Oga Boss is the second studio album by Nigerian rapper Illbliss. It was released on 30 November 2012, by Capital Hill Music. The album features guest appearances from Chidinma, Tha Suspect, Ice Prince, Phyno, Del B, Timaya, Banky W., Silvastone, Naeto C, Wizboyy, Stormrex and R Cube. The album's production was handled by Tha Suspect, Phyno, Legendury Beatz, XYZ, Silvastone, Wizboyy, Wazzbeat, and Del B. Oga Boss was supported by the singles, "Illyminate", "Emi Ni Baller", "Anamachi Kwanu", "My Heart Beats", and "Naalu Ekene". The album was primarily recorded in English, Pidgin English, and Igbo.
Singles The lead single "Anamachi Kwanu" features vocals and production from Phyno. "Anamachi Kwanu" was released on 17 October 2011 and was nominated for Best Rap Single at The Headies 2013. The album's second single "I'm Going In" was released on 16 November 2011. It was produced by Wazzbeat. The third single, "Illyminate", features vocals from Tha Suspect and was produced by Tha Suspect. "Illyminate" was released on 31 December 2011. The fourth single "Emi Ni Baller" features Chidinma and Tha Suspect and was produced by Legendury Beatz. The song was released on 14 September 2012. "Emi Ni Baller" was nominated for Best Collaboration at The Headies 2013. The fifth single "2 Hands" was released on 25 October 2012. It features R Cube. The sixth and final single is a remix of one of Illbliss's earlier singles, "My Heart Beats". The remix features Banky W. and Silvastone and was produced by Silvastone.
Critical reception Ayomide Tayo of Nigerian Entertainment Today rated the album a 4/5, stating that "Illbliss doesn’t make an attempt to please everyone. He is comfortable where he is at in the game. His sophomore album is a testament of hard work, ambition, determination and success. With a confident and solid second album, Illbliss reigns as the boss of all bosses." Ogaga Sakpaide of tooXclusive, who rated it a 3.5/5, felt that Oga Boss showcased Illbliss reclaiming his spot in Nigerian hip-hop with a strong lineup of guest artists and producers, even if it leaned a little too heavily on collaborations. He praised standout tracks like “Anamachi Kwanu", “Illyminate", and “Naalu Ekene", noting their energy and emotional resonance, while also highlighting the chemistry Illbliss shared with artists like Chidinma and Banky W. Donboye concluded that the album “packs the punch placing the ‘Ruler’ in the forefront once again.” In a retrospective review, Adeayo Adebiyi of Pulse Nigeria said he enjoyed the album, describing it as "sensational body of work that thematically brands Illbliss as the Big boss of Nigerian Hip Hop".
Accolades + Awards and nominations for Oga Boss Organization Year Category Result The Headies 2013 2013 Best Rap Album
Track listing
Personnel
Illbliss – primary artist Phyno – featured artist Tha Suspect – featured artist Chidinma – featured artist Naeto C – featured artist Wizboyy – featured artist Timaya – featured artist Silvastone – featured artist Ice Prince – featured artist Banky W. – featured artist Stormrex – featured artist Del B – featured artist Del B – featured artist Phyno – producer Wizboyy – producer Tha Suspect – producer XYZ – producer Silvastone – producer Legendury Beatz – producer Wazzbeat – producer Tha Suspect – mastering engineer Clarence Peters – video director
Release history +Release history and formats for Oga Boss Region Date Format Label Nigeria 30 November 2012
References