Patoranking and Olamide Reunite on "Welcome to Lagos" - And It's a Party!!!

Ten years after their first collab, the two Nigerian giants are back together. This time, they're celebrating the city that made them.

LAGOS, Nigeria - It's been a decade since Patoranking and Olamide linked up on "Mama Aboyo." A lot has changed since then. Both artists have become giants. Olamide built YBNL into an empire. Patoranking became West Africa's leading dancehall voice.

Now, they're back together on "Welcome to Lagos" and it feels like a homecoming.

What It Sounds Like

Produced by Patoranking's longtime collaborator Ctea, this new Afrobeats song is not built for deep lyrical analysis. It's built for the party.

The record pairs a chant-ready hook with rolling bass and driving, syncopated drums the kind of sound that works equally well in Lagos traffic and a packed nightclub. Patoranking holds his ground with his signature blend of dancehall and Afrobeats. But the surprise comes from Olamide. The YBNL boss delivers a verse that hails Lagos by its traditional praise name, honouring the shared hometown of both artists.

Not every critic is convinced. Pulse Nigeria noted that "Patoranking is on solid ground, while Olamide sounds slightly off," though the review concedes it's "nothing that sinks the record." Fair enough. It's not a song that's going to change your life. But it's a good time.

Why This Pairing Matters

This isn't just a random collaboration. It's a reunion a decade in the making.

When they first linked up, Patoranking was still establishing himself. Olamide was already a street-hop icon. Since then, Olamide has launched the careers of Fireboy DML and Asake. Patoranking has released three more albums and won Best Male Reggae/Dancehall at the 2026 AFRIMMA Awards.

The timing is strategic. "Welcome to Lagos" is the fourth single from Patoranking's forthcoming fifth album, following "No Jonze," "African Soldier" with Buju Banton, and "Shake That" with Ruger. For Olamide, it arrives just days before his own 13th studio album, Time & Space, drops on November 16. Both artists are using the Patoranking Olamide collab to build momentum for their own projects.

Fan Reactions

Online, the response has been immediate. Fans have been sharing the track across X and Instagram, with the official video directed by UAX, the filmmaker behind Patoranking's "African Soldier" visual arriving the same week.

The consensus? It's a party anthem. A track designed for the Detty December season rather than deep lyrical analysis. As one fan account put it simply, it's "one for the Lagos party crowd."

And honestly, that's exactly what it needed to be.