Imagine a track that doesn’t so much begin as it erupts, “BADMAN” by Goya Menor is a two-minute rhythmic backed by sweet flute melody that feels like someone wired a street preacher into a subwoofer and let him loose on a Lagos rooftop. The beat is all muscle and motion, a kind of percussive swagger that doesn’t walk, it struts, elbows out, chin high. Goya’s vocal delivery is less performance and more proclamation, like he’s not rapping at you but through you, with the kind of cadence that makes your bones nod before your brain catches up.
Then comes the video, and it’s all grit and rhythm with just the right touch of cool. No high-budget fluff, no pretence, just a tight, energetic cut that breathes with swagger. Goya’s got that unforced charisma, the kind that makes the camera lean in rather than pan away. His movements match the music punch for punch, weaving through shots that feel lived-in, not choreographed. You can tell this isn’t set dressing, it’s his world, and we’re the visitors, and we ought to be on our best behaviour because he’s got a militant body of badmen watching his back.
Goya’s journey from Benin City’s indie scene to rubbing elbows with global heavyweights is anything but subtle. “Ameno Amapiano Remix” set off an avalanche, part dance craze, part cultural moment. Throw in a Headies win, Shaq and Pogba grooving like they forgot they were famous, plus a remix from David Guetta, and you’ve got a trajectory that’s less rocket and more comet.
Now teamed with Jupiter’s Moons, a label that likes its artists boundary-proof, and Intentional Purpose Records, whose resume reads like the liner notes to a greatest hits of R&B and hip-hop, Goya’s next move is anything but accidental. His EP “ALLEGEDLY” is coming, and if “BADMAN” is the tone-setter, then we’re bracing for heat.
