WORDSPJ Some
CREATIVE DIRECTOR - Derrick Odafi
PROJECT MANAGER - Efosa Idubor-Williams
PHOTOGRAPHER - Peter Famosa
VISUAL DIRECTOR - Kris Declan
DOP - Jeremie Brivet
STYLIST - Nicole Vernon
STYLIST ASSISTANT - Hannah Mill
SET DESIGNER - Annie Alvin
SET DESIGN ASSISTANT - Mia-Violet Leach
GAFFER - Omar Sultan
MUA - Tia Louize
HAIRSTYLIST - Mary Lasile
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT - Guled Hassan
BTS - Jeremie Brivet
SPECIAL THANKS - TSE & Dylon
CREATIVE PRODUCTION - New Wave Studios
However, it is his latest offering, Subaru Boys: Final Heaven, which has established Cruel Santino as a standout in the Nigerian music landscape. It pickpockets from 2000s JRPGs, anime, electronic soundscapes and most importantly; imagination. We get isekai’d into an underwater metropolis, the characters of the game being fleshed out, fully-conceptualised identities who Santino has revealed on his Instagram. A digital “ka-ching” sound reminiscent of early SEGA games can be heard at the start of I Told Gus I’m Dreaming, a booming “are you ready for the time of your life?” opens up Tapenga all arcade-style, Final Champion feels like the soundtrack after successfully beating the final boss – the project’s zenith is the gratifying waves of nostalgia it simulates, while keeping futurism locked on its vertex.
Still, the protagonist is us. We experience cutscenes where we encounter new characters and discover their abilities, roam the map freely and grind to level ourselves up. It’s labyrinthine, avant-garde and volatile, with incandescent production, lush flows and apt features all contributing to the scenery. We drown out, experiencing the highs and lows of the synths and basses, drunk on those melodic ‘oohs’ ‘aahs’ and sounds of waves crashing on the sand. It’s a kaleidoscope of emotions. Final Heaven’s graph of peaks and consistency not only offer insight into the mind of the protagonist, but also the creator – we get a semblance of Santino as a person, what games he probably played as a child, who his musical influences are. What we perceive from the media is only one piece of the puzzle, so New Wave sat down with the virtuoso to complete it.
Shirt, Pariah
Tie, Pariah
Jacket, Jordanluca
To Survive Is To Adapt And Change: Cruel Santino Reclaims His Narrative
Cruel Santino is a long and meticulously-crafted alter-ego rather than just a moniker. Like many of our favourite artists, he was subject to the Soundcloud-to-stardom pipeline; teasing self-produced works here and there on the platform built him a steady following all the way back in 2011, when he was known as mystifying rapper Ozzy B. Diaries of a Loner, his debut mixtape, captivated listeners with its fringe hip-hop influences, with its followup Birth of Santi seeing him whisk 2010s Afrobeats into the mix. While Nigerian music was finding its footing in the Western sphere, Lagos-native Santino was chaotically ripping open a jagged space for himself.
A steady vibe-igniter and staple of the summer, 2019’s Mandy and the Jungle would see Cruel Santino become a household name among critics - the project follows the journey of “a girl who has no idea of the power that lies inside her,” a lovelorn trail exploring both her vices and her lusts. The fusion of Afrobeats and slow dancehall, topped off with Caribbean, American and African features, became tantamount to Santino’s signature musical fashion. Nigeria is a country held up by traditional values, but muffled on the edges of society are outliers like Santino, whose ascension to stardom signals that unfettered originality is to be esteemed too.
WORDS Ayis Stephen Diver
"People judge me based solely off the music I make, namely bigger songs like Rapid Fire, but that isn’t the full picture."
You changed your name to Cruel Santino from Santi. Did this also signify a change in your music style?
To be honest, I didn't change it because I wanted to, some dude in Spain wanted me to pay a crazy amount of money for me to have the name and I just…didn’t have time for that. I mean, my music is always changing anyways; I dropped Mandy and the Jungle like 3 years after I’d made it, and by the time it was released I was in a new state of mind and new era. I’d caught up with myself. I’d say Santi is a form of Cruel Santino and vice versa that i’d developed for a long time - we aren’t different people, he’s just another facet to this individual. I’ve learned to express myself in different ways and so I’ve created several characters that focus on specific traits of mine.
You just touched on Santi and Cruel Santino being different forms of the same person. What are Cruel Santino’s defining traits?
