YKG and Evado team up for ‘Ekpere,’ a powerful anthem rooted in real struggle and faith. Enwelu Michael Chibuike and Njoku Emmanuel Chidubem write lyrics that mix street truth with spiritual hope. The music, shaped by Enwelu, Njoku, Emlis P., and Enaps Empire, carries a steady, driving beat.
Released: February 19, 2026
Ekpere
Evado | Ykg
Ekpere Lyrics Translation – Evado | Ykg
Evado recalls childhood hunger, when coming home meant no food on the table. His mom’s voice echoes: ‘Work and pray, your money’s gonna grow tall.’ The lyricist mentions bitter kola to describe how pain sounds as harsh as it tastes. A mute man knowing what’s said shows how silence speaks volumes in hard times.
PasacotaPasacota
Do nwa mamaDo, mama’s boy
GlobalGlobal
TeneeTenee
Agbusi gba otele omuru akoWhen an ant bites the rear, wisdom’s learned
The future bright ama kolu gi akoThe future’s bright, I won’t tell you tales
Ha si na efe m akolo akoThey say my lifestyle’s just a story
Onye ogbi ama ihe ana akoA mute man knows what’s being said
Then my family was poorThen my family was poor
Every time my mom dey callEvery time my mom would call
She said my child you no go fallShe’d say, “My child, you won’t fall,”
Work and pray your money go tall“Work and pray, your money’s gonna grow tall”
Ekpere bu ogwu m gworoo ooPrayer’s the medicine I’ve brewed
Afuo dim onye m kolu oWhen trouble comes, who’ll I turn to?
Wetin i don see for street o make me bring out my true colorWhat I’ve seen in the streets made me show my true self
Ekpere bu ogwu m gworoo ooPrayer’s the medicine I’ve brewed
Afuo dim onye m kolu oWhen trouble comes, who’ll I turn to?
Wetin i don see for street o make me bring out my true colorWhat I’ve seen in the streets made me show my true self
Obulu otu aki inu si ada na nti ka osi ato na onuIf bitter kola sounded to the ear like it tastes in the mouth
Back in the hood a lot of people koo mu onuBack in the hood, plenty of people mocked me
M nata house sometimes nri adilo mbulu onuWhen I’d get home sometimes there was no food, I’d go hungry
You can’t play me why abulo m uboYou can’t play me ’cause I’m not a harp
Beware of fake friends ima kwa na ochi abu utoBeware of fake friends, you know laughter isn’t always sweet
Akwado m akwado wee puta mma m di nkoI’m fully prepared as I come out, my blade’s sharp
And o dilo na obo bia icho igba osoAnd it’s not in the scabbard, come if you want to run
The hustle na emechem sometimes m na ama osoThe hustle’s got me jumping sometimes
Mpa mpa m kpulu uzu my dad kpulu uzuMy dad was a blacksmith, he toiled hard
Thank god the story is changing now mu nwa gbulu ozuThank God the story’s changing now, I’ve struck it rich
I don’t hate on no man cause all man must dieI don’t hate on anyone ’cause everyone must die
If they say dey love you no reason my bro na lieIf they say they love you, don’t mind them, brother, it’s a lie
Ego gi ka ha like ijiro ego etee gi dyeIt’s your money they like, if you’ve got no cash, they’ll paint you bad
Ha ga anapu gi asa gi ta ya ka meat pieThey’ll snatch your girl and devour her like a meat pie
By then you go cry i ga asi umu uwa no tryBy then you’ll cry, saying the world’s people aren’t fair
And ykg no dey lieAnd YKG doesn’t lie
Ekpere bu ogwu m gworoo ooPrayer’s the medicine I’ve brewed
Afuo dim onye m kolu oWhen trouble comes, who’ll I turn to?
Wetin i don see for street o make me bring out my true colorWhat I’ve seen in the streets made me show my true self
Ekpere bu ogwu m gworoo ooPrayer’s the medicine I’ve brewed
Afuo dim onye m kolu oWhen trouble comes, who’ll I turn to?
