In the ever-evolving world of Afrobeats, there is a name that goes beyond trends and sets the standard high. Known to many as the ‘Top Boy’, SPINALL is more than just a DJ with a signature cap; he’s an influential artist, producer, songwriter, and record label executive. With a nearly decade-long career, SPINALL’s journey has been nothing short of impressive. His extensive catalogue boasts collabs with heavyweights such as Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, Niniola, Mr. Eazi, Omah Lay, Oxlade, and 6LACK, to name just a few.
We sat down with SPINALL during his visit to Australia as part of the Listen Out 2023 lineup to delve into his impressive journey and find out more about the magic behind the music, including his early inspirations, connecting with Burna Boy over Soundcloud, and the story behind ‘The Cap’.
For anyone who hasn’t heard of you before, how would you introduce yourself, DJ SPINALL?
How will I introduce myself? My name is SPINALL, a DJ, producer, songwriter, record label exec. It’s always a weird one when asked to introduce myself, but I’m from Nigeria, proudly African. I make some of the best music in the world. I’m signed to Epic Records. What else? I like food.
Food is good. Yes.
I like Jollof, I like Amala, Gbegiri & Ewedu. [Laughs] What else? I’m super chilled. I’m just as real as it gets. I’m quite very ambitious. I love African music. I love putting my music on the map, and I’m excited about life and excited about the future. Excited about collaborations, excited about seeing people happy, and super gassed about the idea behind unity, love and family.
So I was introduced to you in 2015 when ‘Gba Gbe E’ came out, but we’re going to rewind a bit further back. How did you get started? What was the moment when you realised this DJing and producing thing was what you wanted to do?
I think there were a lot of moments that I would say, but the most prominent one was in high school. I was fortunate to be the social prefect, and that came with the responsibility of entertaining the students. So I had hired a DJ to come to school to entertain the students, and when he came and started doing this thing, I’m like, wow, this is so cool, and I’m going to try to see if I can learn this when I’m done with school. After high school, I took DJ classes before I went to uni. And even while in uni, I was still doing side DJ classes and doing engineering at uni. After that, I worked at a radio station; I interned there for about three years. Then, I did private events every Wednesday. I did that consecutively for five years, which was really when I learned how to create an event and how to bring it all together in a professional setting.
After that, I started showing my production ideas and learning how to make proper sounds and music. While searching for music as a DJ, I came across Burna Boy on SoundCloud, and there was a song called ‘Abeg, Abeg, Abeg’, and I’m like, this is so cool. So I started playing it at industry night, and a lot of people started gravitating towards it. Then I reached out to him, “Hey, let’s work on this record”, and that’s how we made ‘Gba Gbe E’.
Ever since then, I’ve always put out my ears to listen to people who are just trying to get a voice and build a fan base for themselves, and I worked with so many other people like Mr. Eazi, who I also heard when I was on tour with Wande Coal in London and I was telling Wande Coal like, “Oh, this guy’s going to be so big. This guy sounds so cool”, and we reached out to him and we made a record, ‘Ohema’.
One of my favourites, literally.
Just like that, I think my journey has just started, and I’m excited about what the future holds. I just love music, really and truly. Sometimes, when people ask me to talk about myself, I don’t know if I have a Michael Jackson story. I’m just a regular guy just like you, and I really just love music.
It’s wild to hear you say that your journey is just beginning because, thinking about your catalogue from My Story to, most recently, Top Boy, you’ve collaborated with so many different artists. If you had to choose a most memorable session with an artist, who stands out to you?
I’ve had a lot of sessions, and honestly speaking, this might sound cliché, but I would say the sessions that I have by myself are probably the most incredible ones because they are the ones that give birth to the records that you hear. The ones where I feature this or feature that are the sessions that I’ve had with myself first. That’s how I’m able to create where I want the sound to go or what I am going to put on this beat. Who am I going to put on that record? So it’s usually the sessions that I have alone, in my own studio and being able to think of what I want to do next. Those are usually the fundamentals of the hit records. I remember making the record with Mr. Eazi; he didn’t like the song at first.
Really?
Yeah, he didn’t like the song at first, but I was convinced it was a great record. So when it was time to clear the record, he kept running from me, and I finally found him in the studio, and he was like, I’m like, “Why are you running, bro? It’s such a good record.”
He said, “Okay, okay, let’s do it”. And as soon as we put the record out, it became number one; it became the biggest record in the country. And he called me like, “I’ll never run again. Let’s get back in the studio”.
