Peruzzi has always been an artist who understands songwriting, but one aspect of his talent that deserves more attention is his ability to collaborate with other artists. Whether he is featuring on another artist’s song or bringing someone into his own musical world, he often finds a way to make the different voices work together without losing the identity of the record.
His work with Davido and Mayorkun offers a glimpse of this ability, while his collaboration with 2Baba further demonstrates his understanding of how different artists can contribute to a song. Peruzzi knows how to make music with other people, and his latest release, Inferno, provides another example of that strength.
Featuring Shoday and Zlatan, Inferno brings together three artists with different approaches to music. Rather than allowing their individual styles to compete for attention, the song finds a way to accommodate them. The result is a record built around the chemistry between its performers, supported by a production team that understands how to create a sound capable of moving a crowd.
Peruzzi Understands the Art of Collaboration
One of the biggest challenges with a collaboration involving multiple artists is creating a song in which everyone has a purpose. Sometimes, a featured artist sounds disconnected from the main record. In other cases, the collaboration becomes a collection of separate performances without a clear musical direction.
Inferno avoids much of this problem.
Peruzzi establishes the musical foundation, Shoday brings his contribution into the arrangement, and Zlatan adds his familiar energy through his delivery and ad-libs. Each artist has a role to play, and the song benefits from the differences between them.
Peruzzi’s songwriting provides a foundation for the record, while Shoday adds another vocal presence that fits into the song’s romantic and playful subject matter. Zlatan, meanwhile, brings a different kind of energy. His delivery, interjections and comic timing give the song some of its most memorable moments.
The important thing is that none of these contributions feels completely detached from the music surrounding it. The artists are not simply taking turns to demonstrate what they can do. Their performances work together to give the song a recognisable character.
This is where Peruzzi’s understanding of collaboration becomes particularly valuable. He knows that a good collaboration is not necessarily about assembling popular names. It is about finding a way for those names to make something that works better as a collective effort.
Five Producers, One Musical Direction
The production of Inferno is another reason the song deserves attention. The record brings together Sensei, Irockclassic, Fresh VDM, Mixmonster Menno and Iroko Bass, creating a production team with several contributors working towards the same musical outcome.
With five producers involved, one might expect a record crowded with competing ideas. However, Inferno comes together around a distinctive Afropop sound, driven by percussion, rhythm and an arrangement that encourages movement.
The production is particularly effective because it understands the kind of experience the song is trying to create. This is music designed to get people moving, whether it is played at a party, in a club or through a sound system where the bass can be properly felt.
The kpomkpom-inspired rhythmic character gives the record a lively foundation. Rather than relying entirely on a familiar programmed beat to carry the song, the production creates room for different instrumental elements to contribute to its energy.
The result is a record that feels lively without depending on excessive musical changes to maintain the listener’s attention. The groove is central to the experience, and the producers understand how to sustain it.
Iroko Bass Gives Inferno Its Physical Energy
One of the standout elements of Inferno is the live bass guitar contribution from Iroko Bass.
Bass is often an instrument that listeners feel before they consciously recognise what it is doing. It can provide weight, connect the rhythm section and give a song the kind of physical energy that makes people respond instinctively to the music.
That is part of what makes the bass contribution on Inferno effective.
The live bass adds movement and character to the instrumental, giving the rhythm a more pronounced sense of bounce. It does not simply sit beneath the other elements as background support. Its presence helps shape the way the groove feels, making the song more engaging for listeners who pay attention to its instrumentation.
This is an important distinction because a danceable song does not have to rely exclusively on heavy percussion or an aggressively programmed beat. A well-placed bass line can provide the momentum needed to make a record feel alive.
On Inferno, the bass helps create that effect. It gives the production a musical detail that listeners can appreciate beyond the immediate appeal of the vocals and chorus.
The collaboration between the producers also deserves credit here. With several people involved in the production, the instrumental still maintains a clear direction, allowing elements such as the bass guitar to contribute to the overall experience rather than disappear into a crowded arrangement.
Peruzzi, Shoday and Zlatan Deliver Strong Wordplay
The songwriting is another major strength of Inferno. In a year when many songs compete for attention through catchy hooks and familiar production formulas, the writing on this record gives listeners more to engage with than its immediate dance appeal.
Peruzzi approaches the song through the perspective of a man expressing his feelings for a woman. His opening verse presents love as something that has taken control of his emotions, leaving him willing to show his commitment rather than hide what he feels.
