For the fictional Babylon 5 character, see Lyta Alexander. For the DC Comics superhero, see Lyta Hall. For the DC Comics enemy of Wonder Woman, see Lyta Milton.
Babatunde Rahim, known professionally as Lyta, is a Nigerian singer. He signed a record deal with YBNL Nation in 2018 but left the label in May 2019 after having a disagreement with the label owner Olamide.[2] He released the 5-track debut EP Id in 2019.[3]
A native of Kwara State, Lyta grew up in Ajegunle and was a member of Ile Kewu, a music group at his local mosque.[2][4] His record deal with YBNL Nation was made public on 3 February 2018.[5] In 2019, Lyta confirmed that he did not have any written contracts with YBNL Nation.[6] Lyta's breakthrough single with YBNL Nation, "Time", features vocals by Olamide and was released on 14 February 2018.[7][8]
In 2019, Lyta left YBNL Nation due to contractual and personal issues.[9] After exiting YBNL, he signed with Doro Musik Gang and released the Killertunes produced track "Monalisa" on 12 July 2019.[10] The visuals for "Monalisa", which was directed by Director K, amassed over 500,000 views within a month after its release.[11][12]
A few weeks after the release of "Monalisa", Davido reached out to Lyta about recording an official remix with him.[13] Following their agreement, Davido and Lyta flew to Dakar for the remix and video shoot.[14][15] The remix of "Monalisa" was released on 30 August 2019.[16] Elias Light of Rolling Stone magazine described the song as a "handsome contradiction, with fierce expressions of yearning".[17] The accompanying music video for the remix was directed by Director K.[15] Lyta gained exposure following his collaboration with Davido on the remix.[18]
Lyta released the Afrobeat track "Worry" on 6 December 2019; it was produced by Killer Tunes.[19] The visuals for "Worry" was shot and directed by Simplicity Visual Studios in London.[20]
Reports about Lyta's exit from YBNL surfaced after Olamide unfollowed him on Instagram.[21] In May 2019, Lyta confirmed his exit from YNBL Nation on Naijaloaded TV. He said although he was paid between 50,000 and 80,000 for shows, he never had a written contract with the label.[22] Olamide issued a statement to Guardian Life, saying YBNL has a promotion calendar that Lyta refused to follow.[23]
In 2020, Lyta was signed to Marlian Records owned by Naira Marley.[24] He also released his first single under the label titled "Hold me Down(Omo Gidi)".[25] The video to "Hold Me Down", which was inspired by Kpop Korean boy band GOT7 and BTS, was directed by TG Omori.[26] The video is an exact replica of GOT7's "Just Right" music video. However, Lyta did not ask for permission and K-pop fans were furious about the exact copy of the video.[27] Lyta said, "I am not signed with Marlian records. Naira Marley is just showing me love."[28]