I’m glad that the record also came out, and people love it; it did so much good for the both of us.
You have another collaborator who is almost a cheat code. Anytime we see his name on the track alongside yours, we already know it’s going to be—
Oh, Wizkid.
I didn’t even have to say.
That’s the legend, man.
What’s the experience with Wizkid? What’s the vibe like in a session?
I feel like Wizkid is a very special human being, and he’s super intentional about the kind of music that he puts out. He hardly bows to pressure, and he is a trendsetter himself. He knows this, and that really helps make the music even more special. And the fact that he understands what I’m trying to do, and he’s fully committed to what I’m doing, and seeing it through is really special. You can also tell from the past that the kind of records and the kind of result that we’ve seen from the records we’ve made, it’s a synergy that always works. It’s a synergy that the people love to see, and making this record with him also solidifies that.
I remember us climbing the roof of the house, and we had a lot of fun at that video shoot. I feel like the video was great, but the things that happened behind the cameras were the really special, fun moments. I was scared of heights, and he was laughing at me the whole time. I was trying to get off that rooftop scene so bad. Bruh, it was so fun. I love working with Wiz. I love working with Davido, too. I’ve made a few great records with Davido. I’ve made a few great records with Burna, Mr. Eazi, Tiwa Savage.
I feel like our people are very special and super talented, and I’m working with everybody back home, both known and unknown. It doesn’t matter to me as long as we’re able to make something special in the studio; I feel like the rest is history.
Bringing it back to yourself, we have spoken about the music and the people you’ve worked with. You are very well known for your fila, your hat.
The cap. It’s called “the cap”.
The cap—so give us some insight. Why did you choose the cap to be associated with your brand?
I would say that I’m inspired by everything around me, and honestly speaking, it’s not anything miraculous or deep in anything. If you look at the producer DJs that I look up to, they started the branding thing, and I was just mentored by them. I was raised in a Yoruba family house; my dad loves to party. My dad every Saturday wearing his agbada, buba, and Sokoto in front of the mirror. I would see him have this cap on, and he’d say, “Hey man, I’ll see you later”.
So, as a kid, I was looking at him every time he wore the hat like, “Hey, this man is about to go turn up somewhere”. So, as I grew up and doing what I do, I felt like I was the life of the party. So when you see me with a cap, you just know it’s about to be a good night. I’m glad people love it and recognise it as my brand image, and the great part is also to show off African culture and African style.
So when you’re not SPINALL, how do you unwind, recoup and just be?
I’ve always asked myself that question. I really think it’s music, man. I listen to a lot of records, even things that people would least think I listen to. I listen to records from all over the world.
If I’m going to put you on the spot though, you mentioned you listen to a lot of music outside of what you usually play. What would be a song you’re listening to lately that might surprise people?
I think Aretha Franklin the old records are starting to hit home for me right now. Also, Lighthouse Family is starting to make a lot more sense because these songs came out long ago, and I was a baby, and I didn’t know anything.
Did you ever think that music would take you to places like Australia?
I would say that I really love Australia. The first time I was here, we came with Bruno Mars, and shout out to Bruno Mars, who brought us to open up for his shows at the stadium. Ever since my two nights of incredible performance, we kind of knew that, oh, these people love us, and we are going to be back. So it’s exciting to be back. And I would also say that I love meeting new people new cultures, understanding that it’s the same human beings back home that are here too, and I think that Australia has also proved in the shortest period of time how real their love is. It’s exciting to be back, and I can’t wait to be back again.
I read that you played Diddy’s Grammy after-party. What can you tell us about that?
Performing at Diddy’s after-party was special. We also performed at Beyonce and JAY-Z’s Gold party, which was super special, and I will never forget that experience, even though nothing was recorded. But it lives in the mind, and that is special, too. I also met JAY-Z. I met Beyoncé that night, too, and it was very special. It was one for the books; it was one of my all-time favourite performances because entertaining people who make music is different from entertaining fans.
Lastly, what can we expect from you in the next year or so? What’s next for SPINALL?
Honestly speaking, I can tell you for a fact that moving forward, you are about to be blown away. We have just joined forces with Epic Records, and they’re not playing, we’re not playing, LVRN is not playing, The Cap Music is not playing. There’s going to be so many beautiful records. I really want to release some of them today, but in no time, you’ll hear from us. You already know it’s going to be fire, for sure. I’m saying that with the most confidence. I know my records, and I’ve heard some of the things I’ve made, not just as the guy who made it, but as a fan, and I’m dancing.