Zlatan Unveils Highly Anticipated Third Studio Album ‘Symbol Of Hope’

SYMBOL OF HOPE arrives as the highly anticipated third studio album from Nigerian street-hop trailblazer and creative business mogul ZLATAN, coming on the heels of the 2025 afrobeats song-of-the-year contender ‘Get Better’ featuring Nigerian pop-soul riser Fola, which debuted in the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs Chart Top 10, charted for eight weeks in the Official UK Afrobeats Chart Top 20, and peaked at #2 on the Official Nigerian Top 100 Chart.

After basking in the successes of last year’s Detty December anthem ‘Gimme Your Love’ featuring Olamide, with over 20 million global streams, the fusion-focused superstar returns with this inspirational offering set for release on October 17 via his label Zanku Records in partnership with ONErpm. On Symbol of Hope, Zlatan offers a kaleidoscope into the multifaceted struggles that border his grass-to-grace journey, from his gritty hustles across Lagos’ restive Ikorodu suburbs, to world stages that cement his superstardom, providing fuel for everyone still on their grind.

Spinning with Zlatan’s typical high-octane hip-hop anthems, Symbol of Hope widens the lens on the ambitious Nigerian spirit, sprawling with relatable themes of hustle, resilience, street wisdom, and self-growth. The album unfurls as a memoir for the progressive thinker, lush with candour, hope, and faith, tucked neatly within his world of melodic street hop. “I made it out of the hood, and that means anyone can make it out too”, he notes, reflecting on his inspiration for the album.

‘Payday’ opens the album in victory-lap mode, while ‘Oyoyo’ flips rejection into a sing-along triumph, and ‘Better Life’ sketches an aspirational blueprint that values peace and purpose as much as money. He takes a brave left-turn on ‘Demons’ with afropop princess Qing Madi, stripping back the gloss to address mental pressure, self-doubt and the weight of being a provider, and on the audacious bop ‘Hip Hop Messiah’, Zlatan links up with his longtime counterpart and collaborator Davido once again to deliver a bold statement anthem from two of afrobeats’ leading torchbearers. The album continues with Zlatan and Mayorkun’s poignant takes on the hard-hitting street pop fusion ‘Paypal’, delivering with the same rent-due momentum that adorns their stellar discographies. Romance takes centre stage on the afro-R&B joint ‘Diamond’, which sees Zlatan leaning into his Loverboy persona, while cleverly paying tribute to the 2005 Lagbaja cult classic ‘Never Far Away’.

Symbol Of Hope hits second gear with ‘Odeshi’, which toasts to the soft life, and invokes divine protection from evil doers. It then hands the baton to the praise-filled anthem ‘Till Thy Kingdom Come’, before deepening its reflection on joy with the ovation-rousing ‘Get Better’ with Fola, and ‘Happy Day’, polarizing the album with the emotional duality of daredevil resolve and contagious joy. It closes with the Bhadboi OML-assisted ‘Alpha & Omega’, where Zlatan sprints down memory lane to his first ever studio session in the bustling suburbs of Ketu in Lagos, selling everything, including his only phone, to fund his purpose, and rising through the ranks to become the effervescent symbol of hope for every promising talent still trapped within the anxious chaos of the underground.

Blending street-hop bite, gospel uplift, afropop sensibilities, and dance-floor energy with raw, unfiltered reflection, Zlatan turns his story into a soundtrack for motivation and perseverance on Symbol Of Hope. The album rings as a dancefloor therapy, tuned to uplift the soul and elevate consciousness. Zlatan brims with sweltering braggadocio, channelling all his personas, as motivator, serial hitmaker, street preacher, cultural conduit, and whatever his listener needs him to be. He offers his story as a muse for anyone determined to write their own.

Crafted with his longtime producer Chechdaproducer, the album soundscapes swell with catharsis, brimming as a happy potion while inducing an inward search for truth and purpose. For his day-one believers, this album is the Zanku DNA levelled up, and for newcomers, it’s a front-row seat to the engine of Lagos street culture. Beneath all this is Zlatan’s thesis for life – resilience is teachable, hope is contagious, and courage is currency. It is the pulse of Symbol Of Hope, with Zlatan urging everyone to keep pace, trust the grind, and never second-guess their next stride.

Rooted in Ekiti and raised in Lagos, ZLATAN is an award-winning hitmaker, rap artist, and all-round culture driver whose pioneering street-hop energy has helped shape contemporary afrobeats. A multitalented performer, writer, dancer, and creative, he ignited a movement with the era-defining Zanku and Gbeku dances and a whole new lexicon all his own, turning raw street expression into global pop language. His ascent reads like an a-list highlight reel – from his 2017 breakout track ‘My Body’ featuring fellow street-hop maverick Olamide, and his star-making moment on Chinko Ekun’s ‘Able God’ in 2018, to his ‘Zanku (Zlatan Abeg No Kill Us)’ magnum opus, which birthed his aspirational agenda, and the global smash hit ‘Killin Dem’.

Across his acclaimed debut album Zanku in 2019, his stellar 2021 sophomore Resan, and his 2023 pace-making EP Omo Ologo, Zlatan has carved a legacy that has elevated West African hip-hop across the global music landscape. His collaborations with UK heavyweights including Pa Salieu (‘Shining’) and Stormzy (off Odumodublvck’s ‘Pay Me’), among others, have also endeared him as a force majeure for Nigerian hip-hop across the UK. His litany of awards, including the Headies Award – Nigeria’s GRAMMYs equivalent – and three AFRIMMA awards, as well as his foray into Nollywood, African’s biggest film industry, starring in Gangs of Lagos, and his recently launched multi-million-dollar fashion line, ZTTW (Zlatan To The World), herald his inspiring grit and impenetrable drive.

With an online community of over 10 million engaged fans, Zlatan’s voice, music and kinetic stagecraft have become an instant adrenaline jolt to clubs, radio, playlists, charts, and festival fields, since he broke into the global music landscape. His unique fusion of African street-hop, afrobeats and melodic rap are part of the lingering reasons why he is revered among fans and critics alike as the pulse of the street. On stage, he is a proven maestro and crowd-controller, showcasing the same high-octane energy, whether in front of intimate rooms and fully sold-out arenas.

His collaborative spirit has also distinguished Zlatan as the only rapper to have ever collaborated with afrobeats “Big 3” – Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy, but that community mindset doesn’t stop there. Zlatan has immortalized his voice within the annals of afrobeats’ essential discography, including collaborations with afrobeats royalty Tiwa Savage and Tekno, and the scene’s biggest rising stars BNXN, Young Jonn, Seyi Vibez, Odumodoblvck, and Asake, as well as cosigning career-turning entries with motion-focused newcomers like Mavo, YKB, and Fola.

A driven entrepreneur, Zlatan is the founder of Zanku Records, an incubator for the next generation of talent bursting out of Africa. He has also expanded his cultural footprint into film and TV via his guest starring role in the critically acclaimed Gangs of London, and fashion through his ZTTW clothing brand. In 2025, Zlatan continues to shape the sound, style and culture of afrobeats in real time. His forthcoming third studio album Symbol of Hope reflects Zlatan’s grass-to-grace story, from the slums of Ikorodu to the world stage. Revered as one of the most successful Nigerian artists in global music, a successful businessman, and a dot-connector that has paved the way for so many artists, Zlatan’s overriding message behind this album is to bring hope to the streets. As he puts it, “I made it out the hood, that means anyone can make it out too”.