Nigerian Afrobeat artiste IceBeat Chillz makes his debut with Beenie Man on Area.

“The collaboration with Beenie Man came about through my team, who are Jamaicans. They thought he would be a good match, you know. Someone that could bring that vibe and it worked. It was perfect,” IceBeat Chillz told the Jamaica Observer.

Released on October 1, Area is produced by IceBeat Chillz.

“I’ve been producing for artistes since 2014 but Area is my debut single as an artiste,” he said. “My journey is an evolutionary story from just packing up one night and taking a 16-hour bus ride alone to Lagos, a big city in Nigeria. Having nothing more than a wallet in my pocket that was stolen on the way, and my love for music. I walked everywhere, and had never seen people who dressed differently, talked differently — It’s like that feeling you get if you want to dive into the ocean, you cannot tell if you’re excited or terrified. But it’s the journey that one takes to make it.”

IceBeat Chillz shared how he was exposed to Jamaican music.

“I’ve always known dancehall music but it was not until one day when my manager burst into my studio and in her Jamaican heavy accent said: ‘Bring up di Answer riddim deh fi mi’. I was so surprised. I just loved it. We had several days of recording on old-school dancehall rhythms and vibing while freestyling. That’s really how everything manifested.”

He continued, “Nigerian music is very influenced by dancehall, so it’s hard to say who I listened to. But to name a few, Popcaan, Vybz Kartel, and Beenie Man are on the list.”

Hailing from the religious state of Akwa Ibom, he said a career in entertainment is seen as frivolous.

“I want to reach a position where I am an inspiration and influence to other people because I struggled for the love of music and humanity. I faced a lot, sat in a lion’s jungle, but I stayed focused always. So, I just want my story to inspire people to keep going,” said IceBeat Chillz.