Ever since he emerged from the underground circuit with 2017 hit “My Body”, Zlatan has established himself as an avatar of street pop’s rise to prominence. While collaborations with heavyweights like Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid have solidified Zlatan’s mainstream credibility, it was his early co-signs for stars ODUMODUBLVCK, Shallipopi, BNXN and Jeriq, along with a revamp of his sartorial style—and some entrepreneurial success—that really propelled the Zanku Boss to his current status. “They once talked shit about me,” he reminisces on Symbol of Hope opener “Pay Day”, before launching into “Oyoyo”, a celebratory track about trusting the process. The Ikorodu-hailing singer is at once at ease and eager to deliver cogent life lessons across his third proper album. Through deft singing and rapping over logdrums, he’s committed to making money on “Odeshi”, and then again on “Happy Day”, and yet, even when he delivers sentimentality on “Diamond”, his romantic impulses are wrapped in materialism. But Zlatan has no problem sharing the wealth. Qing Madi makes a stellar contribution about the crushing weight of expectations on “Demons”, while Afropop titan Davido co-signs his claim as “Hip Hop Messiah”. FOLA pops up on “Get Better”, neo-highlife star Flavour on “Genesis”, and there’s a lively reunion with Olamide on “Gimme Your Love” that tees up the BhadBoi OML-assisted “Alpha & Omega”. Together, Symbol of Hope’s guests point to multiple eras of Zlatan’s professional story, alluding to the realisation that the real symbol of hope is the friends he made along the way.