Wetin i don see for street o make me bring out my true colorWhat I’ve seen in the streets made me show my true self
O kwa ekpere bu ike m kwu abaIndeed, prayer’s the strength I lean on
O tego aka m table my matter nna settleluo m ka m na awaIt’s been long since I tabled my case, Father, settle it as I break through
Leaders of tomorrow n’ ime ogbe concree ka anyi na ataLeaders of tomorrow, in the hood, it’s ‘concrete’ we’re chewing
Mana anyi nwee chukwu okike on speed dial osibe ike just dialBut we’ve got God the Creator on speed dial, if it gets tough, just dial
Ma obulo call taata one day o ka ga azaEven if the call’s not today, one day it’ll answer
Anyi no n’ iru gi mu na ykgWe’re before You, me and YKG
Cholu anyi 10kg akpa ngozi na owu n’ enye anyi bpFind us 10kg bags of blessings, ’cause poverty’s giving us high blood pressure
Ka anyi gbali tu nu aku dika cpLet’s strive to hit the wealth like a ‘Commissioner of Police’
Ka m nwe kwee ike chase-sie billing without borrowing if my malee bill meSo I can handle the bills without borrowing when my ‘mother’ bills me
Imana m bata ime ogbe bulu ukwu na ano all man go dey feel meYou know when I roll into the hood in a big 4×4, everyone’s gonna feel me
Ojum isi kee onye m ga akolu kee onye m ga ejideIt confuses me, who to tell, who to hold onto
Just to put food on the table boys are grinding every dayJust to put food on the table, the boys are grinding every day
M ma che nwu na hold up nya ka mji wee gba one way eehI didn’t expect the traffic jam, that’s why I took a one-way path
I think i’m lost and i hope i find my way eehI think I’m lost and I hope I find my way
For so long ife m na eli bu minimum wageFor so long, what I’ve been living on is minimum wage
Nna tinye mu alu and free me from this cageFather, put me in the ‘work’ and free me from this cage
Nyem money and fame i no go complainGive me money and fame, I won’t complain
I bunie mu enu i go shout halleeehIf You lift me up, I’ll shout “Hallelujah”
Empire pasacotaEmpire, Pasacota
Do nwa mamaDo, mama’s boy
GlobalGlobal
TeneeTenee
Agbusi gba otele omuru akoWhen an ant bites the rear, wisdom’s learned
The future bright ama kolu gi akoThe future’s bright, I won’t tell you tales
Ha si na efe m akolo akoThey say my lifestyle’s just a story
Onye ogbi ama ihe ana akoA mute man knows what’s being said
Then my family was poorThen my family was poor
Every time my mom dey callEvery time my mom would call
She said my child you no go fallShe’d say, “My child, you won’t fall,”
Work and pray your money go tall“Work and pray, your money’s gonna grow tall”
Ekpere bu ogwu m gworoo ooPrayer’s the medicine I’ve brewed
Afuo dim onye m kolu oWhen trouble comes, who’ll I turn to?
Wetin i don see for street o make me bring out my true colorWhat I’ve seen in the streets made me show my true self
Ekpere bu ogwu m gworoo ooPrayer’s the medicine I’ve brewed
Afuo dim onye m kolu oWhen trouble comes, who’ll I turn to?
