Ayo Maff and Zinoleesky have released a new single dubbed Malaria, a street-pop single built around the metaphor of love as an infection, "love na malaria, and it go catch you one day." The song is distributed through Oceanstreet Creative and EMPIRE, and follows Ayo Maff's recent appearance on the track All You Need with MURPHY, Muyeez and Smallgod.
The record is a midtempo bounce that plays to each artist's strengths: Ayo Maff carries the heavier, baritone-leaning verses, while Zinoleesky slides into a brighter, more melodic lane for the chorus. The pairing feels overdue, given both artists have circled each other's lanes for years, Ayo Maff broke through via Dealer with Fireboy DML and built on that with his Maffian EP and the Prince of the Street tag, while Zinoleesky has built a reputation as the melodic guest who drops into other artists' records and leaves a hook behind.
The arrangement keeps both singers in clear focus throughout, letting their contrasting deliveries carry the record while the recurring "love and malaria" hook gives the song an immediately recognizable centerpiece.
Together, Malaria adds another entry to a busy September for both artists, positioning the song as a street-pop record with crossover appeal thanks to its catchy central conceit and complementary vocal chemistry.
Listen to Malaria here.
