Oxlade Recounts How He Was Racially Abused In France

• Oxlade, shared his experience of facing racial abuse in France.

• The singer explained that this incident influenced the title of his first album, ‘Oxlade From Africa.’

Singer Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, known as Oxlade, shared his experience of facing racial abuse in France.

On a recent episode of ‘The Datebizz’ podcast, he explained that this incident influenced the title of his first album, ‘Oxlade From Africa.’Oxlade said:

“I decided to name my album ‘Oxlade From Africa’ because I was racially abused in France, precisely Monaco.”

“That was what woke me up to be an African. It also made me realise that African stigma exists. In Africa, we see ourselves as normal human beings but outside Africa, they [foreigners] see us as monkeys, strange beings.”

Oxlade, who studied History and International Relations, stated that the names Africa and Nigeria are both offensive.

In a heartwarming moment, he brought his father on stage at his album listening party on Wednesday night, September 18, 2024, making his fans smile.

He showed respect by prostrating before his dad, and they shared a hug on stage. The singer’s father was thrilled to be there, praising the audience and expressing pride in his son.

Oxlade explained that he dropped out of school because he was being targeted by gangs.

He made the decision to leave Lagos State University in his last year, feeling it was the right move for him.

He described that period as a ‘crazy time.’

“I dropped out of the university in my final year because it was a crazy time. There were some gangs after me because I’m a fine boy. Being a fine boy makes you a target. It is either you join them or they o** you. So I had to leave that environment.”

“I went to Lagos State University (LASU). Go and read about the school. Now, they’re more focused on academics. I think they’ve realized how fragile life is and how important it is to pursue your dreams, so they’ve cracked down on that kind of behaviour. Now everyone is chasing money, but at that time, it was a hot period.

“After I left school, I ran away from home because I couldn’t tell my family why I dropped out,”