Some amazing talent is coming out of Nigeria, and it’s time we took notice
Dap the Contract is a young man from Nigeria attending Brown University, and that’s not an opening sentence you’ve ever seen written about one of today’s up-and-coming talents. Still, it isn’t just his academic prowess and unique background that makes him one of the most fascinating artists in today’s underground forum, it’s what happens in your ears after you press play on one of his standout records, “Baby Please Come Home,” or “Blue.”
The musicality hits you in phases. Maybe first you’ll be impressed by the subdued nature of the instrumental, the moody and tranquil crooning, or maybe it’s the right-on-time saxophone that accentuates the outro on “Blue.” Whatever draws you to some of the records on Goodbye For Never, chances are it’s Dap’s own doing. Here’s a little background information on the young, dynamic artist.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and coming from an entirely musical family, DAP started playing the piano at the age of 4, passed his ABRSM Grade 8 Piano with distinction at 13, and went on to attain a DipABRSM Performance Diploma on the Piano at 17. After high school in London, U.K., he attended the Berklee College of Music for two semesters as part of a gap year, with the intention of majoring in Contemporary Writing & Production or Music Production & Engineering. On his departure after the summer, DAP released a mixtape titled GoodBye For Now. He now attends Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he majors in Classics & Computer Music.He has performed at Aurora, AS220 and Brown University (Providence, RI), Harbor Point and Eko Hotel (Lagos, Nigeria) with Bez Idakula, a well known artist (guitarist/singer) in Nigeria. He released his fourth mixtape GoodBye For Never, a sequel to GoodBye For Now, on October 27th, 2014. In late December he put out a joint project entitled Jam On Scones with Shane Chubbz under their duo moniker The Contract, for which they had a release show on November 29th in London at the renowned Saatchi Gallery.
One of the most interesting things to think about when listening to Dap, is how little today’s artists pay attention to sonic detail, and how the young Nigerian focuses on avoiding that pitfall in his own music, aside from the fact that lyrically, he’s much more refined than most expect him to be this early in his career. From the twang of the minor chords on “Blue” to the out-of-nowhere organ uprising on “Baby Please Come Home,” there isn’t much left to be desired once you’ve perused his musical palette. We invite you to do so below, and watch out for this young man, and listen to Goodbye, For Never below.
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