Cruel Santino Biography
Osayaba Andrew Ize-Iyamu is a Nigerian alternative singer-songwriter, rapper, creative director, film director, and director of music videos. He is most recognized by his stage name, Cruel Santino. He belongs to the Monster Boys collective, which also includes GMK and Genio Bambino as song producers.
He has a record deal with Warner Chappell Music, Love Renaissance, Monster Boy, and Interscope Records. The release of Santino’s studio album Mandy & The Jungle, which popularized alté music and fashion (especially with the song “Rapid Fire”), was well-received by critics upon its release.
| Name | Osayaba Ize-Iyamu |
|---|---|
| Born | June 03, 1992 (age 31) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Also known as | Ozzy B, Santi |
| Nationality |
 Nigerian |
| Zodiac sign | Gemini |
Cruel Santino’s Early Life
Osayaba Born in Lagos on June 3, 1992, Andrew Ize-Iyamu grew up in Ikeja. In high school, he coordinated plays as a teenager. As a freestyle rap prodigy, he garnered recognition from the entire city following his graduation. He stated in a British GQ interview, “I listened to Drake’s debut album, Thank Me Later. I felt more confident in my ability to sing and rap after hearing someone else do it.” Growing up, his father was the one who provided him with his music education.
Cruel Santino Career
2011-2016:Ozzy B to Santi, Suzie’s Funeral, Gangsta Fear
Under the stage name Ozzy B, he began his career as a rapper on SoundCloud in 2011. He put out a 21-track mixtape on SoundCloud titled “Diaries of a Loner” on September 13, 2011. Neefemi wrote, “The project is one of Nigeria’s best mixtapes with time,” in a review for We Plug Good Music. Born of Santi, his second mixtape, was released on September 29, 2013. After releasing his first extended play, Suzie’s Funeral, through Monster Boy on June 30, 2016, he changed his stage name to Santi.
The afro-dancehall-infused song “Gangsta Fear,” which he composed himself and co-wrote with Odunsi (The Engine), became viral on SoundCloud on June 29, 2016. after the release of the Falomo and Santi-directed music video. The album was a commercial success in Britain, Nigeria, and the alternative music scene.
2017-2018:OVO Sounds, Beat 1, Concerts, Rapid Fire
He served as Skepta’s opening act at the 2017 Our Homecoming concert in Nigeria. “Jungle Fever” and “Gangsta Fear” were included on OVO Sound’s Episode 40 on April 1, 2017. He opened with Burna Boy, Skepta, and J Hus at the second Nativeland concert on December 22, 2017. He opened for Show Dem Camp at The Palmwine Music Fest on December 29, 2017, sharing the stage with Bez, Ajebutter22, Lady Donli, Odunsi, and Tomi Thomas, among others. Santino, Odunsi, MAKA, and Lady Donli discussed their future intentions in an interview published on January 21, 2018, for Guardian Life Magazine’s Vibes of the New Age edition.
On November 2, 2018, under the moniker Santi, he released “Rapid Fire” through Monster Boy, produced by Genio Bambino, and featured Shane Eagle, Tomi Agape, and Amaarae. Self-directed by Santino in the role of Santi, the music video for “Rapid Fire” was released on November 23, 2018. He became well-known throughout the world following his interview on Apple Music 1 with Julie Adenuga and Ebro Darden.
He reissued Suzie’s Funeral in 2018 after entering into a cooperation with the North Carolina-based label Immaculate Taste.
2019-2020:Mandy & The Jungle, Record deals, No Tears In The Jungle show
Santino’s first studio album, Mandy & The Jungle, was released as Santi’s on May 17, 2019. It has guest appearances by DRAM, GoldLink, Tay Iwar, Amaarae, Krisirie, Nonso Amadi, Bridge, Shane Eagle, Kida Kudz, Seki, and Tomi Agape. Odunsi (The Engine), GMK, Higo, LeMav, DOZ, and Genio Bambino are all given production credits. One of the Guardian’s albums and tracks of 2019 was Mandy & The Jungle.
On May 20, 2019, the co-founder of Love Renaissance, Tunde Balogun, passed away on the same day, not long after Mandy & The Jungle was released. “Welcome, Santi, to the @LVRN family,” tweeted. The “U Say” music video by GoldLink, which features Tyler, The Creator, and Jay Prince, was directed by Santino, who goes by Santi, on August 28, 2019. The song is on the Diaspora studio album. Santi will be performing at the Lovebox Festival on February 6, 2020. The festival will be held at Gunnersbury Park in London from June 12–14. The festival was called off in the wake of the continuing coronavirus outbreak. He opened for Tyler, The Creator, and Doja Cat on November 3, 2019, during the Day n Vegas Festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.