Really quiet - I actually don’t talk all that much. People judge me based solely off the music I make, namely bigger songs like Rapid Fire, but that isn’t the full picture. When people meet me for the first time and we have a conversation, they’re like “I didn’t think you’d be so xyz” but it’s because I’m so varied. You can’t really judge a person until you’ve really experienced them, you know? Cruel Santino is very “in his own world’ but also very expressive and outgoing, it’s kind of contradictory. I’d compare him to Jim Carrey, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill all meshed up in one body.
How do you process a striking body of work, be it music or art or fashion? And how do you integrate that inspiration into your own art?
I say this to my friend all the time: I think God blessed me with the ability to be able to transfer feelings into things. I feel so much. I cry during scenes of films that aren’t intended to make you cry. Like when I watched Nope, there was a scene where Keke and Daniel did a handshake or something, and it just triggered these random tears in me, I was thinking “this is real cinema.” The way I process music, films and clothes allows me to almost...sympathise with it? It’s too difficult to put into words. It's like there’s a component in my brain that switches on whenever I see something artistic or creative, and it’s like a machine that keeps me going. I can’t even control my reactions.
Subaru Boys is more than just an album. It's a universe that you created, with characters and storylines. How did this idea start and how do you feel as you watch it come into fruition?
It’s an idea that’s kind of been subconsciously growing my entire life. As i’ve developed, Subaru Boys has developed with me. I’m someone who loves anime; so much of my life is centralised on it, it allows me to escape and fantasise about different universes to ours.
About two years ago, after returning from a trip to London, I was playing this game called Steep, it was this snowboarding game on my PlayStation. I’ve never snowboarded before, I haven’t even seen snow in my life, but I remember that there was this song playing in the game that really moved me. I combined snowboarding, anime and gaming to create a matrix in my mind. I heard the music of this universe I wanted to create, I could see the characters, I knew what I wanted people to feel from this idea if I released it, so I decided to start a journey and take these ideas out of my head and onto paper.
Following on from that, what are some of your favourite anime and games?
Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain. There was a time when I was feeling kind of uninspired, like I didn’t really have many ideas, just stuck in a rut. Perhaps i’d worked too much and i’d exhausted myself. But then I started playing this game and suddenly had all these new thoughts rush in and reactivate my brain. I was like “this is what I live for.” It was made by Hideo Kojima. I think we’re kind of similar in the sense that he pushes the boundaries of his art field’s status quo. To me, the hack to making a great game is to make a great film, because a great film is a great game and vice versa. Phantom Pain just completely changed my life. It has all these CIA references, they manage to make technology look like magic, it’s like James Bond on crack.
In terms of anime, I would say Hellsing, the OVA. It’s called Hellsing Ultimate. The swag in that anime is crazy. Also Berserk 1997, it’s my holy grail. So i’d say those three pieces of art mainly, but also snowboarding games like Steep and Riders Republic.
Outside of your Nigerian background, how extensive was your African pool of influence too?
Most of what I know in my life, I just learned from watching TV, anime, films, games and whatever music my family put on. My mom went to London for a bit when I was younger, so I had an aunt who used to take care of me. She would play so much Francophone music. Sometimes I'll wonder, “why do I like fast music so much?” And then look back and it all makes sense. As a kid I didn’t used to do much outside of just consuming media. At this point i’m like an encyclopaedia, you could tell me anything and there’s a high chance i’ve watched it. From old Nollywood horror films to The Demon Headmaster.
Despite Subaru Boys being so sonically innovative and fresh, there's something nostalgic about it. Was that feeling of familiarity intended when you were conceptualising the project?
Yes, definitely. In every part of my music, I want there to be a sprinkle of nostalgia. It could be subtle and very muted, but it is always meant to be there. In order to feel, you need to remember. The music should be able to take you somewhere or at least evoke the thought “What is this feeling? Where have I experienced this before?” Even if they didn’t get that deja-vu, I want my listeners to desperately try to search for it.
With how genre defying the album is, how limiting is calling you an “alternative” artist? How does this label make its way into your life outside of being Cruel Santino?
I don’t feel like it’s even a choice at this point. In fact I didn't even know it was a thing until I actually started speaking to people and realised they were tagging me as that. I was like “oh, this is what they’re calling me?” To be honest, I think because I don’t speak all that often, people kind of just ran with whatever label they could find. If people search me up on Google, they’ll dub me whatever the first two or three articles did, because I don’t say too much about myself. The media has described me in this way. But now I’m starting to talk more, I want the media to describe me how I choose, I want to take back my own narrative and not be so boxed in.
