On his full-length debut, All or Nothing, actor and singer Rotimi (Olurotimi Akinosho) folds multiple influences into an eclectic, yet cohesive body of work. Over 15 tracks, he draws from North American, African and Caribbean sounds and reveals his many facets. "All or Nothing is my way of saying I’m giving everything that I've got," he tells Apple Music. "My approach was to really focus on the artistry. I was able to take my time and spend a year-and-a-half creating without any distractions". The outcome of this creative process is an immersive listen that relays a fluid palettte informed by a multicultural background. Between the tempered acoustics of the title track, the dancehall-infused “Fiction” alongside Busy Signal, the suave melodies of the Tank-assisted “Grown Decisions” and the groovy “Polaroid” which features Yung Bleu, Rotimi deftly weaves rhythms across multiple genres and musical eras. “I can stand behind this project and say I've made a really timeless album,” he continues. “It’s something people will be able to listen to over and over again.” He lets us in on his creative choices while revealing the album's themes and the songs that best embody them. The Journey “My journey is really the story of the underdog. It's been a journey of consistency and perseverance and there's been a lot of favour, grace and mercy. A lot of things go into my story; which is a very unique one. I've been working hard to get to this level so it feels incredible to have the eyes of the people waiting to see what I'll do. It's the first time that I can say I'm giving people a journey through everything that I'm going through at this point in time. “Memory Lane” is the story of how I became who I am. I'm giving you everything and you're hearing clearly what my story was. A lot of people don't know my story so I wanted to give it to them in a way that’s different. I didn't want to sing it so this is basically poetry. It was also really cool to feature my mom on it.” The Collaborations “Apart from my mother, I worked with Stacy Barthe and the incredible singer-songwriter Marquis Rashad on “Memory Lane”. The features are from artists I really respect and that I'm cool with. “Fiction” is one with a cool vibe and Busy Signal is a legend. I feel like “Polaroid” will be a fan favourite ‘cause it’s easy listening and something that’s always going to groove. Yung Bleu’s doing really well so it was the perfect time for us to get things moving. I met Alpha P when I went to Nigeria two years ago. I thought he was exceptionally talented and wanted to give him the opportunity to be in my world. He sent me some music and I remembered the record a couple of months ago. I was like, ‘Let me cut it, ’cause it's still in my head.’ I put my verse on it and it became “Fayah”. Working with FireboyDML is a blessing first and foremost and “Weapon” is probably my favourite song. It’s a cool mixture of Afrobeats, reggae and R&B. We met at a party in LA and just knew we needed to work together. We complemented each other very well and our vibes really meshed well.” The Process “”What To Do” is a pop record—something I've never really done before and I’m really proud of. It's a fun summertime song with a cool energy. It's an unexplainable feeling... you hear it and it resonates in your spirit. That's how I move in everything; I just trust my intuition. When I hear a beat that I love I don't hesitate and start working on it. All these records came about through conversation and within those conversations we’d get the topline and melodies. It's like, ‘What do you wanna talk about Ro; what makes you happy or what makes you sad?’ [Put down] whatever you're feeling.” The Rhythm & Blues “”Say My Name” is a record for the cocky man and is a really smooth, cool record. It's really elegant music and very eloquent. It's a song that's saying, ‘Let everybody know who that belongs to!’. It's a clever way of saying something everybody's already said but I wanted to put my own spin on it. “Decide” is a really sexy, throwback record and the first R&B song on the album. It reminds me of the ’90s and I'm a big fan of that time, so making the record was just me paying respect. It's about being a big daddy… being the one that leads the way. The video is also my first time directing and is basically a recreation of Jay Z's “Excuse Me Miss”.” The Fusion of Sounds “The album sounds like the best way Rotimi can be Rotimi. I'm the definition and epitome of African-American so you get the Afrobeats, pop, R&B and hip hop—all the elements of who I am and what I represent. “Don't You Ever” is a record that's really dancey, simple and smooth and it was inspired by my trip to Haiti. I really loved that kompa sound over there—I wasn't too familiar with it before I visited but it felt really good. Being Nigerian, there's very similar beats and I wanted to do something to pay homage to Haitian music and culture with this one. I'd say I'm one of the bridges, playing my part in bringing Afrobeats to the States and making it digestible for people that maybe aren't familiar with it. Being in this realm I see it as my duty and I think that's my purpose right now.”