Over the weekend, Larry Gaaga brought one of Nigeria’s foremost rappers M.I Abaga and Ghanaian songstress Efya for an empowering anthem, ‘Hold On‘. This record is a departure from his overly commercial records like ‘Low’, ‘Baba Nla’, and the Davido-assisted ‘Doe’ which have dominated the clubs over the years. With this record, he preaching positivity in the face of turmoil, serving as a voice of hope. And he rightfully calls on two acts, masters in their fields to help relay this message.

On the record, M.I the hip-hop legend steps off his pedestal to be mere human who has sailed the murky waters of rejections and let downs. He shares his own story, highlighting the aches he had to endure as an artist on the rise, down to when he established his foothold as Naija’s hip-hop hegemon. And we all know this isn’t an M.I-specific tale because almost every successful person has a similar story to tell. M.I finds himself in full elder statesman mode, doling priceless gems of advice, urging everyone to keep giving their hustle everything they’ve got and just hope for the best.

With her soothing voice, Efya also urges us to press on and hold on to hope. We might not be where we want to be or even close to it, but the important thing is that we are on the way. And even when we fall, we should pick ourselves back up, dust off, emerge stronger and even more resolute.

Listen to this uplifting anthem above.