In the sprawling, kinetic heart of Lagos, where the city’s pulse beats in tandem with the thunderous basslines of Afrobeats, DJ Neptune has spent over a decade perfecting an art form that transcends mere curation. As the mastermind behind the Greatness series, a quadrilogy that, alongside many other landmark Afrobeats albums, has served as a cultural barometer for the genre’s meteoric rise, DJ Neptune has positioned himself not just as a DJ or record producer, but as a custodian of sound, a bridge between generations, and a prophet of what’s next.
With the release of Greatness IV, the high-profile turntablist, record producer, and sonic architect delivers his most ambitious project yet: a sprawling, 14-track exploration of Afrobeats duality, its rootedness in African soil and its inexorable march toward global domination. Eleven tracks on the album were recorded in Lagos, while one, Taliban, emerged from the beautiful city of Accra, Ghana. Together, they form a mosaic that captures a movement, building on DJ Neptune’s legacy of consistently delivering era-defining hits such as Nobody featuring Joeboy and Mr Eazi, Abeg featuring Omah Lay and Joeboy, Bienvenue featuring Ruger, Wait featuring Kizz Daniel, and So Nice featuring Davido, among others.
Seated in a Lagos studio on a sweltering afternoon, Neptune exudes the calm confidence of someone who has seen the blueprint unfold exactly as he envisioned. His voice is measured, contemplative, yet animated when discussing the minutiae of sound design or the hunger he sees in emerging artists. This is a man who has turned pattern recognition into an art form, and Greatness IV is the latest proof.
The Genesis of Greatness
The Greatness series began as a gamble, a DJ betting on his ability to curate not just hits, but cultural moments. Each instalment has served as a sonic time capsule, capturing the zeitgeist of Afrobeats at different inflection points in its evolution. Where Greatness introduced Neptune’s vision, and Greatness II and III solidified his reputation as a tastemaker, the fourth chapter arrives with the weight of legacy and the lightness of liberation.
“Greatness IV is about growth, legacy, and the global voice of Afrobeats,” DJ Neptune tells Peter Okhide. “Each album in the series reflects where the culture is at that moment, and this one shows how far we’ve come, global yet deeply rooted. I built it by bringing together artists whose sounds tell today’s story and tomorrow’s promise.”
It’s a delicate balance, honouring the tradition while pushing boundaries, and Neptune has mastered it through what he describes as a fundamental shift in his creative process. Unlike the meticulous, almost obsessive control that characterized earlier projects, Greatness IV was born from surrender.
“This time, I worked with more freedom,” he admits. “I allowed collaborations to breathe, gave younger voices room to shine, and trusted the process. That openness gave the album a fresh pulse while keeping the Greatness DNA intact.”
This evolution in approach is audible. Where previous instalments felt like carefully constructed projects designed for maximum impact, Greatness IV possesses an organic quality, songs that feel discovered rather than manufactured, collaborations that spark with genuine chemistry rather than calculated star power.
Perhaps no element of Greatness IV is more striking than its cast of characters. DJ Neptune has assembled a roster that reads like a who’s who of Afrobeats’ present and future, established titans sharing space with artists whose names are just beginning to reverberate in Africa’s borders. It’s a strategy that speaks to Neptune’s unique position in the ecosystem: he’s both insider and outsider, established enough to command respect, hungry enough to stay ahead of the curve.
“I chase authenticity,” Neptune says when asked about his selection process. “The legends bring experience, but emerging artists bring raw hunger and energy. When you merge the two, you create music that feels timeless and future-forward at the same time.”
It is this instinct for authenticity that has made Neptune something of an oracle in Afrobeats circles. When I pressed him to single out artists who deserve more recognition, he remained diplomatic, “they’re all incredible,” he insists. Those close to the project whisper about Neptune’s uncanny ability to spot talent before it breaks. His track record speaks for itself.
But what exactly does Neptune look for? What qualities signal that an artist possesses what he calls “Greatness potential”?
“Originality, consistency, passion, hunger, and humility,” he told me without hesitation. “Those five are the foundation. Without them, talent alone won’t carry you far.”
It’s a formula that sounds simple but proves devastatingly difficult to achieve. Originality without consistency breeds flash-in-the-pan virality. Passion without humility creates unsustainable egos. Neptune has seen countless artists possess three or four of these qualities, only to flame out when the missing piece reveals itself. The truly great, he argues, embody all five, and it’s his job to recognize them before the world does.
Geography as Co-Producer
One of Greatness IV‘s most fascinating elements exists in its creation story. While eleven of the album’s twelve tracks were recorded in Lagos, one song, Taliban, was born in Accra, Ghana. For Neptune, it was a deliberate creative choice, one that speaks to his understanding of how the environment shapes sound.
“Environment has a big role in creativity,” he explains. “Lagos has its own pulse, fast, energetic, and that shaped most of the album’s energy. But when I went to Ghana for Taliban, the vibe was different, and I love the energy, big ups to Kojo Blak. That difference gave the album layers. It’s a reminder that African music is diverse, and every location adds a unique colour to the sound.”
