The Nigerian music industry often thrives at the point where preparation meets opportunity, and Echoes of the Grind is one of those defining moments.
Jimoh Habeeb, also known as Luis Beeb, is a Nigerian talent manager, experienced A&R, and creative executive who recently earned his first Executive Producer credit with the release of Echoes of the Grind. The collaborative EP was developed alongside his colleague Oyinda and made possible through the Music Marketing Conference Africa (MMCA), where the featured artists were selected after the conference.
For Habeeb, the project went far beyond putting out music. It was about building structure around creativity and creating a system where emerging talent could grow with intention.
From Music Conference to Creative Residency
After MMCA, a group of selected artists were brought together for an intensive creative residency. For an entire week, they worked from a shared apartment studio, spending long hours recording, experimenting, debating ideas, and having honest conversations about sound, identity, and artistic direction.
Like many collaborative projects in the music industry, there were moments when things felt uncertain. But persistence made the difference.
“Projects like this don’t always make it to the finish line,” Habeeb shares. “But we stayed committed, released the project, created strong visual content, and handled promotion in the most effective way possible with the resources we had.”
The Role of Talent Management and A&R Direction
One major lesson from the process was how flexible music becomes when artists are encouraged to step outside familiar creative spaces. Drawing from his experience in talent management and A&R, Habeeb guided artists toward instrumentals they wouldn’t usually choose based not on guesswork, but on their past releases, instincts, and creative tendencies.
“It’s not a superpower,” he explains. “It’s simply understanding people and helping them see beyond their current limits.”
Throughout the sessions, artists were challenged to move away from surface-level themes and focus on deeper narratives connected to the EP’s core ideas. While many songs were recorded, guidance from experienced industry A&Rs helped narrow the project down to seven carefully selected tracks that best reflected the project’s message.
Themes Behind ‘Echoes of the Grind’
At its core, Echoes of the Grind explores themes of life, aspiration, and patience realities familiar to many emerging creatives navigating an industry where access often determines visibility.
Habeeb remains passionate about artist development, believing that young talents need safe, structured platforms to showcase their work, refine their skills, and grow confidently. While the ideal music ecosystem rewards pure talent, the reality often involves gatekeeping and limited access. Projects like Echoes of the Grind aim to help bridge that gap through opportunity, structure, and collaboration.
An Intimate Listening Experience in Lagos
An intimate listening party held in Lagos gave the artists a chance to connect closely with friends, fans, and supporters ahead of the public release. The session focused on culture, creativity, and storytelling reflecting the heart of the project itself.
For anyone who has ever worked tirelessly toward something they believe in, Echoes of the Grind is more than just an EP. It is a reflection of patience, persistence, and purpose.
The project was made possible with support from Music Marketing Conference Africa, Party Monks Entertainment, veteran producer Cobhams Asuquo, AK Street, and Ibrahim, a brand engineer whose belief in the vision helped bring the project to life.
