In death, Mohbad has achieved unprecedented international recognition, setting records and garnering goodwill that far exceeded his expectations over his five-year musical career.
In just a week since his passing, Mohbad has surpassed global superstars like Nicki Minaj, Eminem, 21 Savage, Lady Gaga, and Chris Brown to become the 46th best-selling digital artiste in the world.
Global Digital Artist Ranking is a comprehensive metric based on a song’s performance across major music platforms including iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube, and Spotify.
Upon a musician’s passing, fans and music enthusiasts typically reflect on the artist’s life and work, leading to a surge in music streams. This phenomenon is now unfolding for Mohbad, who, in less than two weeks after his demise, has achieved superstar status.
However, the circumstances surrounding his death have left many in shock, as he continues to dominate headlines and discussions nationally and internationally. Emerging evidence online suggests that he may have been a victim of intimidation, bullying, and assault, and may have grappled with depression leading up to his passing.
Shockingly, Mohbad’s songs seem to have foreshadowed his death and provided cryptic insights into his life’s struggles.
This renewed fame is evident in the surging streams across various platforms.
As of now, he holds the remarkable position of 46th best-selling digital artist in the world, a feat many Nigerian artists have yet to achieve in their lifetimes.
Mohbad’s tracks ‘Peace’, ‘Feel Good’, and ‘Ask About Me’ currently top the charts on platforms like Spotify Nigeria, Shazam, YouTube, iTunes, and Apple Music.
According to TurnTable Charts, Mohbad’s music streams have surged by an astounding 702% since his passing.
Data from streaming platforms reveals that his catalogue has accumulated over 8.02 million on-demand streams, a significant leap from the 999,000 streams in the previous week spanning September 1 to 7.
Among his repertoire, certain tracks have stood out as the most streamed since his passing. ‘Beast and Peace’ garnered an impressive 1.22 million on-demand streams, a staggering 716% increase from 141,000. Similarly, ‘Ask About Me’ saw over 1.06 million streams, a remarkable 407% rise from 208,000.
Other tracks such as ‘Peace’, ‘Pariwo’, and ‘Sabi’ have also seen substantial surges in streams ranging from 588% to a whopping 1378%.
Before his untimely passing, Mohbad had already left an indelible mark on the charts with two top 10 hits, ‘KPK (Ko Por Ke)’ and ‘Feel Good’, reaching the number three and seven positions respectively in 2020 and 2021.
Imole, as he fondly referred to himself, quickly distinguished himself from the sea of up-and-coming artists, propelling him to stardom. His entry into Nigerian music introduced infectious tracks like ‘Ponmo’, ‘Feel Good’, and the chart-topping “KPK (Ko Por Ke)”.
It’s worth noting that Mohbad is not the first artist, alongside others like Pop Smoke, Dagrin, Nipsey Hussle, to gain even greater popularity after their passing.
