Laycon

I create, therefore I am | A STORYTELLER

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

Great! Now that I have your attention

👇🏾

Innoson, let’s change my car !

@innosonvehicles

[Òmòluabì @UncleForbes_]

@itsLaycon You’re a good story teller fam. Big ups

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

33 MOMENTS BEFORE 33
DAY 15/33
The Day I Announced Myself to UNILAG

In 2013, all it took was a friend who believed I could rap, a stage, and one opportunity. I walked away with a ticket to see Vector, discovered music I would fall in love with, and somehow ended the night sleeping in a boat outside Ember Creek.

Funny how the nights that don’t go according to plan become the stories you tell for years.

Shout-out to Rastogi, Larry Foreman, Vector, and the security guard who looked out for me that night.

Some stories deserve to be revisited over a cold 33 Export. 🍻

Cheers 🍻 @33ExportNigeria

#33MomentsBefore33 #33ExportLager #TasteThatUnites

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

33 MOMENTS BEFORE 33
DAY 14/33
October 20, 2020.

October 2020 will always be one of those periods I can never forget.

I had just come out of Big Brother Naija, and everything was moving so fast. I was adjusting to life outside the house, trying to process everything that had happened, and navigating a completely new chapter of my life.

But while all of that was happening, Nigeria was going through something of its own.

The #EndSARS protests were happening. People were speaking out against police brutality, demanding change and calling for an end to the abuse.

I remember going to Ikeja Alausa to join the protests. We walked through Ikeja, protesting and making our voices heard.
Big s/o to @BlaqBonez too.

I also remember travelling to Ogun State and visiting the Commissioner of Police. We had a conversation about police brutality and the need to put an end to it.

And just a few days before October 20, I remember being at the Lekki Toll Gate.

Then came October 20.

There was a curfew. I remember going to sleep, and sometime in the middle of the night, my brother came to wake me up.

He told me that people had been shot at the toll gate.

I woke up, and that was it.

Everything changed.

It was a lot to take in. We were still coming out of the COVID-19 lockdown, I was right in the middle of the whirlwind that followed Big Brother, and then the country was experiencing something that would stay with so many of us for years to come.

When I look back at October 2020, I remember the excitement of a new chapter in my life, I saw Nigerians rally together to vote for me, to support me, and to make their voices count. Then I saw those same kinds of collective energy and solidarity in people coming together to demand justice for themselves.

For me, those moments are connected by something I witnessed firsthand: the power of people coming together because they believe things can be different.

Some moments become part of your story because of what happened to you personally. Others stay with you because of what happened to everyone around you.

October 2020 was both.

[𝑻𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒘𝒂.🌸 @sheistoluwalope]

33 Moments before 33.
I’m actually loving it and I can’t believe Laycon is turning 33 soon😁😊

[Virgo @Becky_not_lynch]

@LookingForMide That small conscious move Laycon made before leaving that spot; switched off the extension and the wall socket. 👍👍

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

33 MOMENTS BEFORE 33
DAY 13/33
My Secondary School Moments Part 2: Finding My Voice

If Part 1 was about how I found my feet in secondary school, Part 2 was about how I slowly started finding myself.

By SS1, I was in SS1C, the Applied Science class.

Now, there were two reasons I chose Science. My dad wanted me to become an engineer, and my guy Daniel Akandu was also in Science.

My mum, on the other hand, wanted me to become a lawyer.

So, somehow, I found myself in a science class, studying Physics, Chemistry and Technical Drawing. Did I enjoy these subjects? Not particularly. But I knew I had to pass, so I read to pass. Simple.

Meanwhile, music was becoming a bigger part of my life.

Daniel and I were still at it, and the music we were listening to then? T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Akon, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Young Jeezy. Back home, we had 2Baba, P-Square, D’banj and the rest.

Those were the sounds of that period, and music was becoming more than just something I listened to. It was something I was beginning to see myself doing.

Football was also still very much part of my life. I was keeping goal for SS2 and SS3 students, and I considered myself one of the best goalkeepers in the school.

But SS1 came with some other memories too.

I think that was when I had my first fight in school. And it was also the year I got into trouble over Chemistry practicals. We brought alcohol for the practical, and somehow, I drank some. Before I knew it, the matter had reached the headmaster, and I was told to bring my parents to school.

Let’s just say I was learning lessons both inside and outside the classroom.

