Cralor Boi CIC is solidifying his position at the summit of Liberian music with his sophomore album, ‘Local Champion.’

It is impossible to tell the story of Liberia’s music scene over the last fifteen years without a mention of Cralor Boi CIC due to the sheer number of his hits, extended dominance, and a decade-long, multiple award-winning career, which includes a 2018 and 2024 Artiste Of The Year award at the MTN Liberia Music Award, Liberia’s premier music award.

Usually called Cralo or CIC, he has stamped his imprint at the apex of Liberian music, a music scene that has seen its fair share of challenges, which often stagnated growth. However, coming off a 2024 win as Artist of The Year at the MTN Liberia Music Award, a just-concluded tour in the United States, coupled with the July 2025 release of his second solo studio album titled ‘Local Champion,’ CIC has no intention of stopping his dominant streak.

Born Maurice Tosh Gayflor, CIC’s foray into music began as a member of the children’s choir in his local Baptist church in Brewerville, a suburb outside Monrovia, Liberia’s capital city. By the 12th grade, he had started recording music. “Professional music for me started in 2012 when I started recording in the studio,” he tells The NATIVE. “At that stage, I gravitated to music because at an early age, I had anger issues and music helped to calm me, music was my therapy.”

By 2015, CIC scored his first nationwide hit with “Jon Buttay,” an infectious Afropop record that owned the streets as well as the clubs. More importantly, the record was delivered strongly in Liberian colloquial, commonly spelt as koloqua, a unique variant of creole that is widely used throughout Liberia. While Hipco–Liberia’s naming of a subgenre of Hip-hop delivered in koloqua–had seen success, CIC’s delivery in koloqua went on to define his sound and inspire a new generation of artistes, especially ones doing Afropop.

Gbanja Scott, a Liberian rapper and media executive, says that CIC helped redefine the sound. “While there were pioneers who used koloqua in their sound, especially Hipco, CIC stood out because of the way he infused koloqua,” he explains. “He brought his own distinct swag and melody to the use of koloqua. As a result, he is a big influence on how the use of koloqua in music has evolved. These days, you see a lot of artists trying to infuse koloqua and make it more melodious; he played a monumental role in that.”

That position is reiterated by CIC, who now claims it as part of his legacy. “I was intentional in my use of koloqua because I wanted to influence our sound and ensure it was reflective of Liberia,” he says. “I wanted people to hear me and immediately know this is a Liberian artist instead of mistaking me as being from Ghana, Nigeria, or another country. After me, more people became comfortable with infusing koloqua.”

However, much as CIC has come to represent what success means for a Liberian artist, his dominance and success are as much because of Liberia as it is despite it.

While Liberia’s creative scene has received limited international coverage in recent times, the country’s music scene experienced relative success in the past, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. The country even hosted American singer and civil rights activist, Nina Simone, who briefly relocated to the country in the 1970s. The local scene has also influenced music in the region, with Liberian Kru music being one of the underlying pillars of West African Highlife.

Unfortunately, civil unrest and the bitter legacy of two civil wars fought from the 1990s to the early 2000s set back the music scene, and have largely defined reporting on the country. Consequently, in part due to the war, and also as a result of numerous challenges, including limited investment in the creative sector, the music scene has experienced restricted growth. These challenges include a lack of adequate venues to host concerts nationwide, high data costs, and low internet penetration, which have made streaming a less viable source of income for artists. There’s also the prevalence of poverty, which limits the spending power of music consumers.

“Although there are studios everywhere, we are also lacking in skilled personnel for mixing and mastering,” Scott notes. “As a result, a lot of artistes have to send their records out of the country to have them properly mixed and mastered. There are not enough video production houses, and there are no proper industry structures. Also, artistes find it hard to access publishing and publishing rights.”

Due to these challenges and limited access to international distribution channels, Liberia has been unable to take advantage of the renewed global focus on African music. Nonetheless, these challenges have inspired CIC. “As an independent artist in Liberia, it can be hard to execute ideas without significant investments,” he admits. “But we have to make it work, so it’s better not just for everyone, but also for the ones coming after us”.

More significantly, CIC’s current run of success comes after a period of personal struggle. Between 2021 and 2022, CIC was virtually absent from the music scene, dropping only two songs during this period. He needed the time away to deal with his mental health. In a January 2023 Instagram post, he spoke about what he was going through, stating that, “I’ve had suicidal thoughts and issues of mental health.”

Undeterred, he has since made a comeback. He went on to release “Don’t Give Up On Me” in January 2023, a gospel-inflected record that captured CIC’s plea to a divine figure not to give up on him. That song would propel his ascent back to the top of the scene as he dropped several tracks culminating in his 2024 win in the Artist Of The Year category at the MTN Liberia Music Award and the subsequent release of ‘Local Champion’ in July 2025.

His triumph in the Artist Of The Year category specifically lifted his spirits. “The win meant a lot, it was a comeback trophy for me,” he says. “It was important for me, especially coming off of my break. These days, my mental health is better, I am more engaged, and I am also having more discussions around mental health. These discussions are not just with myself, but with others, and I inspire people by sharing how I coped with depression; if I can do it, they can as well.”

His sophomore album, ‘Local Champion,’ is a testament to the singer’s longevity, solidifying his position at the apex of Liberia’s music scene. “Critics have said my music was purely koloqua and as a result, it wouldn’t move beyond borders,” he noted, “They said the sound wasn’t international, but koloqua is the way we speak, it is our identity. That’s why I titled my ‘Local Champion,’ I want my sound to carry our identity. Being a local champion is a tag I own.”

The 15-track LP gives listeners a 43-minute crash course on contemporary Liberian pop music, guided by CIC’s smooth signature delivery in koloqua. With features including Liberian stars Stunn and Lyrical Joe, as well as Nigerian rapper, Dremo, on two songs, it’s a coronation of sorts for CIC. ‘Local Champion’ also sees him expand his sound to explore other genres like Reggae, Drill, and Amapiano. “This album is about the sounds I wanted. I have always wanted that variety, to have my discography have a touch of everything,” he shares. “With this album, I got to do that, I did something on Reggae, did some acoustic music, I am proud of the album.”

While the album has seen initial positive reviews locally, for CIC, it’s just another step in crafting his legacy: “The album is out, I am taking it one day at a time. I am making Liberian music and defining our sound. I am proud to be a local champion of my people.”

Listen to ‘Local Champion’ here.