&w=64&q=75)
After triumphantly rounding off 2022 with the release of the deluxe version of his debut album 'Billion Dollar Baby', Seyi Vibez opened 2023 with the hardcore street-facing EP 'Memory Card'.
Seyi Vibez proved to be the hardest working artist in 2023 as he released two albums in the space of 20 days while finding time to make decisive guest appearances.
Hoping to close the year as he started it, Seyi Vibez released a new EP titled 'NAHAMciaga' where he spends most parts in the self-adulation worthy of the impressive year he has enjoyed.
The title of the EP is derived from one of the memorable lines from his stunning record 'Hushpuppi' which was curiously starved of service and which showed Seyi Vibez defining ability to deploy lamba (Nigerian street slang).
On 'NAHAMciaga', Seyi Vibez tapped into his Yoruba roots to craft street-leaning records that emphasize his place as the leading voice in Nigerian Street music.
While Seyi Vibez displayed impressive range across the 5 tracks, the EP also suffers from unmissable poor execution as some tracks lack cutting-edge production and arrangements.
One of the major criticisms of Seyi Vibez's music is its lack of musicality. Like several Street Hop artists, Seyi Vibez's music is influenced by Yoruba indigenous music, White Garment Christian music, and his Islamic background which he puts together and delivers in recitation/chant style underpinned by Amapiano log drums. The inability to craft danceable Afrobeats jams has led to questions about his music lasting beyond serving the immediate and fleeting needs of listeners.
Seyi Vibes answers this question on the opening track 'Different Pattern' where he sampled melodies from Yoruba Highlife legend Orlando Owoh. The self-adulating Highlife record carries the sonic richness that defines Yoruba Highlife music with Seyi Vibez also showing his ability to impressively weave melody for an 'Owambe' (Nigerian parties defined by colourful uniform attire and indigenous band music) party starter.
When his Highlife melodies in 'Different Patterns' are taken together with mid-tempo flows 'Cana' it shows that Seyi Vibez can offer more than just breathless speaker-rattling records.
Although Seyi Vibez shows artistic evolution and range on 'NAHAMciaga', the EP still suffers from familiar flaws of poor execution that could have been remedied by attention to detail and better arrangement.
The 'Apala Interlude' which continues his exploration of Nigerian indigenous music for album intermission suffers from poor execution as Seyi Vibez makes a poor attempt at mirroring the timeless Apala record of both Haruna Ishola and his son Musiliu. His delivery strays away from the beat with the stacked vocals crashing against themselves.
This flaw in arrangement and execution reoccurs in 'Shazam' where he flaunts his superstar lifestyle and hitmaker status while also telling his detractors to keep at their futile inquest into his success. His impressive Konto-styled flows were overshadowed by needless baby vocal tracts and poorly executed vocal stacking. This poor execution limits what could have easily been a compelling record.
Attention to fine details might have also led Seyi Vibez to notice that the Sakara and Bata drums on 'Different Pattern' needed to be harder and more dominant.
Irrespective of the poor execution, 'NAHAMciaga' shows the artistic evolution and range many listeners wanted to see from Seyi Vibez. And for other fans, they will just be grateful to get new music from an artist who has held them spellbound throughout the year.
Street music played the foremost role in Nigerian music in 2023 and the Afrobeats sub-genre is positioned for its most successful run yet in 2024. Undoubtedly, Seyi Vibez has a major role to play as the face of Street music if the sub-genre is to achieve the needed genre stacking and refinement required for it to become a dominant and sustainable part of Afrobeats.
With his talent and mainstream success, Seyi Vibez has all it takes to chart a course for a successful future of Street music in Afrobeats.
Ratings: /10
• 0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fall
• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion
Pulse Rating: /10
Album Sequencing: 1.6/2
Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.5/2
Production: 1.4/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.5/2
Execution: 1/2
TOTAL - 7 - Victory