Shaped by the adversity of his upbringing, Crayon (born Chibueze Chukwu) always held an innate conviction to eclipse the limitations of his neighbourhood, and through music, he found relief. From idolizing superstars such as 2face, D’banj, and Wizkid, Crayon has risen through the ranks to emerge as one of the biggest musical exports from his neighbourhood and the most prominent beacon of hope for kids who now face the adversity he once battled.
Born in the suburbs of Lagos State in Orile and raised on the outskirts in Ojoo, Crayon had limited career paths to dream of when he was young. “Growing up was beautiful, even though it was filled with struggles. In my hood, no one really makes it out. It was either music, or you are playing football, or you are doing streets” he says candidly, while the stylist steamblows his outfits in the Ikoyi studio where we are scheduled to shoot his cover photos. Undeterred by the bleak prospects around him, Crayon pursued his dreams ardently “I used to play football. I am still good at it. When I was thirteen or fourteen, I went to one popular football tryout. Selected people were going to go to Manchester United’s academy; I was initially picked but replaced by someone else. I was so heartbroken at that time.”
I used to play football. I am still good at it. When I was thirteen or fourteen, I went to one popular football tryout. Selected people were going to go to Manchester United’s academy; I was initially picked but replaced by someone else. I was so heartbroken at that time.
Crayon
Crayon turned to the one thing that had always existed around him, music. His father was a master of ceremonies who was simultaneously in the business of selling musical CD’s. When Crayon’s dreams of becoming a footballer did not materialize and his university ambitions did not come alive as envisioned, he found recourse in music, holding onto it as the weapon he needed to soldier on with in his pursuit to create a better life. “My mom used to complain about the people I was moving with, but I felt like I couldn’t move around with my agemates; we would make the same mistakes. One of my OG’s back then took me to Shoprite, and I told him I wanted to start making music, so I started writing songs in my exercise book. The first person that pressed record in my first studio session was Ozedikus. ”
Ozedikus is a music producer most famous for helming the beat behind Rema’s break-out single, Dumebi. At the time Crayon and Ozedikus crossed paths, both of them were rookies in the music industry with a shared belief in the weight of their potential and the beauty of their dreams. “I made one song called Rihanna, and everyone in my hood was going crazy. At the time, I started getting small birthday parties to perform at. Then, I made another song called Long Throat, and everybody loved it. At some point, Ozedikus stopped charging me to make music”.
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Bolstered by the encouraging reception of his music in the community, Crayon was charged with magnifying his propulsive music career, and he never shied away from the challenge. He single-handedly took his music to radio stations with the hope of getting some airplay and after multiple attempts, he struck gold at the hands of on an on-air personality named Super Prince at City Fm in Lagos “Super Prince had a show called Push or Play. You know the crazy thing was that the day before my song got played on radio, my friends were teasing me that they had heard my song on radio, and when he played it, I ran from my house to my friends house. He played Rihanna, Long Throat, and Vibe on You. It was crazy ”
The photoshoot finally swings into motion, and Crayon is decked out in a brown two-piece suit that hugs his frame tightly and offers a business-minded detail to his disposition. His first gnaw at the music business, however, would come in 2017 through Mavin-affiliated producer, Babyfresh, who had heard his music and requested his presence at the Mavin Studios in Lekki, Lagos “I called Ozedikus, and we went together. I remember taking a picture outside the building and posting it on Facebook. Babyfresh spoke with us and asked if we wanted to come to the studio, and immediately I entered the studio, I saw Don Jazzy, Big N, and Dr. Sid. I was star struck. Long Throat caught Don Jazzy’s attention, and then I started going back and forth from home to the Mavin studio.”
Don Jazzy is one of the most pulsating figures in the Nigerian music industry. In the early 2000s, Don Jazzy was the avant-garde producer shaping the Afrobeats soundscape and shepherding the rise of artists such as D’Banj, Wande Coal,
D’Prince, Tiwa Savage, Reekado Banks, and more. In 2018, under the umbrella of Don-Jazzy-led Mavin Records, Crayon signed his first record deal with Blowtime Entertainment “I called my mom when I got the contract. I told her that I was going to stop her from selling fruits by the roadside, and my biggest achievement is that I was able to do that two years later.
I called my mom when I got the contract. I told her that I was going to stop her from selling fruits by the roadside, and my biggest achievement is that I was able to do that two years later.
Crayon
Following his signing to Africa’s biggest music label, Crayon released his debut EP, Cray Cray, in 2019, spurring the hit single “So Fine”. “I made that song by 4 a.m. in the morning. Back then, we were in the Mavin Academy and there was no time to record because there was Tiwa, Reekado, Korede Bello and many others.”
While So Fine marked the emergence of Crayon in 2018, the 25-year-old singer failed to register a critically acclaimed single until the release of Overdose in 2022, despite releasing a bevvy of singles and a second EP titled, Twelve AM, with guest appearances by labelmate Rema, Bella Shmurda, and One Acen “Overdose is a blessing. I had just come out of the hospital, and the A&R team reached out and said they wanted to drop a Mavin song, and they wanted me to take the hook. When the song came together, we just knew it was special. For me, Overdose was the song that reshaped things for me.”
The poppy hooks on the Mavin posse-cuts, Overdose and Won Da Mo, fashioned Crayon’s comeback into the limelight, garnering endorsements from trailblazers such as Wizkid and earning Crayon the nickname, Captain Hook. “The day Wizkid commented on my page was the day I went to Shrine and Surulere to dance to the song. Overdose was my first number one record, and the first person I called was Rema. We both know the struggle so it was just genuine happiness.”
Crayon shapeshifted into the second look in no time—a white tracksuit lined with red stripes. Soon after, he had everyone laughing, crafting jokes out of thin air, and reeling everyone involved with the production with warmth and his infectious energy. The artist has been vocal about his struggles with depression, vividly documenting his woes and successes on social media.
I am a different kind of artist; there’s realness, there’s vulnerability.
Crayon
His debut album, Trench To Triumph, earmarks everything Crayon represents. He is aware of the weight he carries as a vessel of hope for a younger generation, but he especially wants them to learn that he is as human as they are, and if he can do it, they also can.
I feel like not every artist is open to being vulnerable. Some people might feel like it makes them weak, but for me, I think it makes me stronger. It makes you supreme. At the end of the day, we’re all humans, and nobody has this thing all figured out. We are trying to figure this out, step by step, brick by brick. Even Jesus was vulnerable when he was on earth, so who are you?
Crayon
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