Nigerians were first introduced to rapper Sauce Kid, now called Sinzu, in 2005 when he released his debut single, “Omoge,” featuring the legendary Mike Okri.
He enjoyed a steady rise in the Nigerian music industry, being recognised as the man behind the tunes ‘Samboribobo’ or ‘Yebariba’ and even landing a collaboration with Davido on the song ‘Carolina’.
Unfortunately, his career took a sharp downturn after he was jailed in Ada County Jail, USA, in 2017 for grand larceny and theft of $15,388. This two-year prison sentence significantly affected his music career.
Law enforcement officers caught him about two years before he was jailed as he tried to board a flight at Boise Airport in Idaho.
According to the Idaho Statesman, Sauce Kid was initially charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, eight counts of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, and possession of 15 or more fraudulent bank cards.
He was released in April 2018 and has kept a low profile for six years.
However, he recounted his ordeal in the US federal prison in an interview with Cool FM, describing it as “terrible”.
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He spoke about prison, his mugshot and how Davido helped him get Odumodublvck to appear on his upcoming album.
New opportunity for life
The rapper also added that he had turned his life around and was determined to never go back to that point.
“I was charged with something called identity theft and sentenced to 24 months in federal prison. It was a long time to get my act together and reflect. I came out and that was behind me. It was a terrible experience for me. I learned from it because every negative situation, you have to be able to take something positive from it; otherwise, it’s a waste of time. I learned to never go back to that place again; it wasn’t fun there. I was making music, but I wasn’t putting it out or going to the studio for a year and a half. Davido signed me to his label based on my story, but let’s not talk about that. It wasn’t about money.”
Asked how she felt when her mugshots went viral on the Internet, Sinzu said she did not see them because a blog posted them 10 months into her prison sentence, adding that her mother informed her during a phone call.
Known for his unique style that blends Nigerian slang with Western flows, Sinzu also spoke about ‘Dear Afrobeats’, his first musical release in three years and his first album in five years.
The eleven-track album features collaborations with MI, Odumodublvck, MOJO AF, Dremo, Czure and Rahdo.