I also remember the change from the old paper naira notes to the new polymer notes. Funny how certain memories stay with you, even when you can’t remember every detail of the school year.

Then came the transition to SS2.

By this time, I knew I didn’t want to continue with Science. I wanted to move to Arts. I told my mum I wanted to become a lawyer, but the truth was that I wanted to pursue music. Science wasn’t where my heart was.

The school didn’t want to let me go because I was doing well academically. They felt I was a good science student and should stay.

My mum eventually had to come to school and convince them that my parents wanted me moved.

And that’s how I found myself in SS2E.

Looking back, I remember the people who made those years special: Bisi, Mide, Daniel, Phatoke, Shola, Awizie, Bashiru Lawal, BibiFash, Tosin Oganla, and Onyeka, my SS1 crush, who eventually left the school too.

It’s funny how you can be doing well at something and still know, somewhere inside you, that it’s not what you really want.

At the time, I was just a secondary school boy trying to figure things out. I didn’t have all the answers. I just knew that music kept calling.

And eventually, I had to listen.

But moving to SS2E was the beginning of another chapter entirely. New classmates, new experiences, new memories, and more stories that helped shape the person I would eventually become.

And trust me, we’re not done with secondary school yet.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

33 MOMENTS BEFORE 33
DAY 12/33
The First Time I won something for Music

Sometimes, one small win is all it takes for people to start believing in your dream.

This was the first time I won something for my music, and it meant more than just winning a phone. It was the beginning of my parents seeing that maybe, just maybe, this music thing was worth believing in.

S/O @EmmaOhMaGod

Cheers 🍻 @33ExportNigeria

#33MomentsBefore33 #33ExportLager #TasteThatUnites

[No Titanium No Party @whoistitanium]

@itsLaycon @BiggByson Great guy! Bisi

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

My guy @BiggByson 🤍

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

33 MOMENTS BEFORE 33
DAY 11/33
My Oldest Friend

There was a time at UNILAG when I would walk out of my room at Bill Bako Hall, stand across from Bisi’s room, and shout his name.

“BISIIII!”

He would come out and ask, “Why? Why are you shouting my name like that?

It became a routine. Even his roommates knew what was going on. I would shout his name, he would come out, and we would have our little moment. Looking back, it’s one of those seemingly ordinary memories that I know I’ll carry with me for a long time. But what makes that memory special is everything that came before it.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

Just recently, he came back to Nigeria for his wedding.

I was one of his groomsmen.

Standing there, celebrating him and seeing this new chapter of his life begin, I felt genuinely happy. Happy for the man he has become, happy for the life he is building, and grateful that I have had the privilege of knowing him for so long.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in the big moments of our own lives that we forget to appreciate the people who have been around for so much of the journey. The people who knew us before things happened, who were there while we were figuring things out, and who continued to show up as life changed.

Bisi is one of those people for me.

He is a beautiful soul. A wonderful human being. One of the best men I know, and someone I am incredibly grateful to call my friend.

And honestly, I think his wife is one of the luckiest women in the world. Because if you know Adebisi the way I do, you know she’s getting one of the best.

Bisi, I’m happy for you, bro. I wish you nothing but the best in this new chapter of your life.

From those days at your mum’s shop, to UNILAG, to music, to everything that has come since, I’m grateful that life gave me a friend like you.

And even with all the years that have passed, I can still picture myself standing outside my room at Biobaku Hall, shouting your name.

“BISIIII!”

And you coming out to ask me why I’m shouting.

Some friendships don’t need grand gestures to prove what they mean. Sometimes, it’s the ordinary things you keep doing together that become the memories you hold on to.

Happy married life, my guy. Love you heavy, bro.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

Around that period, I also went to the UK for my master’s, and Bisi became my go-to person whenever I was there. He would come all the way from where he was studying to spend time with me in London. We went to Portsmouth together, visited Gosport, and even took a ferry when I was trying to get my first tattoo.

He was there for my graduation too. We went to my university together, and having him there to share that moment with me meant a lot.

He had figured out how to navigate life there much better than I had, so he would help me with things like train tickets, bus tickets and getting around. Those little things made a difference. I was trying to find my feet in a new country, and here was my guy, still showing up and helping me figure things out.

We had our own adventures during that period, and looking back, I’m grateful that even though life had taken us to different places, we were still creating memories together.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

He was there through my Big Brother journey too. Before I went into the house, and after I came out, Bisi was still there.

