On April 17, 2020, Nigerian producer, Beats By Jayy wore his other hat and released 'Jaynius,' his third EP in three years. His first EP was 'Replay Value' (2017) and 'Road To Jaynius' (2019). When he sings, he doesn't perform as Beats By Jayy, he is Big Daddy Jayy - an allusion to his physical 'sugar daddy' build and presumably, his aspiration in life.
Before Jaynius dropped, Beats By Jayy had contributed to three critically-acclaimed projects, Judah EP by MI Abaga, God's Engineering by AQ and The Live Report by AQ and MI Abaga. Before then, he had produced both versions of the Martell Cyphers and had been getting attention as a Hip-Hop producer.
In fact, until his socio-politically charged hook dipped with a dash on hilarity on 'Clap For Yourself' by MI Abaga and AQ, a lot of Nigerians didn't know he was a performing artist. On that song, it felt like AQ used the opportunity to put some spotlight on his regular collaborator. Ladies and gentlemen, it worked.
"All the money wey you get, we know say na mp3..." was one of the most memorable moments on The Live Report. A week later, Jaynius dropped and the EP is an impeccably produced (duh....) project heavy on tales of love and heartfelt promises from the mind of a poet-cum singer. Sonically, the 6-track cuts ideas from synth-fun/funk-pop, R&B, Afro&B, Trap and Trap&B.
Jaynius opens up to the synth-funk/funk-pop tunes of 'Let It Go.' As Big Daddy Jayy rumbles with a relationship that seem be destined for the brick wall, he warns a lover to let it go if she's done with the relationship. The beauty of this song is in its beat, Jayy's vocal that mixes tenor with Africanized texture and Jayy's delivery.
The next track is 'Sure 4 Me' and it's cut from the afrobeat-based 'vibe' terrain that Wizkid is obsessed with. That saxophone is beautiful and so are the adlibs beneath the surface as well as the expletives Jayy comes up with. The beat finds beauty in its deep cut bass riffs, its use of percussion and the piano chords.
Lyrically, Jayy adulates the good life, declares his yearning for that good life and then uses the power of positive declaration to describe his relationship with wealth. 'LOML' sees Jayy find the perfect bridge between dancehall, afro-pop and R&B. What is that beautiful bass riff? Sheesh. Again, the saxophone comes out to play like a mermaid on a beautiful afternoon.
This feels like a perfect wedding reception song. With it, Jayy declares love for a woman named, 'Omotena.' 'Somebody's Daughter' features Buju and it's based on a typical R&B sound. Personally, I'd have preferred a female voice like Dunnie or FaveSzn to Buju on this. A guy-guy collaboration seems off. However, the song is still good.
This is a song about promises and 'wash' and that beat heightens the experience of this song. 'Casted' is a 90's R&B-Hop sound that's found a home in Afro-pop. This is simply an amazing beat and Jayy is flowing extensively with it. This one is a political critique about the Nigerian state.
'Mad Ohh' rounds out the experience as Jayy invokes the spirit he exhibited on 'Clap For Yourself.' It's a call and response on the pop culture slang, 'Mad Oh.' On this one, Jayy builds trap that could appeal to an audience with the strength sarcasm.
Final Thoughts
This EP is an amazing show of well-rounded artistry. Jayy might not be ready to be bread for mainstream consumption yet, but he's ready to his an audience the experience of their life with a 10-track album. This album feels like a well-cooked pot of red beans with the greatest bottom pot in the history of Ajah.
Jayy should be proud, but I'll change one thing; 'Let It Go' to Track 4 and 'Sure 4 Me' to track one. This way, it tells a love story from start to finish and then touches other topics.
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
Tracklist and Sequence: 1.2/2
Content, Themes and Delivery: 1.5/2
Production: 1.7/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.5/2
Execution: 1.5/2
Total:
7.4 - Victory