JELEEL! has released his first song of 2022. “RIDE THE WAVE!” is a characteristically ultra-energetic positivity bomb from the 26-year-old rapper/singer/fitness enthusiast, a relative newcomer who’s quickly taking world by storm and stealing some hearts in the process. It comes with the announcement of his debut album — REAL RAW!, due out sometime this spring via 10k Projects — as well as an appropriately hyper-kinetic visual treatment courtesy of (who else but) prolific Nigerian music video director Olu The Wave. Watch the clip above.
“I’m grateful to finally release ‘RIDE THE WAVE!’ as the unveiling of my debut album REAL RAW!,” JELEEL! says of the new song. “It shows the feel-good punk/pop energy I love and will be highlighting on this project. The video means the world to me too because I shot it in my homeland of Nigeria and I’m so proud of my heritage. From the moment the beat came together in the studio to when we were shooting in Nigeria, everything just felt so right and I hope fans can feel that in this record.”
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Born Abdul Jeleel Yussuf in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, JELEEL! made the move from the smallest state in the union to the city of angels and broken dreams, where he currently resides. His name isn’t etched into Hollywood Boulevard just yet, but he’s already earned himself a measure of internet immortality by way of a FADER Gen F profile, and his star is only rising.
