Odeal on His New EP ‘For a Good Time,’ Wizkid’s Genius & Being Misunderstood

As summer begins to wind down, Odeal’s affinity for movement and dance remains infinite. On his latest EP, For a Good Time, Billboard’s 2025 Afrobeats Rookie of the Year gloms onto the dance floor, penning sugary bops tailor-made for the club.

Built around rhythm and feel, the project draws creative fuel from stops in places like Colombia and Los Angeles. “Rush” and “Get Down” form a seismic one-two punch designed to get bodies moving, while the Jorja Smith-assisted “Coming Home” sees Odeal stepping into house music.

“I was taking inspiration from everything around me while working,” says Odeal, who recorded For a Good Time while touring with his LVRN labelmate Summer Walker. “Every song had to stand the test of location and time. Everywhere I went, I listened to the record from the previous place and asked, ‘Are they still fire? Are they still good?’ If they weren’t, I scrapped them. Make new ones and keep moving. The chaos of the parties made that project.”

After a fiery 2025 campaign that included two EPs, The Summer That Saved Me and The Fall That Saved Us, Odeal has yet to hit pause on his burgeoning career. Following the success of “Miami,” featuring Leon Thomas, and “Nights in the Sun” with Wizkid, he continued flexing his muscles as a featured artist. Skating across Wale’s “City on Fire,” 6LACK’s “On Me” and Latto’s “Anxious,” Odeal has steadily established himself as a versatile force who can move between R&B and Afrobeats with elastic ease.

“Every single track that I approach, I ask, ‘What’s the beat saying to me? What’s the instrumental saying and needing?’ And I adjust to the feeling that it evokes,” he explains. “That’s how I attack it. I really like to understand the world that the artist is in so that I can approach it from that level. How can my verse best describe this whole situation?”

Billboard spoke to Odeal about his new EP, For a Good Time, the mislabeling of his music, the genius of Wizkid; and why he considers critics’ comparisons between him and Brent Faiyaz “lazy.”

I’ve always felt a certain level of intentionality with your releases because they almost feel like soundtracks for different seasons. Is that something you consciously think about, or has the timing just worked out that way, especially for this project?

Yeah. I think every project I’ve released is like a reflection of where I’m at in life at the moment. We have The Summer That Saved Me and that was coming off the back off of Lustropolis, which was in the winter and kind of a dark time. I was touring the States, doing things I haven’t done before and just growing as an artist. Then, I went onto do The Summer That Saved Me, which was a brighter record. It’s how I felt coming out on the other end of that and in a much better place. As I do, every summer, I release a tape and the intention for this summer tape was for people to have a good time. Enjoy yourself, be present in the moment and press play on any of these records that suits you. That was literally the main intention for this project. 

Artists like you and 6LACK have a rapper’s mentality with an R&B spirit. Have you ever seriously mapped out what a full-on rap EP from Odeal would sound like?

That’s so funny. My manager wouldn’t agree [Laughs]. It’s so crazy. I don’t think I’d do a rap album, but I rep for those who rap and see what they bring out of me. Like what emotions and energy they can bring out. I’ve always actually wanted to have a project with rappers. I’d love to work with [everyone from] Common to Bossman Dlow to Skilla Baby. I’d love to work with rappers [like] Kendrick. I don’t know. I feel like that world is a whole different space. I would definitely love to explore it. 

I say that because I remember first listening to “Landmine” or “All That It Takes,” and your beat selection reminds me of what an MC would rap over.

I be saying that all the time! If you were to rap my lyrics, they’re bars bro. There’s bars! 

You’ve said J Dilla is someone you’d want to executive produce your rap album. If you could take one Dilla beat and completely remake it as an Odeal record, which one are you choosing?

Probably “So Far to Go.” The way Common and D’Angelo were on that, it just reminds me of how I would approach the record. It’s just one of those records that feel true and you can have on loop. It just feels good and the space you have on it to sing. 100 percent. That’s my reason. 

This new project feels especially rhythmic and made for movement — like a party. What was the most fun you had making it?

You know what’s crazy? All of the records were made at different times. I made some of the records in Colombia. “Bluey Vutton” was made in Colombia. “Trance” was made in LA, along with “Get Down.” I’m a big fan of creating in chaos — organized chaos — and having musicians around. People are vibing and enjoying the instruments. I’m like, “Keep that. Put that on.” I love people having a great time and enjoying being in the studio. I really don’t like sessions that feel serious. It needs to feel like a jam session. That’s how a lot of these songs were created.

