Renowned Afrobeats artist Oxlade, whose real name is Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, has shared his story of overcoming challenges on his journey to fame.

In a recent episode of the Afrobeats podcast hosted by Adesope Olajide, the gifted singer disclosed that before attaining celebrity status, he used to sleep beneath Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos. Oxlade had taken this drastic step after leaving his parents’ home, as his father, a university lecturer, did not support his aspirations of becoming a musician. Determined to pursue his dreams, he decided to run away from home.

During the podcast, the ‘Ku Lo Sa’ hitmaker further revealed that he resorted to selling BRT bus tickets as a means of survival. This additional source of income helped him make ends meet during his challenging times.

Oxlade said …

“Back then, I used to sleep at Ojuelegba barrack bridge sometimes. I did several menial jobs to survive. I was selling BRT tickets.

If you don’t take your time to create some songs or create anything, it’s gonna sound rushed. If you rushed in, you rushed out.

I am not looking for hits, I am looking for classics. I mean, ‘Away’ is four or three years old, but it’s still banging. ‘Ku Lo Sa’ is a year old, it still bangs. ‘O2’ from nowhere, it just blew up last year. These songs are old, but they still have value right now.

I don’t want to mention names but I know of a lot of artists that dropped songs last year that blew up but they are gone now. I’m not trying to impress, I’m trying to leave a long lasting image in your head.”