The writing maintains a conversational quality, moving between romantic expressions, playful remarks and the kind of exaggeration that makes the song entertaining. Rather than turning the subject into a serious declaration of love, Peruzzi keeps the delivery light enough to fit the instrumental.
The pre-chorus continues this approach. His character is waiting outside his woman’s gate, asking to see her and expressing his eagerness to be with her. Zlatan’s interruptions add another layer to the performance, turning what could have been a straightforward romantic verse into a more animated exchange.
Shoday continues the song’s romantic theme in his own verse. His expressions of affection are exaggerated, with promises of doing almost anything for the woman he desires. The writing fits the playful character of the record, allowing him to contribute without changing the song’s overall direction.
Zlatan’s verse takes a different route, relying on punchlines, wordplay and his ability to turn everyday expressions into humorous musical moments. His reference to Michael Faraday, for example, uses the scientist’s association with electricity to reinforce the idea of a woman lighting up his world.
It is a simple connection, but it works because it links a familiar name to the romantic message of the song.
His line about Vincent also introduces a joke built around the difference between his fictional persona and the person he is presenting himself to be in the song. It is the kind of writing that rewards listeners who pay attention to the details rather than treating the entire verse as background music.
What makes the lyrical performance effective is the way the artists approach the subject from different angles. Peruzzi brings the romantic foundation, Shoday extends the expressions of affection, and Zlatan adds humour and unexpected references.
Together, they create a song that is entertaining without abandoning its central subject.
Zlatan’s Ad-Libs Add More Than Comedy
Taken out of context, some of these interjections might sound funny or even absurd. However, their effectiveness becomes clearer when they are heard within the complete song.
The exchanges around the lyrics give the record a sense of personality. They interrupt the more straightforward vocal passages, create moments of anticipation and make the performances feel less rigid.
His repeated interjections also give the song an additional layer of rhythm. The ad-libs do not merely comment on what the other artists are singing. They become part of the musical arrangement, adding texture and helping the vocals maintain their energy.
This is one of Zlatan’s strengths as a performer. He understands how humour, vocal expressions and spontaneous-sounding remarks can become musical tools when used in the right setting.
On Inferno, those elements help distinguish the record from a conventional romantic Afropop song. The subject matter is familiar, but the way the performers interact gives it a more playful identity.
The song would still have its romantic theme without the ad-libs, but it would lose some of the character that makes the full arrangement enjoyable.
A Love Song With a Story to Tell
Beyond the production and the performers’ individual contributions, Inferno benefits from having a clear lyrical direction.
The song revolves around romantic attraction, affection and the desire to be with a woman. Peruzzi presents himself as someone who is emotionally invested, while Shoday expands on the theme through expressions of devotion. Zlatan adds humour and sexual innuendo, preventing the song from becoming too predictable in its approach to romance.
The narrative is not complicated, but it does not need to be. A good song can tell a relatively simple story as long as its writing, performance and musical arrangement work together.
The verses, pre-chorus and chorus contribute to the same central idea. The repeated question of whether this feeling could be love provides a recognisable anchor, while the verses give the performers room to explore the subject through their own personalities.
This consistency is important. The song does not feel like a collection of unrelated punchlines placed over an attractive beat. Its humour and wordplay serve the larger romantic theme, allowing the performers to entertain listeners while maintaining a clear sense of direction.
That balance between storytelling and musical enjoyment is one of the reasons Inferno works.
Final Thoughts on Peruzzi’s Inferno
Inferno is a strong example of what can happen when good songwriting, complementary performers and thoughtful production come together.
Peruzzi once again demonstrates an understanding of musical collaboration, bringing Shoday and Zlatan into a record where their individual contributions have room to make an impression. Shoday fits into the song’s romantic direction, while Zlatan provides the humour, ad-libs and punchlines that give it additional character.
The production team also deserves recognition. Sensei, Irockclassic, Fresh VDM, Mixmonster Menno and Iroko Bass contribute to a sound that is built around movement and rhythm. The live bass guitar is particularly effective, adding a physical quality to the groove that helps the instrumental stand out.
The lyrics complete the picture. The wordplay, romantic storytelling and humorous expressions give the song substance beyond its danceability. It is possible to enjoy Inferno simply by responding to its rhythm, but paying attention to the performances reveals more of what the artists bring to the record.
Ultimately, Inferno succeeds because its different elements support one another. The production creates the atmosphere, the songwriting gives the artists something to work with, and the collaboration ensures that the record has more than one source of energy.
Peruzzi has always had the ability to write good music. With Inferno, he also reminds listeners that knowing how to bring different artists together can be just as important as knowing how to write a good song.
