When 2Baba began using the words Oldest Young Man this year, listeners had a title to look out for but no date to circle. In an Instagram post on Tuesday the Nigerian singer put a date on it. He plans to release the album on Friday, 27 November. Nigerian outlets reported the announcement on Wednesday, 4 November.
It will be Innocent Idibia’s first full-length studio album since Warriors in February 2020 if the release goes ahead as planned. The six-year interval measures the distance between two albums. It would be easy to miss much of what he has been doing if one looked at his album catalogue alone.
On 18 September, his birthday, he released Mental with Fave. Dee Yasso produced the single. That recording lets listeners hear an established singer and a younger Nigerian artist together ahead of the album. Its availability means fans who want to hear his recent work already have somewhere to start.
The name of the forthcoming project has a history of its own. In August the singer used it while looking back on what he had experienced and telling followers there was another album on the way. The November announcement supplies the detail that earlier message left open: the day he intends listeners to receive it.
Idibia was a member of Plantashun Boiz alongside Blackface and Faze before his solo debut Face 2 Face in 2004. His catalogue runs from that early solo work through The Ascension in 2014 to Warriors. Someone discovering him through Fave can follow those different moments without treating the latest collaboration as the start of his career.
What it means for you. Keep the single and the scheduled album separate when sharing links. Premium Times reports that the project is expected to contain 16 tracks, but the full running order and additional guests had yet to be officially revealed. The date in the singer’s post gives fans a day to check back.