Nigerian music producer, Alli Odunayo, better known as Telz, has recounted how he told his friends that he would die if he didn’t hit stardom in 2020.
He said he made the vow on the first day of January, and seven days later, BNXN, formerly known as Buju, asked him to accompany him to see Burna Boy. Telz said it was while at Burna Boy’s house that he grabbed an opportunity to produce the singer’s hit song ‘Naughty by Nature’ the first day they met.
The 26-year-old disclosed this while appearing on the latest episode of the All-Nighter podcast.
He said,
“The first day of January [2020], something happened. I came back from church, I went to pick my friends up, not like I went to church. I came back and I was like, ‘Yo guys if I don’t blow this year, I will die.’
“They said, ‘Guy, why would you say that?’ Seven days after, we were at this Ijoya camp, and then Buju [BNXN] is like, ‘Yo Telz, I’m going to Burna Boy’s house, do you want to follow me?’ I was like, yeah, sure.
“We went there. It was me, him and Tomiwa his manager and then Sess the producer. Obviously, Sess was the main producer and me, I’m just Buju’s guy who is a producer. Normally, when you go and see celebrities, they come out maybe like one or hours after, but as we opened the door, Burna was smoking. And I was like, wow! Burna Boy.
“From there, him [Burna Boy] and Sess were working on some stuff. Then me I was just there. I would take opportunities when they come. They wanted to get some food. So, Buju and Sess they left. Me I was just there. He [Burna Boy] now said, ‘Guy, you be producer?’ I said yes, I have some beats. I played these beats, we did ‘Naughty by Nature’ that day.”
Telz was one of the producers of Burna Boy’s 2020 album, ‘Twice As Tall’ which won a Grammy for Best Global Music Album.
