A very interesting thing about the Nigerian music space is the presence of a teenage sensation every time. With artists, we had it with the Wizkids and Davidos, The Kizz Daniels and Dijas, and the Remas and Ayra Starrs.
With producers, it’s almost the same story. Pheelz started working with Olamide very early and produced the smash hit ‘First Of All’ at the age of 16. Young Jonn would also start working with Olamide at the age of 16, and would later go on to produce ‘Story For The Gods’.
These two guys would then go on to dominate the production scene for years, establishing themselves as legends before crossing over to making music and becoming hitmakers.
History would repeat itself with Peace Emmanuel Aderogba Oredope, the individual we would come to know as P.Priime. A 17-year-old producer would burst onto the scene with A-level production on Fireboy’s Like I Do, Zlatan’s Compulsory Course as well as DJ Cuppy’s Gelato with Zlatan. Everyone seemed to be amazed by the new talent fresh off The Sarz Academy and wanted to work with him.
He kicked off 2020 on a high, and his work on Zlatan’s Lagos Anthem would spark a generational run of hit songs produced by the Lagos-born superstar. Records like Loading by Bad Boy Timz, Unripe Pawpaw by Zlatan, Reekado Banks’s Ozumba Mbadiwe, and Egungun Be Careful by Obesere and Zlatan would define a sound that had the street in a chokehold. He had the streets moving, and the execs paying attention. It wasn’t a surprise when Olamide’s Carpe Diem album dropped and he produced 7 of the 10 songs on the album, including hits like Infinity with Omah Lay, Green Light, and Eru.
He would take this on to 2021. At this point, one thing becomes very clear. P Priime has the sound the street dances to in his palms. Peruzzi would find a hit in Southy Love, Wizkid would tap into the sound for his Made In Lagos Deluxe Edition, and we’d witness Anoti. Nothing would come close to Zazoo, however. Producing the hit that’d debut Portable is no small feat, and he made sure to deliver immensely. Zazoo sealed his dominance of the sound of the streets, and Priime was ready for new challenges.
2022 brought new things to his doorstep, and he willingly took them on. His genius wasn’t deniable anymore. He wasn’t a one-off. He wasn’t a one-year wonder. He’d start to work with artists with a wider soundscape, like Wande Coal on Hate Me. He’d diversify with Poco Lee’s Yard. He’d make bangers with Victony on Apollo and Omah Lay on Woman. What stood out to many was his production of Asa’s V album. Many didn’t expect someone so popular for his dominance on the streets to create that level of magic with Asa.
He would go on to do more for himself, securing one of the best yearly catalogs we would see in a while for a producer. Songs like Wizkid’s Pressure, Burna Boy’s Alone, Fireboy’s Bandana, Davido & Pheelz’s Electricity, DJ Tunez’s Majo, Lojay’s Leader, and more went from recordings on his laptop to being successful hit songs in the market.
2023 was a landmark in his career. 5 years in the game, and only 21 years old. High points like producing Girl Next Door for Ayra and Tyla, DND, Smooth Criminal and Don’t Leave for Rema on his Ravage EP and Piano for Oxlade stood out. He also collaborated with the Pepsi Music Academy and EMPIRE to run a campaign for the academy and upcoming artists. He ended the year with production credits on Wizkid’s S2 EP, a testament to his status as one of the gatekeepers of the sound.
2024 started with P Priime being announced as a judge on MTN Project Fame alongside legends like Sarz and Puffy Tee. He’d go on to do something spectacular for himself, having at least a song on almost every mainstream album to drop in the year. From Jazzy’s Song on The Year I Turned 21, Risk on Stubborn, March Am, HEIS, Yayo, Villian, Now I Know on HEIS, Skating and MMS on Lungu Boy, Back To You on Tyla, and 50 Billion on Jiggy Forever. He also produced DJ Spinall’s One Call with Omah Lay and Tyla.
P.Priime’s contributions to the Nigerian music industry have earned him recognition in various award shows and events including the Best Global Music Album category in the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Wizkid’s Made in Lagos: Deluxe Edition. He also secured two 2025 Grammy nominations for his contributions as a producer on Asake and Wizkid’s MMS and Rema’s HEIS album.
He also produced three of the tracks from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – “Anya Mmiri” by CKay ft. PinkPantheress, “Alone” by Burna Boy, and “Coming Back For You” by Fireboy DML.
In an overly saturated industry, P Priime has managed to build something legendary for himself. With six years in the game under his belt, he has gone on to produce over 60 hit songs as well as secure many certifications and plaques across continents. With three Grammy nominations to his name and hundreds of millions of streams, P Priime has placed himself as one of the cornerstones of Afrobeats, guiding and shaping the soundscape year after year.
It begs the question. If we were to judge by merits and achievements alone, how close is P Prime to being the greatest Afrobeats producer of all time? Is it too early to rank him with people like Sarz and Don Jazzy? If we can agree with Rema and open the conversation to a big 4 due to achievements and international recognition, should we do the same for P Priime? If not, why not? After all, they both debuted in 2019 and have gone on to be masters and dictators in their own space.
