Tunde Olaniran is bold. The Flint, Michigan artist uses thumping synths and his massive vocal range throughout his debut LP, Transgressor, to span the wide spectrum of pop music—electronic, hip-hop, and glam are made relentlessly danceable, geared toward both bouncing clubs and solo listeners.
On “KYBM,” Olaniran embraces intense bass as he suavely stumbles through jerky beats. He raps slowly and deliberately, delivering lines matter-of-factly. The occasional shifts toward tender sing-song, if only for a couple syllables, are clues to his spectacular vocal chops. Often jumping up an octave for just a couple words, Olaniran is as at home with wild harmonic changes as with sweaty 808s and a defiant punk attitude. Supremely modern, Tunde Olaniran has his finger squarely on the pulse of the many veins of today’s pop music. Simultaneously tender, sexy, and audacious, “KYBM”—and all of Transgressor—are on the bleeding edge. Olaniran is unabashedly of-the-moment, but his talent reveals that he’s much more than a trend.
Transgressor is out now on Quite Scientific.