It’s a sophisticated understanding of terroir, that French concept that wine derives its character from the specific soil and climate where grapes are grown. For Neptune, Lagos brings intensity, urgency, the feeling that if you don’t capture lightning in a bottle right now, someone else will. Ghana, conversely, offers space to breathe, to let ideas marinate, to find pockets of reflection in the chaos.
Taliban stands apart on the album precisely because of this. While the Lagos-born tracks pulse with the city’s relentless forward motion, Taliban possesses a different quality, no less energetic, but more deliberate, more considered. It’s the sound of artists permitted to explore rather than conquer.
If Greatness IV has a heart, it beats in the opening track Amin, a track Neptune describes as more than music, as prayer and testimony made audible.
“Amin reflects my journey and the faith that has carried me from the beginning,” he says, his voice softening. “That’s why the project is called Greatness because it’s been divinely guided.”
It’s a revealing moment, one that cuts through the industry talk and chart positions to expose the spiritual core of Neptune’s creative vision. In an industry often characterized by ego and competition, Neptune’s invocation of divine guidance feels almost radical. Yet it explains much about his approach, the patience, the willingness to elevate others, the long-term thinking that has kept him relevant when countless contemporaries have faded.
Amin serves as an anchor and compass for Greatness IV, a reminder that beneath the glamour and global aspirations, this is sacred music, music rooted in gratitude, in acknowledgement of forces larger than individual ambition. It’s the sound of an artist who has achieved enough to be humble, seen enough to be grateful, and travelled far enough to remember where he started.
Behind every great curator is a team of architects who translate vision into sound. For Greatness IV, DJ Neptune assembled what he calls a “brain trust” of producers: Timbun, Ugly & Tough, NYRP, and Yo X. Each brought distinct sensibilities to the project, yet together they achieved something increasingly rare in modern music, coherence without homogeneity.
“Each brought their unique creativity, and together we built a body of work that feels cohesive yet diverse,” Neptune told me. “Big shoutout to all the producers on Greatness IV, amazing people.”
It’s that balance between cohesion and diversity that makes Greatness IV work as an album in an era when most releases feel like playlist fodder. There’s a sonic throughline, a warmth, a rhythmic sophistication, a production philosophy that favours organic sounds even when employing digital tools, but no two tracks occupy the same sonic space. It’s the audio equivalent of a perfectly curated museum exhibition: each piece distinct, yet the whole greater than its parts.
The Long Game
In an industry that measures success in weeks and viral moments, DJ Neptune’s career stands as proof of the power of playing the long game. More than a decade deep, he’s outlasted trends, survived format shifts, and watched the genre he helped build explode into global consciousness. So what’s the secret? How does an artist maintain relevance when the culture moves at internet speed?
“By staying a student of the game,” Neptune responds. “I evolve with the times but never lose touch with the culture. Passion drives me, and that’s why I’m still here, still creating, still pushing Afrobeats forward.”
It’s this student mentality that separates Neptune from peers who mistake early success for mastery. While others rest on laurels, Neptune remains curious, hungry, and willing to learn from artists young enough to be his students. It’s how he stays ahead, not by trying to chase trends, but by understanding their origins deeply enough to anticipate what comes next.
When I asked DJ Neptune about the future, whether there will be a Greatness V, or if he’s ready to explore new concepts, he is characteristically thoughtful.
“The Greatness journey isn’t over,” he says, “but I’m also challenging myself with new creative directions. For now, it’s about letting people truly connect with Greatness IV and experience it fully.”
It’s the answer of someone who understands that great art needs space to breathe, time to resonate. In an era of instant gratification and rapid-fire releases, Neptune’s willingness to pause, to let work speak, feels almost countercultural. Yet it’s precisely this patience, this faith in the long game, that has made him one of Afrobeats’ most enduring figures.
The Architect’s Legacy
As our conversation winds down and Lagos traffic begins its evening symphony outside, one thing becomes clear: DJ Neptune isn’t just documenting Afrobeats’ evolution, he’s actively architecting it. The Greatness series isn’t simply a branding exercise or a vanity project; it’s a living archive, an ongoing conversation between past, present, and future.
Greatness IV arrives at a pivotal moment for the genre. Afrobeats has conquered global charts, filled arenas from London to Los Angeles, and influenced everything from pop to hip-hop to electronic music. Yet with mainstream success comes the danger of dilution, of losing the cultural specificity that made the music special in the first place.
Neptune’s genius lies in his refusal to choose between global ambition and cultural rootedness. Greatness IV is unabashedly African, in its rhythms, its languages, its spiritual underpinnings, while simultaneously designed for the global stage. It’s music that doesn’t pander or apologize, that trusts listeners worldwide to meet it on its own terms.
As Neptune prepares to shepherd Greatness IV into the world, one senses that he’s already thinking three steps ahead, not just to the next project, but to the next wave of artists, the next sonic evolution, the next chapter in Afrobeats’ still-unfolding story. He’s built a career on seeing around corners, on recognizing greatness before it becomes obvious.
And if history is any guide, we should all be paying attention to what DJ Neptune sees next.
Listen to Greatness IV here.
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