Brainee is an enigma. Even when the release of his music is mistimed, a genuine music lover, who has enjoyed different eras of music, is unlikely to call it anything but ‘good.’
His debut EP, Chapter 1 was so impressive that it landed on Pulse Nigeria’s 2019 year-end list for Best Rap Albums. On the EP, he was a concise lyricist with an effortless technique, brimming with depth and aptly conceived lyrics and stories. He also had linguistic dexterity: he could effortlessly flow in English, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin.
While his debut EP explored his Rap background with an edge in Street-Hop, while its protagonist made music for radio, his sophomore EP has more realism and believable content. He no longer glosses over radio-worthy topics. Yaba State of Mind is like a little hole into Brainee’s mind: it documents his struggles, pressure, dreams and aspirations, identity issues and worries.
At the root of the EP is a morose reflection of pain, fostered by pressure to succeed. Two of his tracks are literally titled ‘Tired’ and ‘Worried.’
‘Tired’ is built on Drake-Esque woozy strings and minimalist percussion. He discusses pressure from women, friends and well-wishers with an eye on his journey. But beneath the project lies an unspoken nod to Brainee’s frustrations with himself. He seems to really be at war with himself. Already, he’s a three-year veteran in the public eye. Yet, he is not in the upper echelons of Nigerian music yet.
That reality collides with the perception of a star that many people have of him. After all, he’s shooting videos, has thousands of followers and rubs shoulders with stars. In the eye of the average Nigerian, that’s success and how many people can he tell about his struggles? Not a lot. Most of them won’t even believe him, with their expectations of black tax.
The identity conundrum co-opts another angle to Brainee: He’s an Igbo boy bred by the City of Lagos. His need to explore the possibilities from that, while struggling to know where to face comes to the fore on this project.
‘Uwa’ is a Highlife/Igbo Pop record against a Hip-Hop backdrop. Brainee and Kolaboy deliver amazing verses in Igbo, possibly as a tactic to potentially open a new market for Brainee. While ‘Adura’ is built on Traditional Yoruba Pop/Folk, with a Simi-esque Yoruba hook by Tinu.
‘Adura’ is Yoruba for prayers and Fleezy Gunman delivers riveting introspection in a mix of Yoruba and English. Brainee comes last and delivers his verses with Igbo accentuation.
Hence his need to ‘Worry.’ Brainee wears his heart on his sleeve unlike many Nigerian artists, and lays bare his biggest pain points. In the end, he defers to God on ‘Adura,’ but gets stuck between resigning to fate and retaining optimism on ‘Alright,’ as he rejects struggles and hardship.
Brainee has outdone himself on this project.
This is possibly the best project that Nigeria has seen so far in 2022. Brainee significantly outdid himself. Not only did he get honest and discuss some of his most intimate secrets with picture-esque detail, he selected an incredible set of beats with great arrangement, found appropriate features and coasted on incredible flow schemes and pristine technique.
In fact, the project has impressive sonic range.
This project is such a balance of excellent elements that make up a beautiful body of work. No element supersedes the other. And not even ‘Shutdown,’ a Pop-Rap record feels out of place. In the midst of such dark themes, Brainee had to put a happy point up for his listeners. And my, ‘Shutdown’ is infectious.
Even Brainee’s title is apt. He uses ‘Yaba’ as a metaphor for struggles and his dreams of success.
Journalism says I shouldn’t do this, but I’m going to speak to Brainee from the first person on a review: I’m proud of you, brother.
Keep going. E go gel…
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: 1.8/2
Content and Themes: 1.9/2
Production: 1.8/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.8/2
Execution: 1.6/2
Total:
8.9 - Champion