Candy Bleakz in Conversation with FAULT Magazine
Candy Bleakz
Candy Bleakz is a Nigerian rapper who has quickly risen the ranks of Lagos’ street pop scene. With a steely determination to succeed, the young Blessing Akiode made clear her intentions to pursue a music in her early teens before later leaving home with a promise not to return until she made it big. Fast forward to 2016, and the rapper now performing as Candy Bleakz signed to Chocolate City, one of Nigeria’s biggest music labels, as part of rap group Street Billionaires. She hasn’t looked back since. Even when Street Billionaires disbanded, Candy Bleakz took her solo career to another level, collaborating with the likes of Simi, Zlatan and Blaqbonez by the age of 25. After modelling for Drake’s NOCTA label launch in Nigeria, more partnerships are on the horizon for Candy, with the next step to follow some of the country’s biggest names in breaking the international market.
We spoke to the “Ladies’ Dragon” in the wake of her latest EP release (‘Better Days‘, March ’24) about rapping for the street, her fear of failure, and more…
FAULT: For those not yet familiar with your music, how would you describe your sound?
Candy Bleakz: My music is for the hustler who understands that it’s about the journey and not the destination. It may be tough but try to keep it real and have fun in the process. It’s Street Pop: it reflects the experiences of the people on the streets but it is relatable to everyone.
I make sure there’s something for both the street people and the accomplished people to take away from my lyrics and for everyone to feel good afterwards.
You’ve been performing and releasing music since 2013 – when you were just 14 years old! While you’ve won many plaudits along the way, your first big commercial break arguably only came with the release of ‘Owo Osu’ in 2019. How hard has it been to stay dedicated during that time?
Well, it’s been harder, you know? When I first started I just wanted to “blow” – make it big – but now that I am known, I want more. And sometimes that makes me feel anxious and stressed. I want to be bigger than this: I don’t want to go back to the streets and I don’t want to stay where I am.
When you’re successful, nobody understands when you’re broke. There’s an expectation – one I share myself – that you just need to be a billionaire [laughs]. It’s the fear of failing that keeps me consistent. There is more at stake now compared to when I first started.
Looking back at your time with Street Billionaires, do you see it as a success or could you have achieved even more? And do you have any plans to release more music as a quartet any time soon?
With Street Billionaires, I just felt it was God’s plan. We were amazing talents, we experienced it all together, and we grew in our artistry together. Dope idea and brand but no financial support to really blow up what we were doing then so, definitely, I feel we could have achieved much more than what we did. We had so much music that we never dropped.
As for doing more together now: before we came together as a group we were all solo artists anyway. We just had to drop music together at the time, but everyone knew that one day we would have to build our individual careers on our own. But definitely, I would love to drop more hits with them if we get the chance because people didn’t really experience us together in our prime.
How much importance do you put on being Yoruba and being seen as a representative of Yoruba culture?
Well [laughs], in all my songs there’s always one or two Yoruba lyrics! ‘Mafe’ [‘Not Holy’] is Yoruba and everyone knows I’m a Yoruba girl from my lyrics. That’s just me: I do it effortlessly.
I want to be a representative of every hustler more than I want to be a representative of my tribe. A lot of us are already representing Yoruba. But if I was forced to narrow down, then I will say I want to be a representative for every Yoruba girl from the street in Epe to let her know that you don’t only have two options – getting married or having a baby. You can change your life if you dream bigger and work hard and consistently towards it.
Speaking more generally, what do you think of the emphasis fans put on Nigerian artists’ (in particular) tribal heritage?
l’m not sure the Nigeria music industry is tribalistic. That hasn’t occurred to me and I haven’t paid much attention to that. I think fans will always support their artists with everything they have. regardless of their tribe.
Which do you prefer: recording or performing live?
Definitely performing live [laughs]! It is sweeter to see my fans and to take pictures with them and hear them singing my lyrics one for one. It always gives me strength to go back and deliver more hits! Live – all day every day!
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
I have several highlights: people screaming my name, singing my songs and me making money from it is the big one. Being the only street artist to take part in Drake’s NOCTA brand launch in Nigeria is another. Having my music licensed for the ABC original series ‘Flatbush Misdemeanors’. Also, being the only female in the Street Pop category in Nigeria… There are many highlights and every day I think of it, it makes me sure that this is my path.
You’ve already collaborated with big names like Simi and Blaqbonez. Who else would you like to collaborate with and why?
I would like to make music with Burna Boy. I just love his sound and I think we can actually make interesting music because of our styles. Also Davido, because he’s also a successful artist, and he knows how to make music for everyone – which is what I really want to do with my music; Baddo – Olamide – being a king maker for the streets; Anitta because it will be something really interesting to have street sound mixed with that same Afrovibe in a place like Brazil where they also have African roots, and definitely Young MA just because I admire her so much.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t doing music, maybe I’d be in the military because I love high energy activities and guns. Or I’d be in the movie industry, or playing soccer.
What is your FAULT?
Fault? It’s my fault that my future is bright. [Laughs] I have lots of grace…!