Once again, there is a Nigerian music talent who is on the rise. He is doing the country proud at home and especially in the United Kingdom. Truly, Adam Efiong Ephraim aka Equation Billionz (EQB) is a multi-talented artiste.
He is unique for his signature blend of United Kingdom rap and African vibes, which results in what he calls AfroBrit.
While growing as a young boy, the UK-born and based Nigerian artiste had a knack for drama, football and music, his main love. He started playing football since he could walk, kicking football around the garden with his dad and friends before growing to play for various local sides in Kent and London.
He played for the Under 10s of his local team Woodpeckers FC, as well as for the Under 15s Chatham FC, playing left wing back. In 2015, he attended the Liverpool Youth Academy and was awarded a certificate of merit, which sits proudly among his other awards of achievements. Although he loves playing football, his passion for music seemed stronger and at the age of 14, he released his first video called Panda. His love for music started with UK rap and listening to artistes such as Skepta, Stormzy and Kano.
As he grew older, he became aware of Afrobeat and fell in love with the African-themed music genre, while being inspired by Nigerian artistes such as Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, as well as, DJ Spinall. “My kind of music is a mix of UK and African vibes”, EQB says. “I get very creative especially at night when I write most of my lyrics”.
He regards himself as an artiste willing to experiment with different genres of music and would like to collaborate with jazz, reggae and other genres of music. “Music has no limits and I want to be part of this exciting journey”, he further says.
To activate his passion for Afrobeat, and with his parents’ blessings, he came home to Nigeria a few years ago and met great producers and music directors, resulting in the release of several singles.
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In 2019, he was invited to Atlanta where he was able to meet with A-list artistes such as Bobby Valentino and the legendary Tony Terry and then he was also able to produce some yet to be released collaborations. Faaji, EQB’s first single, was inspired by the hustling and bustling atmosphere he saw in Lagos when he came over, and he had to learn Yoruba and Pidgin English quickly, and had so much fun doing that. “No matter what, everyone seemed so happy and in a party mood and that inspired me”, he enthuses.
As well, ‘Nowadays’, his second single featuring Teni Makanaki was recorded as he was inspired by the strength each of them could bring as a collaboration. He brought his unique UK rap vibe to that song, which was well received in the UK and Africa and is streaming fast on all platforms. Yet, another track, ‘Swing My Way’ was recorded in the Manchester UK amid huge success.
“I wanted the fans both in the UK and Africa to listen to a blend of Afrobeat and UK vibe. This song is currently getting excellent streaming and is one to watch out for”, EQ says for his track, ‘Swing My Way’.
Commenting on JEJE, one of his tracks, EQB says, “This was at a time when I was learning to speak Yoruba and that word was really catchy. So, along with my producer, we found a way of making it into a cool jam”.
However, Equation Billionz has other songs such as Pay 4 It and Rising Star, which both have AfroBrit, his signature blend of UK rap and African vibes.
Autè, his next new venture, was released in 2021. Autè (Authentic) had rave reviews with its fresh new vibe and got lots of radio and club play. “I wanted something that people around the world could jump to and be happy”, EQB says. It has thousands of streams online and is still going strong. Currently his latest single “Benz” is out on all digital platforms. Commenting on the latest hit, he says, “With this single, the plan was to go a bit mellow but still retain the Afrobeat vibe. I was also keen to show my versatility by rapping in it with a mix of pidgin.” Already, his fans, who are called ‘The Equators’, have taken to it like a fish in water. He also has a unique way of reaching out to his fans. More recently there was a Benz Challenge where fans produced creative videos and renditions of the new hit on Instagram and other social media.
In a short time EQB has shot a few videos across different countries including Nigeria and the UK in spite of all the COVID-19 restrictions that have limited most artistes from doing more in recent time.
However, he and his team were as creative as they could be so as not to let his fans (The Equators) down.
Equation promises his fans an exciting 2021 and beyond to lift spirits after a terrible 2020.
“2020 was the most difficult year ever with the virus worldwide along with issues that have recently affected the lives of Nigerians. I aim to do my bit in 2021 and beyond by singing uplifting songs that will get people of all works of life happy and on their feet dancing”, he notes.
In reference to Swing My Way, one of his lyrics, he assures his fans of some exciting collaborations too because Equation Billionz will be at their doorsteps soon.
It would be recalled that this year, Equation evolved and re-launched into Equation Billionz. This was in recognition of his lofty ambitions to become a well-established artiste and refreshing his brand by doing so.
