First off, take note. All things being equal, Brainee is coming. He speaks ‘streets’ with a ‘bougie’ edge.
As an Igbo boy born in Yaba, he’s a cash crop of two seeds. Most people knew him when a remix of his infectious bop, ‘Gbese’ featured Zlatan, Chinko Ekun and DJ Spinall. By that time, we had heard different versions of sonic military commands asking us to ‘Gbese,’ but there was something about his version.
Its beat was different from the typical 140BPM zanku beat and borrows from the late 2010s Terry G, K Solo sound.
It resonated, but what was not predictable is how good a rapper Brainee is or could be. He effortlessly blends pidgin with English and Yoruba to deliver humorous and thought-worthy bars that tell stories of love, party and inner-city, Nigeria reality. Sometimes, they are vulgar and brash, but mostly, they’re relatable.
His linguistic dexterity makes him seem like a Reminisce with a calmer voice while his bars are sometimes as witty as Erigga's. Two of his key gifts are how he makes basic lines sound exceptional and his understanding of beats.
Sometimes, the songs on Chapter 1 can be random and very generic. But a lot of times, songs like ‘Monday,’ ‘Gbese,’ ‘Friday,’ and ‘Overload’ resonate and showcase a guy who crafted a commendable EP while he has not even scratched the surface of his artistry.
If feels like there’s something unique in him that he’s reluctant to tap into or has not even recognized yet - only growth can prove this writer right or wrong.
Another plus point on Chapter 1 is production. As regards the pace of the beats, there’s a uniformity to them all, but somehow, the project is far from boring and monotonic. Most people don’t know how to find a sound for a project without over-killing it and boring their audience. Brainee somehow managed that.
That said, songs like ‘Na You,’ and ‘Matter’ suffer from being too good to warrant complaint and being too bad to be truly infectious. But you see ‘Alcohol,’ it’s in a class of its own. It’s definitely not a single, but it’s easily the best song on Chapter 1. CKay is good on it.
Asides, ‘Gbese,’ it’s hard to see any track with true potential as a hit, but there are more reasons to laud this project than for cynicism. Sometimes, projects launch some artists straight into stardom. Sometimes, projects sadly show that some acts will struggle at this music. Brainee’s Chapter 1 is neither.
Instead, it shows Brainee has incredible talent that needs to grow by being nurtured. It showcases a talent that could naturally hit gold overtime. Brainee doesn’t need to force it, all things being equal, it will come very soon.
Why is this project not ‘the one’?
Brainee is still finding himself. Thankfully, he’s not forcing himself to do forced zanku music. Even on ‘Gbese,’ the beat isn’t vintage zanku.
Instead, he wants to make music he’s proud of and music that people can naturally resonate with. This writer hopes Brainee continues on this path while he experiments with sounds. The hits are coming. All Brainee needs to do is keep recording. There's a lot to be excited about.
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: 1.3/2
Content and Themes: 1.2/2
Production: 1.5/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.3/2
Execution: 1.2/2
Total:
6.5 - Victory