Nigerian musician and creative auteur Cruel Santino has released a new single titled “End of The Wicked” (Monster Boy/Interscope Records). The song featuring French rapper Octavian is sombre in tone, fluttering across a shimmering production of piano keys and 808s. In the track, Cruel doubles down on his ‘Santinese’ — “those whole time kini hickidy wickidy wickidy end of the wicked” — a method first created to put melody on paper but evolved into a language that fans embraced. The track will appear on Cruel Santino’s upcoming sophomore album, in the meantime stream/save “End of The Wicked” via: Alongside the new single release, Cruel Santino also announced his new joint venture deal with Interscope Records called Monster Boy. Cruel is one of very few Nigerian artists to strike a JV with a major record label. The singer, formerly known as Santi, first burst on the scene with his own brand of alternative music rooted in pop-indie, dancehall, and hip hop. He quickly rose in ranks thanks to his stunning debut in Mandy & The Jungle (2019) which birthed hits like “Rapid Fire” and “Freaky.” The creative took to his “Monster Boy” channel recently to discuss the name change, parodying a late-night television show. Watch the video and get familiar with the many facets of Cruel Santino below:
Past Praise for Cruel Santino:
“The omnivorous Nigerian rapper-singer makes smoothly effortless genre hybrids that feel like everywhere and nowhere all at once.” – Pitchfork
“This mastermind’s music hits all the right spots” – NME
“Santi’s versatility will keep him reigning” — Clash Magazine
About Cruel Santino
Nigerian musician and auteur Cruel Santino (fka Santi) burst on the music scene with critically acclaimed debut album, Mandy & The Jungle (2019) dazzling fans with tracks like “Sparky”, “Freaky”, and “Rapid Fire” — molding a genre unto himself fed by his love for pop-indie, alternative, rap, dancehall and more. The definitive album was an ode to all the things that built the foundation of who Cruel Santino is — a genre-agnostic creative force to be reckoned with. Alongside the fresh sounds, Cruel Santino also directed the visuals tied to the project honing in on his craft with creative collective Monster Boy. Inspired by the occult and Nollywood films, his eye for mise-en-scene and visual narration caught the eye of collaborator Goldlink who tapped Cruel for the rapper’s “U Say” video featuring Tyler, The Creator, and Jay Prince. Not long after, the Dubai, UAE based artist signed with management company Love Renaissance. In 2020, Cruel Santino announced his very own label, Monster Boy — an Interscope Records joint venture. This Summer, Cruel Santino will release new single “End of The Wicked” which comes off his upcoming sophomore album. Not afraid to always evolve and create, we’re learning that this is Cruel Santino’s extravagant universe and we’re lucky to be co-existing in it.
