Azekel ft: Ivy Sole - Just Expectationz (Official Video)

Nigerian-born, London-raised artist Azekel reveals his latest track ‘Just Expectationz’ ft. Ivy Sole, taken from his forthcoming mixtape ‘Analyze Love’ (out March 17). The track is out now on all good streaming platforms, and accompanied by the official video.

Written and recorded on tour in 2019, ‘Just Expectationz’ is the third track to come from the artists upcoming mixtape ‘Analyze Love’. A track exploring themes of the harsh reality of love and sacrifice, it moves away from dreamy infatuation to a more negative yet realistic viewpoint. Azekel flexes his production prowess once again, creating a more soft rock sounding beat, whilst calling upon Philly rapper Ivy Sole to add her own take to elevate it to the next level. ”I started writing the moment I heard the song,” the collaborator adds. “Azekel’s pen and voice are so distinctly smooth, so I approached the song with some staccato, imagined some relationships past and let the production lead me. The result was a bit of transatlantic magic.”

Analyze Love is a 15-track mixtape recorded across London and Ghana during the Covid-19 lockdown, showcasing Azekel’s deft production, songwriting and vocal abilities. Exploring notions of love ranging from romance to parenthood to kinship and community, it’s all expressed from Azekel’s vantage point as a British-Nigerian. The first of a three-part trilogy of projects, the artist called upon Grammy winner Om’mas Keith to executively produce all three records to be released on Mr Eazi’s ever-lauded imprint EmPawa Africa. Experiencing a wide range of emotions during the recording of the album, he tapped into the complex yet natural concepts of masculinity – at once strong and tender, proud and humble, expressive and restrained. “It was good to tap into these emotions, I think it's something that isn’t done often and needs to be done more, it's a specific nuanced emotion that isn’t regularly explored”, the artist states.