He performed at the Gnaw Stage of the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival on November 10, 2020. He will play the lead in his debut London show, No Tears in the Jungle, at Islington Assembly Hall on December 5, 2019. Santi intends to produce a TV program about Nigerian youth culture on March 3, 2020. He states, “That’s where my heart is right now,” to Crack Magazine. There has never been a show on drugs, sexuality, or high school in Nigeria. The youngsters, in my opinion, need a secure area they may explore and retreat to.
He tweeted on May 19, 2020: “Dude, I had to change my name to Cruel Santino because a man in Spain wouldn’t let me use his name.” He appeared in The Late Night Show with Daisy Ola on May 30, 2020, and portrayed a variety of personas, including Hamma Santino, Santino Criminal, Santino, and the leader, Cruel Santino.
In June 2020, Cruel Santino announced a collaborative venture with Interscope Records and Monster Boy, releasing the song “End of the Wicked” alongside Octavian
2021-present: Publishing deal, Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN
On February 17, 2021, the Monster Boys collective (Cruel Santino, GMK, and Genio Bambino) secured a publishing arrangement with Warner Chappell Music, following the publishing cooperation between Warner Chappell Music and Love Renaissance. His much-awaited studio album Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN[38] was released by Interscope Records on March 4, 2022. Brazy, Maison2500, Bratzbih, Seo, Ebee, Koffee, Gus Dapperton, Amaarae, Chi Virgo, Solis, and Skepta made cameo performances.38 The album was listed as one of the 100 Greatest Albums of 2022 by Rolling Stone. Santino’s “Showmetheway!!” with Poco Lee, produced by GMK for Monster Boy, was released on February 10, 2023.
Cruel Santino Artistry
Santino is renowned for his ability to combine and blend a wide range of genres, including indie, Afrobeats, rap, R&B, and soul. He was identified as The Fader’s Toye Sokunbi’s future vision for Afropop on June 11, 2019. Formerly known as Ozzy B or Santi, Cruel Santino is well-known for his ragga-inspired hairstyle, fashion taste, and delivery. Osayaba Andrew Ize-Iyamu described himself as “being involved in all genres, definitely a unique individual” in an interview with Clash magazine on May 31, 2019. Taking Santigold’s name as inspiration. He has grown as an artist thanks to influences like Beenie Man and Young Thug, as well as from indie and hip-hop music.
Nigerian Afro-pop musician Wizkid named him one of the top rappers in Nigeria in 2011. additionally showing up in a Nokia commercial alongside Nigerian rappers Phenom and Muna
Who Is Cruel Santino
Osayaba Andrew Ize-Iyamu, better known by his stage name Cruel Santino (he has previously performed under the names Ozzy B and Santi), rose to prominence in the genre-hopping Nigerian Alté movement in the late 2010s thanks to his approachable and varied style. 2019 saw the release of his highly regarded debut album, Mandy & the Jungle, which combined dancehall, processed rap, R&B, and Nigerian traditional music seamlessly. Subaru Boys: Final Heaven, a 21-track concept album, debuted in 2022.
Growing up surrounded by the Western sounds of hip-hop, alternative rock, and R&B during the 1990s, Cruel Santino started out rapping under the alias Ozzy B. He put out a few mixtapes under the name Ozzy B, including 2016’s Suzie’s Funeral, before taking on the Santi persona for 2019’s Mandy & the Jungle, which included cameos from DRAM, Tay Iwar, Shane Eagle, Kida Kudz, and GoldLink, among others. He was inspired by difficult-to-categorize musicians like Drake, Ja Rule, and Nigerian rapper M.I. Abaga.
In June 2020, following his contract to Interscope and the creation of his Monster Boy label, he made his debut as Cruel Santino with the song “End of the Wicked.” After two years, he launched the ambitious sci-fi concept album Subaru Boys: Final Heaven, which featured contributions from Skepta, Amaarae, Koffee, and Gus Dapperton.
Why did Cruel Santino change his name?
There has never been a show on drugs, sexuality, or high school in Nigeria. The children, in my opinion, require a secure area where they can play and retreat.” He tweeted on May 19, 2020: “Dude, I had to change my name to Cruel Santino because a man in Spain wouldn’t let me use his name.”
What is Santi’s real name?
The alternative singer, rapper, and songwriter Osaba Ize-Iyama, better known by his stage name Santi, introduced a fresh sound to the Nigerian music landscape. He is one of the leaders of the alt community, which honors the right to express oneself artistically.
Who was Suzie to Santi?
Santi delved inward once more to get rid of these post-adolescent behaviors that he thought were impeding his growth and created Suzie, a fictional character who served as his inspiration for the mixtape that turned everything around. Santi said, “Suzie and I set out on this journey to an unknown place.”
