In Nigerian music, few figures command the respect Olamide does. He’s the veteran who fleshed out the groundwork for the modern street-pop sound, an OG who has consistently used his platform not just to stay on top, but to pull new talent up with him. His influence is now most acutely felt through the success of his YBNL label, which has become the de facto star-making institution for the sound he helped pioneer. A street pop visionary turned mainstream kingmaker turned elder statesman, Olamide has navigated nearly every iteration of Nigerian pop music. So “99,” the new posse cut with Asake, Seyi Vibez, Young Jonn, and Daecolm, is a big Lagos party thrown by the guy who basically built the hall.

Asake and Seyi Vibez have been on top of the streetpop wave for a while, and their respective corners of the internet have been treating it like a title fight. Both pulling crazy numbers. If anyone could broker this détente on a record, it would be Olamide and the fact that he really did is proof of his undisputed authority. The sound of “99” is familiar. Heavy log drums sit underneath everything, the same ones that have driven so much of Afrobeats’ dance floor in the last two years. What gives the track its edge is the influence of 3-step Afro House, a style that has crept into Nigerian music from amapiano and Afro-electronic scenes elsewhere. What truly makes “99” hit most is how it places these artists in direct conversation, each presence a stark illustration of their respective ascensions.