping Nigerian rap star PSYCHOYP is excited to unveil his incredible new project titled YPSZN3, serving as the third and final instalment of his critically acclaimed ‘YPSZN’ series. Arriving on November 2 via Apex Village and OneRPM, YPSZN3 comes just over a year after the critically acclaimed Euphoria project, and exactly three years on from the last ‘YPSZN’ project YPSZN2.
In the three years between YPSZN2 and the upcoming YPSZN3, PsychoYP has grown to become a cultural icon in Nigeria, as well as one of the leaders of Nigeria’s new wave of rap music, having been crowned the best rapper in Africa by The NATIVE, described as the ‘Fresh Prince of Nigerian Rap’ by Culture Custodian, and championed by the likes of Complex, Rolling Stone, and Wonderland. With over 30 million plays online, a 2020 Headies Award nomination for ‘Best Rap Album’, and Spotify naming him the face of their ‘Naija Bars’ playlist, PsychoYP already boasts one of the best rap discographies on the continent, and he is about to take it up a few gears with YPSZN3.
Produced by an eclectic mix of frequent collaborators Jaylon (Mr. Eazi, Azanti, Chrystel), Malik Bawa and Johnson IP, Apex Village in-house production team Thrill MAX and The HyPRactive Kid, and revered UK producers RJay (RV, Stardom, Tana) and Likkle Dotz (Headie One, Central Cee, Unknown T), YPSZN3 is fifteen songs of some of the best international rap music in 2022. Deeply inspired by PsychoYP’s recent musical journey and his ambitions to stand tall as the greatest hip-hop export to come out of Africa, the project sees PsychoYP sharing his never-ending travails in an unfair world, while expressing his ability to rise above all and write his name in the sands of time.
Throughout the YPSZN3 project, PsychoYP brings his progressive and assorted sound that cuts across rap, trap, grime, drill and R&B music to the forefront, while showcasing his excellent lyrical dexterity, infectious multi-layered flow and creative sensibilities, with highlights including the catchy James Brown-sampled drill offering ‘Drop That Shit’, future trap classic ‘Bando Diaries’, the ominous ‘Silent Mode’, and the braggadocious ‘Nigerian Man’ featuring Ycee, as well as the afrobeat jam ‘Stronger’ with Zlatan, YP’s ‘TED Talk’ on relationships ‘Commitment Issues’, infectious melodic rap drop ‘Put It In Stone’, the confessional ‘Dangerous World’ to close out the album in superb fashion.