One morning I didn’t clean my makeup off before I went to my kitchen. Someone close to me was like “Bro, you have makeup on?” and then started laughing like a crazy person. That’s so representative of the whole of Nigeria. If you express yourself in any way that’s different to everybody else, you’re essentially putting a target on your back.
“ I want the media to describe me how I choose, I want to take back my own narrative and not be so boxed in”
The song Mermaid Aqua feels like it's for the Subaru Girls. How important was it for you to highlight female artists such as Brazy, Bratzbih and Chi Virgo on the project?
My craft is heavily inspired by women. I primarily grew up with my mom and my aunties. In primary school when all the guys were playing sports or something, I’d chill with this girl who had all the Princess Diaries books, and i’d read them, as well as Gossip Girl. Women inspire me in such a special way. I have more girl friends than I have guy friends, and if not for the women in my life I wouldn’t be the way I am. They’re so much more thoughtful and feeling – they’re often encouraging me to be myself unapologetically. There’s so much freedom in the minds of women that just doesn’t exist in the minds of men, and they helped me explore my potential and see myself as limitless. I try everything because of them, I only have one life so I just do whatever. We’ll all die in the end anyway.
How important is colour to you in your artistry?
During the Mandy era, I was obsessed with black. I didn’t used to wear much colour at all, everything in my life was themed around black. When I went to London one time my friends encouraged me to dye my hair, so I decided to dye one strand of it and it actually looked mad stupid. Lancey told me to dye the whole thing, and honestly when I took his advice my life flipped a switch.
I felt like an anime character. Style is so important to who you are as a person, and just a small touch of colour can really brighten you up. It signifies so much – so many animes have bad guys who are identifiable purely by their colour palette. If he has red eyes or something, you know he’s a villain, colour is just so symbolic in that way. It can make you look sexy, swaggy or innocent.
The “Final Heaven” portion of the name of the album suggests that there's going to be another Subaru Boys project. Will you continue to refurbish your sound in these new additions?
Yeah, so far i’ve planned another three sequels for the universe. My mind is fast and i’m constantly consuming new stuff; recently i’ve been listening to a lot of indie music, i’m having lots of fun fusing Indie with Nigerian sounds and aesthetics. The thing is, I don’t want to get too lost on this one experiment because I know I will lose my progress in my journey and be stagnant. It’s about balance, and i’m always working on disciplining myself to keep playing with different sounds and staying on my toes.
How important is it to reinvent yourself? How do you release yourself from a state of stasis?
It’s very important because to me; I can compare it to method acting, to become something new you must shed the old you. Shedding your past self is brave, it is not easy to learn something foreign and unlearn your past behaviours. Getting out of my comfort zone means a lot to me. I even shed my inspiration sometimes – I’ve had artists who I really loved drop out of my pool of influence because they were afraid of trying something new. I have nothing against people who stick to their strengths, but that doesn’t resonate with who I am as a person. To survive is to adapt and change.
Having so many fans who found you through songs like Rapid Fire, was there a sense of anxiety before you released Subaru Boys considering how different it is to Mandy?
I always kept in the back of my mind that my true fans would expect this from me. I anticipated some controversial opinions on my new sounds, but I always knew that my cult fans would be the ones to appreciate it the most. I’d already started to enter a new era and some people were noticing it early, and I didn’t want to roll out the album through singles as I wanted it to be a standalone body of work, an unforgettable first-time experience. I just always kept affirming to myself that the ones who really know who I truly am, and who understand the type of musician I strive to be, would welcome Subaru Boys with open arms.
How do you stay motivated and vigilant within the heat of a creative block?
I don’t even like to call it a creative block, more just a temporary lack of inspiration. There’s one part of our brain that absorbs things consciously, and another that absorbs things subconsciously. I feel like people don't really know how important it is to constantly feed the subconscious of your mind: you could watch a horror movie and not believe much is happening, but your brain will process it regardless. It’s the same thing with music. Sometimes I go months without recording, but I don’t realise that all the music I’m listening to and consuming is slowly building its way into my subconscious, and forming bits of inspiration for future work. Then on a random day, I let it out. Also, my fans help me. I treat them like friends, like shareholders in fact. I’ll ask “What are we doing today” and they’ll advise me to drop this or that. It shows me they really care, and it keeps me going. My craft is intertwined with life.