I remember making “Rush.” That was on tour. I was on the move and in the midst of the chaos, I was making the beat. I made it with Omar Grant. He made the beat and I’d come through like, “Let’s add these drums. What about this bassline?” We’re on the tour bus, taking that from Vegas to Seattle, and finished it backstage at Summer Walker’s concert. So when you say it felt like a party, it was because throughout the whole process of moving around everywhere, I needed to enjoy myself.

You’ve been vocal about your collaboration with Jorja Smith being classified as Afrobeats, when you didn’t necessarily see the record that way. As someone pulling from R&B, hip-hop, Afrobeats, dance and other sounds, how frustrating is it when the industry wants to place your music into one box?

I don’t know. I’ve always been curious about how these things are categorized and who’s categorizing them. So for it to be straight to Afrobeats to me was like, “Huh?” It’s a double-edge sword, though —because it’s also the visibility within that genre for people to know that these artists are making music that supersedes this genre that we boxed them in, or this genre supersedes whatever we think it is.

So people who normally say, “I don’t like Afrobeats,” they’ll listen to something and realize it’s on the Afrobeats chart and be like, “Oh. That’s Afrobeats?” So, it’s a double-edge sword. At least people are realizing that we’re capable of doing way more, but at the same time, I think the music should be categorized correctly because not everyone from Africa makes Afrobeats. I don’t think it’s fair. Everyone should be able to operate on the same stage.

But it is what it is. Imagine if “Bluey Vuitton” got on the Afrobeats chart? That’s a house record. 

Last year, Billboard named you our Afrobeats Rookie of the Year. When you look at the artist you were then versus who you are now, where do you think you’ve grown the most?

I’m becoming even more aware of what I want and don’t want. What I like and don’t like and what my process is. I’ve been making music for 12 years. With that, all the love and looks are great — but I think it’s about having that discernment to pace yourself and know what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to. Prioritize your team and know when to fall back into the craft because that’s what got you here in the first place.

Also, just having patience in making the best work. It’s not a race at the end of the day. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Let me take my time and if people are really locked in, then when I’m ready to give what I need to, people will be there. You need time and a good team. It’s very important. 

You’ve called “Nights in the Sun” one of your favorite songs. What made that record and working with Wizkid so memorable for you?

I grew up listening to Wiz, and to make a song with one of your goats, that’s really special in itself. We were in the studio together — and this was the second time — and we chose the beat. He’s just listening to me and I don’t come out of the booth until I’m done with everything. He sat there and was just so patient. He listened to everything until I was done. He was like, “Yeah. That’s it.” He really trusted me and gave me the floor to do what I can do. That meant a lot for me. He did his verse and it was incredible. Wiz went crazy on that verse. When Wiz wants to give you a great verse, it’s crazy. And he really did. I appreciate him for that.

And when we’re talking about Afrobeats and R&B — which are two genres constantly fused together — I think that song is one of the best fusions of Afrobeats and R&B. That was special because the way the community took it and upheld that record is [amazing]. Like it’s one of our Holy Grails of Afro / R&B tunes. I love it. 

Fans have compared you and Brent Faiyaz for years. When you hear those comparisons, do you understand what people are hearing, or do you feel like they overlook what makes your music distinctly Odeal?

I think it’s a lazy comparison. Brent is great. Everything he’s done is great. But I have a range of influences that I pull from — as do many other artists. I think fans are very quick to say, “You sound like this,” and not realize there’s a whole history of just artists who sounded similar, but have a different sauce. I’ve grown up listening to Jagged Edge and 112.

I don’t know. I feel like it’s a lazy comparison and there’s a deeper archive of musicians that I listen to and pull from. Even D’Angelo. It is what it is, but whenever I see it, I just scroll. I don’t even entertain it. 

Your music has a layer of vulnerability that feels more real than most. How do you know when something from your real life is ready to become a song?

I don’t. [Laughs.] It becomes a song and I look back at the record like, “Oh my gosh. I was talking about this,” but in the moment, I was just floating. I always say that I’m a vessel and all of this is not me. All of this that comes through is def from God and things above me. When it comes out, it should resonate or relate with someone to know that there’s something greater.

Sometimes, you listen to music and you have a new outlook on life. It’s otherworldly. I believe when I make music, it’s not off ego. I’m just trying to let the music pour out and that’s the outcome people feel. They feel that deeply.