We travelled together, went for shows, and made more memories. Liberia was one of the places we travelled to together. And through all those different experiences, he remained the same person I had known since those early days.

Eventually, he had to leave Nigeria. Even then, the friendship didn’t end. We still talk, have conversations, catch up and find ways to remain part of each other’s lives, even with the distance between us.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

Which brings me back to Biobaku Hall.

I would come out of my room, walk across to the other side of the building, and shout, “Bisi!”

And he would come out.

Every time.

After university, life started taking us in different directions, but the friendship continued. He was doing NYSC while I was still figuring out my own next steps. Even when I was living all the way in Ota, I would find my way to his place. We still visited each other, hung out, talked, and made time for one another.

Then music started becoming a much bigger part of my life.

When I got signed in 2019, Bisi was there. During that early period, when I was moving around UNILAG for the Fierce tour, he followed me around so much that he was practically my road manager. He supported what I was trying to build, and when I decided to move out of the label’s house so I could focus more seriously on my music career on the mainland, I stayed with him until I eventually got my own place.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

I remember how he would come home and tell me about his experiences in school. He gave me advice, shared tips about what to expect, and encouraged me through that period when I was still trying to get in myself. He had already experienced what I was hoping to experience, and he was willing to help me find my way.

When I eventually got into UNILAG the following year, we became roommates. He was in a different faculty, but we spent that first year together. It was a different feeling having someone I had known for years right there with me as we started this new chapter of our lives.

As the years went by, we weren’t always in the same room or even the same hostel. Our schedules changed, and we had different things going on. But somehow, we kept finding ways to stay connected.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

Adebisi and I had crossed paths a few times in junior secondary school, and even in SS1, but we weren’t particularly close. We were more like mutual friends. You know how it is in school. “My guy, my guy.” You know each other, you greet each other, but you’re not necessarily spending time together.

We became much closer around the time we were trying to get into university.

My mum had a beer parlour, and his mum had a cold room about two streets away. I started visiting him there regularly. We would hang out, talk about music and rap, and generally spend time together and I would sometimes visit him at home too.

Bisi was into games, comics and all those things. We had different interests, but music was something we could always talk about. Without either of us planning it, the friendship grew. Then he got into UNILAG before I did.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

You see “wicked girl, witch, 🚩” for her bio and you still follow am. Now you con dey ask me for advice… 😂

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

But it wasn’t just music.

While I was in JSS2, I was already playing goalkeeper for some of the senior students, including my brother’s class when he was in SS1. When I moved to JSS3, I was still keeping for them as they moved into SS2. I continued playing with them until they graduated from junior secondary school?

Looking back, those early years were the beginning of a lot of things: friendships, music, football, and memories that have stayed with me long after leaving school.

And this was only the beginning.

There’s a lot more to tell about those years, especially what happened when I moved into senior secondary school and started making decisions about the kind of life I wanted.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

33 MOMENTS BEFORE 33
DAY 10/33
My Secondary School Moments Part 1: Early Years

My secondary school journey didn’t start exactly how I imagined it would. After primary school, I was supposed to join my brother at Lagos State Model College, Meiran. But for reasons I won’t get into, I ended up at Ebenezer College first.

I spent my first term of JSS1 there. It was calm, and I was already getting into music. I was singing, listening to songs, and finding my way into something that would eventually become a much bigger part of my life.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

JSS2 and JSS3 brought some people into my life whom I still remember fondly: Daniel Akandu, @BiggByson who is my oldest friend, and Myde Ajoje.

Daniel was the one who introduced me to rap. I remember songs like How We Do by 50 Cent and The Game, Chamillionaire’s Ridin’, and Eminem. Those songs opened up a whole new world for me.

I wasn’t just listening to music anymore. I was becoming curious about rap, the way these guys put their words together, their flows, and the possibility of making music myself. And music became one of the things people knew me for in school. That was how I started becoming popular among my schoolmates.

[Laycon @itsLaycon]

Then I got into Lagos State Model College and joined in JSS2 second term skipping the remaining terms of JSS1. (Aced the Entrance Test)

By then, I was already used to moving through school a little differently. I had skipped two classes in primary school through double promotion, so I was often younger than the people around me. It was something I had grown used to, even if it made my school journey a little unusual.