“INFERNO” has been out since October 29, five days after Zlatan’s traditional wedding in Lagos, and its hook lands on “Time to marry.” On the Official Afrobeats Chart for November 8 to 14, the Peruzzi, Zlatan and Shoday single debuts at No. 2.
Only one song sits above it. Blaqbonez and Asake’s “IKEBE 3000” holds No. 1 in its fifth week on the chart. Ayra Starr and ZAYN’s “HEAVEN BABY,” last week’s No. 2, slips to No. 3 in its 12th week. “INFERNO” is the highest of the week’s three new entries in the top 20. Omah Lay and Gunna’s “BACK TO LAGOS” arrives at No. 11, and Mavo and DJ 808’s “SHENK ME” at No. 19.
The Nigerian charts have not caught up yet. The latest TurnTable charts cover October 23 to 29, which counted only the song’s release day. In that window “INFERNO” entered the Official Streaming Songs chart at No. 47 and the Official Nigeria Top 100 at No. 67. Its first full week at home is still to be published, but the daily numbers point one way: as of November 7, it had spent ten straight days at No. 1 on Spotify’s daily chart in Nigeria, with 416,129 streams that day.
The record is built for a crowd. It opens on a chant (“Oya baby baby / Biggy biggy / Shake what? Shake body”) and the drums sit right at the front, and the energy picks up in the back half of the Apple Music preview. The chorus is mostly vowels under “Could this be love? / You do me all,” and Loud Urban Choir sings backing vocals behind it.
Apple Music lists four co-producers: Sensei, Irock Classic, Fresh VDM and Iroko bass. Mix Monster mixed it. The three singers are the credited songwriters, under their names Tobechukwu Victor Okoh, Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael and Shodade Solomon Segun.
Radio in Lagos is on it too. On the morning of November 9, Peruzzi reposted two stations in the city playing the song. The trio are already teasing more. Later that morning, Zlatan posted “MOTION BOYZ -9-5”, then asked Peruzzi and Shoday to let him change one line on it.
Update, November 9: On TurnTable’s YouTube songs list for Nigeria for October 30 to November 5, “INFERNO” is No. 1 with 785K, ahead of Davido, FOLA and Mayorkun’s “B4 B4” at 436K.
Listen on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ng/album/inferno/6826638611?i=6826638612
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3FCIOA44iYIDsjDNeXthc1