Wetin i don see for street o make me bring out my true colorWhat I’ve seen in the streets made me show my true self
Obulu otu aki inu si ada na nti ka osi ato na onuIf bitter kola sounded to the ear like it tastes in the mouth
Back in the hood a lot of people koo mu onuBack in the hood, plenty of people mocked me
M nata house sometimes nri adilo mbulu onuWhen I’d get home sometimes there was no food, I’d go hungry
You can’t play me why abulo m uboYou can’t play me ’cause I’m not a harp
Beware of fake friends ima kwa na ochi abu utoBeware of fake friends, you know laughter isn’t always sweet
Akwado m akwado wee puta mma m di nkoI’m fully prepared as I come out, my blade’s sharp
And o dilo na obo bia icho igba osoAnd it’s not in the scabbard, come if you want to run
The hustle na emechem sometimes m na ama osoThe hustle’s got me jumping sometimes
Mpa mpa m kpulu uzu my dad kpulu uzuMy dad was a blacksmith, he toiled hard
Thank god the story is changing now mu nwa gbulu ozuThank God the story’s changing now, I’ve struck it rich
I don’t hate on no man cause all man must dieI don’t hate on anyone ’cause everyone must die
If they say dey love you no reason my bro na lieIf they say they love you, don’t mind them, brother, it’s a lie
Ego gi ka ha like ijiro ego etee gi dyeIt’s your money they like, if you’ve got no cash, they’ll paint you bad
Ha ga anapu gi asa gi ta ya ka meat pieThey’ll snatch your girl and devour her like a meat pie
By then you go cry i ga asi umu uwa no tryBy then you’ll cry, saying the world’s people aren’t fair
And ykg no dey lieAnd YKG doesn’t lie
Ekpere bu ogwu m gworoo ooPrayer’s the medicine I’ve brewed
Afuo dim onye m kolu oWhen trouble comes, who’ll I turn to?
Wetin i don see for street o make me bring out my true colorWhat I’ve seen in the streets made me show my true self
Ekpere bu ogwu m gworoo ooPrayer’s the medicine I’ve brewed
Afuo dim onye m kolu oWhen trouble comes, who’ll I turn to?
Wetin i don see for street o make me bring out my true colorWhat I’ve seen in the streets made me show my true self
O kwa ekpere bu ike m kwu abaIndeed, prayer’s the strength I lean on
O tego aka m table my matter nna settleluo m ka m na awaIt’s been long since I tabled my case, Father, settle it as I break through
Leaders of tomorrow n’ ime ogbe concree ka anyi na ataLeaders of tomorrow, in the hood, it’s ‘concrete’ we’re chewing
Mana anyi nwee chukwu okike on speed dial osibe ike just dialBut we’ve got God the Creator on speed dial, if it gets tough, just dial
Ma obulo call taata one day o ka ga azaEven if the call’s not today, one day it’ll answer
Anyi no n’ iru gi mu na ykgWe’re before You, me and YKG
Cholu anyi 10kg akpa ngozi na owu n’ enye anyi bpFind us 10kg bags of blessings, ’cause poverty’s giving us high blood pressure
Ka anyi gbali tu nu aku dika cpLet’s strive to hit the wealth like a ‘Commissioner of Police’
Ka m nwe kwee ike chase-sie billing without borrowing if my malee bill meSo I can handle the bills without borrowing when my ‘mother’ bills me
Imana m bata ime ogbe bulu ukwu na ano all man go dey feel meYou know when I roll into the hood in a big 4×4, everyone’s gonna feel me
Ojum isi kee onye m ga akolu kee onye m ga ejideIt confuses me, who to tell, who to hold onto
Just to put food on the table boys are grinding every dayJust to put food on the table, the boys are grinding every day
M ma che nwu na hold up nya ka mji wee gba one way eehI didn’t expect the traffic jam, that’s why I took a one-way path
I think i’m lost and i hope i find my way eehI think I’m lost and I hope I find my way
For so long ife m na eli bu minimum wageFor so long, what I’ve been living on is minimum wage
Nna tinye mu alu and free me from this cageFather, put me in the ‘work’ and free me from this cage
Nyem money and fame i no go complainGive me money and fame, I won’t complain
I bunie mu enu i go shout halleeehIf You lift me up, I’ll shout “Hallelujah”
EmpireEmpire
Ekpere Music Video
The ‘Ekpere’ lyrics offer strength through struggle. YKG and Evado deliver a warm, heartfelt message in this Nigerian hit.