As well as being a musician, you're a director. One notable visual you directed was the music video for U Say by GoldLink featuring Tyler, the Creator. How was that experience?
It was the first time i’d met Tyler, but I was so shy back then. I went to speak with him to advise him about the set and what he should do, but I started acting up and stuttering. So eventually I just gathered myself up and blurted everything out, but I was so nervous so I sounded ridiculous. I think he eventually realised that i’m a really weird guy. It was so mad, I couldn’t even look him in the eye at first, and he was like “BRO LOOK ME IN THE EYE!” When I did, we started talking as normal, and it was cool, he’s cool.
I also met Aisultan Seitov when I was there – he directed the music video for a lot by 21 Savage and J.Cole. Seeing how shy I was, he helped me get my ideas across. He inspired me to open my voice more, get more confident when trying out art forms that are newer to me. It was just a really fun shoot. I loved how experimental it was while also staying technical – I learned a lot about cinematography.
Another key moment in your career was the short film Raw Dinner. You touched on it before, but could you expand on how much Nollywood horror inspired Mandy in particular?
I feel like nothing can compete with old school, prime Nollywood horror aside from maybe Asian horror. If Ari Aster watched some old Nollywood horror films I think his brain would explode. There’s this film called End of the Wicked, directed by a woman named Helen Ukpabio. She started off as a witch, then became a pastor, then she entered filmmaking. Her films centered around her life as a witch and the things she would do, and her work used to absolutely terrify Nigeria. So many of our parents were traumatised by her. It was messed up, but I watched them growing up, all of them.
Back then, blood money and sacrifices were a big thing in Nigeria – kids would go missing out of nowhere and a lot of conspiracies came about. When I was a kid I was nearly kidnapped twice: I was once playing with my two friends outside, and these big guys stopped in a car close to us. They got out of the car, but there was a woman in the driver’s seat. She stared at me like she was analysing me, then decided not to do whatever she was intending on doing, then drove off. The big guys gave me candy after that.
There was another time that I was close to being kidnapped by our house help. My dad went to my room and saw me wrapped up. There was so much crazy stuff happening around me and around Nigeria as a whole, but it was so fascinating as a kid.
Full Look, Mowalola
“There was so much crazy stuff happening around me and around Nigeria as a whole, but it was so fascinating as a kid.”
Shirt, Mowalola
Jumper, John Lawrence Sullivan
Trousers, Mowalola
Full Look, Samuel Slattery
This New Wave edition’s theme is Resilience. Can you describe a time when you were resilient in the face of adversity?
When the alté movement was finding its footing, we got no love, it was a ton of hate from all sides. People didn’t understand what was happening and why these select group of people were trying to break out from the norm. When you’re not making Afrobeats as a Nigerian musician, you’re looked at differently. But there was also a lot of competition from all sides. I thought: we're all making great music, we're all great looking, why should we turn this industry into battlefield instead of coming together and creating beauty? When you’re Nigerian, you’re blessed in a specific way. We’re extravagant, we do too much, but we’re unapologetically Nigerian, and I think this is something the Western world hasn’t fully understood. Everything is so rooted here, the culture always shines through in whatever we create. These foundations have made us unstoppable.
When I come across obstacles, I just keep it pushing. I keep working hard and believing in my capabilities. If you truly believe you can persevere somehow from a situation, or you can bounce back even better, trust me, you will. We’re always improving ourselves, always getting better at what we do. Resilience comes with evolution.
What advice would you give to newer up-and-coming young Nigerian creatives right now, some of whom are trying to follow in the footsteps of yourself?
Stay true to your cause, God will guide you on the journey. There was one time when I was still working on Mandy, I sat down and just cried because I didn’t know how to finish it or what to do at that moment, but I decided that I was gonna keep it moving and God would finish the rest for me. When you know what your purpose is, when you know what you were put on earth to fulfil, life moves accordingly. Just do your part as best as you can. Everyone has their own crazy story. Everyone has seen something that no one else has seen before.
Finally, what’s 2023 gonna look like for you?
More shows, more videos, more music. I'm gonna have as much fun as I can in everything I do. I want to get higher mentally, physically, spiritually. Keep creating and being myself.
“We’re extravagant, we do too much, but we’re unapologetically Nigerian, and I think this is something the Western world hasn’t fully understood.”
