Fola Turns Survival Into A Victory Lap With Bella Shmurda And Zlatan On “It’s Over”
FOLA has recruited street-pop heavyweights Bella Shmurda and Zlatan for it’s over, a defiant new single that turns the language of struggle into a declaration of victory. Rather than dwelling on what was lost, the three artists approach the record from the other side of adversity, sounding like artists who have already survived the fight and are now celebrating what came after it.
Produced by Shallythechampion and Sbthaproducer, it’s over moves with a heavy Afro-fusion pulse that gives the record its forward momentum without crowding the artists. Soft drums, crisp rim-shots and looping brass create a beat that feels both street-facing and polished, leaving enough space for each voice to establish its own character. The production is particularly effective because it does not force the collaboration into one uniform sound, instead, it allows the differences between FOLA, Bella Shmurda and Zlatan to become part of the record’s appeal.
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FOLA takes the centre of the song with a melodic, soul-inflected chorus that gives it’s over its emotional weight. His delivery carries the vulnerability suggested by the title, but there is little defeat in the performance. The song’s central statement is less about heartbreak or exhaustion than reaching the point where those things no longer have control. FOLA turns the hook into a moment of release, framing the end of difficult chapters as something worth announcing rather than quietly moving past.
Bella Shmurda enters with the spiritual edge that has become central to his street-pop language, bringing a preacher-like quality to the record. His contribution connects personal struggle with faith and endurance, giving the song a deeper emotional register beneath its celebratory surface. Zlatan then shifts the energy again, attacking his verse at pace with sharp Yoruba punchlines and familiar ad-libs. His verse injects the record with the kind of immediacy and swagger that has long defined his presence within Nigeria’s street-pop movement.
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What makes it’s over work is the absence of competition between the three performances. FOLA’s melodic vulnerability, Bella Shmurda’s spiritual street wisdom and Zlatan’s rapid-fire bravado occupy different corners of the same emotional landscape. The collaboration therefore feels less like a collection of star appearances and more like a conversation between artists who understand the language of overcoming hardship.
At its core, it’s over is a victory record disguised as a street anthem. Its message is blunt, the difficult chapter has ended, the doubters have been answered and the position has been secured. By bringing together three voices from different points in the evolution of Nigerian street-pop, FOLA turns that declaration into something larger than a personal triumph. It becomes a collective victory lap, loud, assured and deliberately unapologetic.
