Known for treating every release as a fully realized world rather than simply a collection of songs, Cruel Santino once again expands the boundaries of contemporary African music with the release of his next single “Big Drop”. The song is off Santino’s forthcoming new album KOTB – The Bomberman Chronicles due Nov 6th and features fellow Nigerian rapper, singer and producer Zaylevelten.
Speaking about the new single Cruel Santino shares, “Big Drop speaks for itself. It’s the first record Zaylevelten and I have made together, and I wanted it to feel like a fun musical journey through different sounds and scapes.There are four producers who worked on this asides myself and I had fun sound designing the whole track. There are loads of audio candies splattered inside the song alongside OctobersRich intro as well as the outro. It’s a proper song that describes the album.”
Cruel Santino blends genre and visual storytelling into a singular creative vision with KOTB – The Bomberman Chronicles. The world of the upcoming album is a mix of, as Cruel Santino puts it, “Spy lore meets royal regalia, James Bond meets Final Fantasy.” The album is set 3000 years in the future and follows the journey of a company that supplies household weapons to eliminate sea creatures that are terrorizing the community.
“Big Drop” follows previously released singles “International Collector” and “Oz.” The former pairs Santino’s understated melodic delivery with atmospheric production and fluid percussion, reflecting the global perspective that has long defined his artistry. Its accompanying music video offers a stylish glimpse into the larger narrative unfolding across KOTB. Watch it HERE. “Oz” reunites Santino with longtime collaborator and producer Vic Reagan and features Nigerian rapper Jeriq on a collaboration fans have eagerly anticipated. “‘Oz’ represents one of the original foundations of what I call the bounce,” Santino explains. “It goes back to the sounds and energy that inspired this journey. Vic is one of my closest friends, and having Jeriq on the record made it feel complete.”
With KOTB – The Bomberman Chronicles, Cruel Santino continues to push beyond conventional genre boundaries, building an expansive creative universe where music and mythology intersect. Stay tuned for more from Cruel Santino coming soon.
