Artist Aux Interview: Bad Boy Timz

Written by: Eno Okon

If anyone had major success during the 2020's pandemic, it was definitely Bad Boy Timz. Not only did Timz complete an undergrad degree program, he also had two major hit records - "MJ" and "Loading".

Born Timothy Olorunyomi, Bad Boy Timz is the third of four children to his parents. His father was a musician in a band, playing the conga drum. Often times, Timz would accompany his father to gigs and help collect the band's spray money. “Sometimes if the money was too much, I’d put it in my cap” he said laughingly. Timz mostly listened to his father’s music growing up and outside of that, he was a fan of Asa. His interest in making music began in University while singing in a band of his own with friends.

Timz first appeared on the scene with a freestyle cover of Davido's 2017 single "If" that went viral on Twitter. Olamide was one of the many users that retweeted the video. Timz later got in contact with the superstar rapper and scored a guest appearance on his 2018 album Lagos Nawa!, where he did background vocals on track 2 - "Radio Lagos."

In 2019, Anonymous Records launched and signed Bad Boy Timz as it's first artist. Timz boldly released his debut, self-titled EP almost immediately following the signing. This was considered bold for a new artist/label in the market. However, both Timz and his label believed in his craft and pushed forward. He had some airplay success with the EP's, with tracks such as "Folashade".

In April 2020, Bad Boy Timz released "MJ". The song was produced by Semzi who made the beat especially for Timz. Timz was watching Michael Jackson on TV at the session where he first heard the beat. That sparked instant inspiration for him, and he recorded most of the song in one take. He later played it for several people, most notably his label and his dad, who all assured Timz that he had a hit song.

We couldn’t talk to Timz without bringing up his standout feature on Olamide’s Carpe Diem album. He & Olamide recorded “Loading” in about 45 mins and both knew it was going to be big upon release. Not too long after the #ENDSARS protests, the song began meeting expectations. The VR music video only features Timz and dancersas Olamide graciously wanted him to shine.

What's next? Timz is interested in securing a Master's degree in Music Engineering. He is also looking to collaborate with a range of artists such as Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, Drake, and J Hus. A fun fact about Timz is that he's actually a huge grime fan.

Be on the lookout for his upcoming album - “Birth of a New King”, to be released in April 2021.