The Nigerian underground has been moving like a fountain that just won’t run dry, every few weeks, there’s another gem bubbling up, feeding us something new. One of those voices on our radar is Artsalghul (real name: Dámilólá-Abíódún Olábìyí — yes, first names joined with a hyphen). At 26, the Osun State native has carved out a unique sound, one might consider as opium music and that’s definitely not for Shallipopi, lacing it with Nigerian languages, filmic darkness and underground grit. His tracks started catching fire on TikTok, drawing comparisons to Zaylevelten, who he mentions as one of his music influences in this interview. With both film and music in his skillbox, we had to sit him down for this edition.
Q: Where did you grow up, and what’s your educational background?
I grew up in Ede, Osun. None. Just went to film school after sec school & that’s it. (Can’t mention which film school tho).😭 I studied screenwriting, direction, moved to Lagos 2021 to pursue a film career. The rest of the story is in the answers. Film school was in Ibadan. The only school I went to out of my hometown.
Q: How did you get into music?
Like I said, I’m a filmmaker and my goal was to learn music composition and production so I could make original scores and soundtrack for my movies. Long before I enrolled in film school, I dabbled in music here and there, but not consistently or professionally. It was mostly demos recorded on my phone. Then, in September 2024, I stumbled on a Zaylevelten snippet on my TikTok. It blew my mind. Hearing a (sub)genre of foreign music I greatly love, done by a Naija artist. That was my introduction to the Nigerian Underground scene. So I abandoned plans of making music for films and started experimenting with the underground sound instead. I reached out to Zay on X on how to go about getting placements and he added me to an Instagram group chat where I met other ng ug artists and here we are.
Q: What year would you say things got serious?
Professionally, September 2024. But, like I said, I’ve been toying with music-making from my teenage years since hearing Olamide’s Rhapsody.
Q: How did you come up with the name ARTSALGHUL?
I’m a big fan of movies and shows, and a bigger fan of DC comics. I was introduced to Ra’s Al Ghul from the show, Arrow. I instantly liked the name, how it sounded & what it meant (the demon’s head/the head of the demon). Also, he’s badass. Dude has a pit that revives dead people. So when it was time to make music, I took inspiration from the name and named myself ARTS AL GHUL (but written together). This means “the demon’s art/the art of the demon,” and is the reason why my music is dark and explicit. Not for saints.
Q: You’re currently anonymous. What’s the thought behind that?
The sane and casual answer is I’m introverted and I’m not yet comfortable enough to show the world what I look like fully. A more straight answer would be I don’t like the people online enough to show them my face lmao.
Q: How do you feel at this moment in your career?
Honestly, I was making music for fun and for the potential of using them in my movies. Yes, I went to film school and I’m a budding filmmaker. I didn’t expect to get this much attention in less than a year of professionally making music. So, I feel kind of fulfilled and happy with myself because I’m not gonna lie, I was depressed as a full-time filmmaker. I got no real placements or gigs that could take my film career to the next level. And for music? It’s looking like I’m gonna make something of myself with it. So, I am happy and anxious at the same time.
Q: How would you describe your sound?
I am genre-fluid. I’ve basically switched sounds with every project, so I can’t really say I make this one (or two) particular genre(s). All I know is they’re all experimental and are mostly subgenres of hip-hop. I mean, that’s what the underground is all about. Experimenting and pushing the boundaries of what is sonically possible.
Q: Who are some of your biggest influences right now?
Right now… Yeat, Lunchbox, Brotherkupa, Pa1n, Underdawgbuju and Zaylevelten.
Collaboration every time, bro. The only people I’m in competition with are myself & death. So, I can’t really do anything else but collaborate with other artists or leave them alone. And I love collaboration because almost every time I make music with a new artist/producer, I end up unlocking new potential sounds I didn’t know I had.
Q: Making beats or recording music — what’s your favorite part?
I’m a producer-artist, so I enjoy doing both, naturally. Nothing beats the feeling of making a beat with another artist and recording on it immediately. Recently did this and it’s euphoric.
Q: What’s your reaction to all the co-signs you’ve gotten so far, and which one surprised you the most?
I still can’t believe the mainstream folks are tapped in and watching. Every co-sign up till now warms my heart greatly and wasn’t expected at all. Bloody Civilian’s surprised me the most, because she’s way high up on the list of people I respect in the industry. She’s a goated artist and an even more goated producer. Insane talent lives in her.
With hard-hitting tracks like sl1ck, amapiano baddies$, and ghanamu$tgo buzzing online, plus that viral moment when Shallipopi himself tweeting Artsaghul’s lyric, “this beat is not for Shallipopi”, it’s safe to say this year has been a hope-restoring one for him. The Nigerian underground is in the middle of a real revolution, a sonic awakening that the world needs to pay close attention to, and at Greencamp we’ve made it our mission to document it properly. That’s why we’re shining the spotlight on names like Artsalghul, who’ll be taking the stage at Greencamp Festival 2025: Rushmore Naija Underground. Anticipate his performance, and drop a comment on which names you’re hoping to see at the festival this year.
