“We were ‘Homeless’ together two years ago, and now we are ‘On The Road’ side by side like we have always been,” Llona captioned the trailer. “These are the stories, the emotions that I felt On The Road.” The message resonates deeply with fans—known affectionately as LLONERS—who have followed his journey from displacement to dominance.

‘Homeless’, released on July 25, 2024, was more than a debut, it was a revelation. The 12-track project chronicled Llona’s nomadic youth, shaped by fleeing Boko Haram instability in his early life across Kano and beyond. Blending vulnerable Afrobeats melodies with Afro-fusion textures, it featured standout collaborations with Wizard Chan, Bella Shmurda (on the remix of “HBP”), and Fave (“Cold War”). The album peaked at No. 11 on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 100 Albums chart, amassed over 150 million Spotify streams, and earned widespread critical praise for its therapeutic intimacy and sonic cohesion.

‘Homeless’ sparked a 25-city nationwide tour in 2025, transforming personal catharsis into a communal movement. Tracks like “Another Day” and “Comforter” became anthems for listeners navigating mental health, resilience, and everyday struggles.

Llona’s introspective style and the cover imagery of ‘Homeless’ captured themes of displacement and resilience.

While no official release date has been confirmed, the trailer and Llona’s recent activity suggest the project is nearing completion, with whispers of a potential drop later in 2026. Early indications point to an evolution: where ‘Homeless’ captured isolation and survival, ‘On The Road’ promises themes of companionship, forward momentum, and shared journeys. 

After turning one album into a nationwide cultural touchstone, Llona is poised to solidify his place among Nigeria’s new wave of thoughtful Afrobeats storytellers.

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On his debut album, “Homeless”, he puts his evolution on a platter for display, showing us his growth from his early days in Kano where he started his journey as a rapper, to today, where he might have found a “home” and outlet for his emotions through his sound.

Llona is usually perceived as “sad”, and it’s hard not to. However, with the coming of this sombre and dark Long Play, I find him even more fascinating. Getting a look into his thoughts and worldview created a clearer picture of who he is and what his struggles were like. It gives a proper perception of why he is who he is, and one would agree that he is beautiful reflection of the average African man’s existential reality. 

The 12-tracks Long Play started out with the sombre Intro, ‘Still Scared’. Performed over the backdrop of a simple percussion, chord progression and a background vocal harmony, Llona rides on the simplicity of the instrumental for the first few bars, with his vocals creating the much needed depth. “Death is the only thing that saves us” he expressed his struggles and says he is still yet to get over being scared.

Track two ‘Commander’ started out as an extended part of track one, ‘Still Scared’. A powerful poem written by talented Digital Creator Morenikeji Adebola ended track one and synced flawlessly with ‘Commander’. Signifying Llona’s reality, It reads: “Hear my songs of sorrows! Hear my tales of turmoil! The sky; my roof. My feet, the sand kisses. Finding light in shadowed alleys. I seek solace in naked streets”. Featuring The Native Doctor, Wizard Chan; ‘Commander’ is a mid-tempo Trap-fusion. With Trap Snares giving life to its dark Bass, Llona expresses his relentless approach to life. 

Before the release of ‘Homeless,’ Llona had dropped lead singles ‘Another Day’ and ‘Cold War,’ featuring Fave. He had also previously released ‘HPB’ with Bella Shmurda in 2023 and ‘Comforter’ in 2022 as part of his pre-project lineup.

For the first time in the Album, Llona seem to give a little space for a change in subject-matter. On ‘Stranger’, he conveys his pain and emotions towards an unknown other. “Without you I am safer” he said, as he sings about their severed tie. The beauty of this little pivot in subject-matter is that it brings the listener to a realization that he/she is 5 tracks into an Afrobeats project, and the first inclusion of a potential woman/man relationship is on the 6th track — a rare occurrence  in the Afrobeats world as basic as it is. What makes it more fascinating is that even when he finally pivots, it was still about real emotional hurt, and not about lust. It leaves the listener wondering if this brother is truly ever happy! 

‘Gangsta Love Letter’ takes us on a journey that reflects Llona’s psychoemotional state when it comes to love and relationship. “I am sicker than you, check the symptoms” he confirms what I perceive as his traumas when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Starting with a pre-apocalyptic-like siren and gloomy bass-line, he delivers his well laid out songwriting on a rhythmic percussion and drum, which makes it one of the few songs you can dance to on the project. Llona also employs a “keyboard typing” sound effects at the beginning to portray that the message of the song is a letter he is typing to a significant other. Thinking of it in a deeper sense, Llona seemed to be stating how he loves from a distance because of his paranoia and his strife to preserve his freedom — a reality which might be a result of his past experiences.

‘Billion Paper’ and ‘Rollercoaster’ are songs which carried similar theme of Llona expressing the pains and challenges of pursuing his dreams, and also how lonely it can get on the journey.  ‘Forgive Me’, the outro displayed an apologetic Llona, and at the same time, it looks to be a double-edged sword with multiple messages. Performed over a shaker and rimshot dominant instrumental, ‘Forgive Me’, on one hand saw Llona seeking apologies for his imperfections, and on the other hand, it looks as though Llona is dropping a cryptic message about his father who i believe to have been absent in most of his formative years. If you ask me, living as a first child of three, raised in a dysfunctional home with a struggling single mother who put in the work, and lived from city to city for survival is enough  justification for Llona’s Personality.

Contrary to popular opinion, after listening to ‘Homeless’ you should come to a realization that Llona  isn’t necessarily a sad soul like he is perceived to be. He is just an emotionally conscious being. One who had lived through grim experiences and come out of the blazing furnace of misery with holistic numbness. He has walked the walk, and lived to see different experiences. He is now super conscious of everything, and due to his experiences he might have been forced to reach wisdom earlier than expected. 

As it is rightly portrayed in the title of this review, ‘Homeless’ is a mirror of reflection for emotionally conscious people. A place you turn to when you’re feeling down; where you’ll immediately find a stranger articulating everything you couldn’t express yourself. He is aware of this reality as he stated in an interview: “There are some people who listen to my music and say it’s good, but they don’t get it. They only get it after something happens to them and they listen back. Every lyric now makes sense.”

‘Homeless’ is a great body of work which had most of its creativity displayed in its background vocals, curated poems, use of sound/sound effects, and other recordings. One should also give credit to the seamless synchronization between tracks, and the great arrangement it possesses.

However, the Album has a tendency of sounding quite monotonous due to Llona’s  melodic structure, style, and cadence. The good thing is, that feeling only creeps up on you towards the end of the project, and it can easily be bypassed by focusing on the deep lyrics and substance on each song. 

Rating 7.0

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“I Homeless” features notable guest artists such as Bella Shmurda, Fave, and Wizard Chan. The album is complemented by a documentary filmed in Llona’s childhood neighborhood, providing a rich context about his background and the influences that shaped him.

Ahead of the album release, Llona dropped two lead singles, “Another Day” and “Cold War” featuring Fave. “Another Day” has particularly captured industry attention with its powerful visualizer, effectively conveying the song’s potent message and introducing Llona to a broader audience.

In May, Llona partnered with Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) to offer free counseling sessions for fans and therapy sessions for five individuals. Llona’s participation in these sessions underscores his commitment to mental health, a theme also evident in his lead single, “Another Day.”

Llona’s creative direction and narrative have generated significant anticipation for “Homeless.” Fans eagerly await to see if the album meets their high expectations. Stay tuned for our in-depth review of the album.

Listen to Llona new debut album HOMELESS.

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