Acts like T.I Blaze, Zino, Dagizah, Bella and Barry Jhay have heavy Hip-Hop and Apala/Fuji influences in how they interpret society and document society and structure their nuggets will never not be astounding.
Their strength is in what they say and how they say it, with their music usually centered around nuggets, their powerful vocals and quotables. With ‘Sometimes (Remix)’ getting an Olamide remix, his bubbling under record, with a peculiar interpolation of a string from P Square’s ‘More Than A Friend,’ his stardom skyrocketed.
On every Lagos street corner, people are singing his hook word for word. He has since followed it up with an timeous EP, which showcases his biggest and best traits;
- Impressive songwriting, laced with real-life, relatable scenarios.
- His ability to make his listeners look forward with optimism despite their trials, possibly through his music.
- His deft use of his vocals, especially to back himself up.
- His flow scheme
- His lyrical nuggets and quotables.
At the root of his topics is the intricate details around the struggle, as fuel for his desire to succeed. If ‘Try’ is his battle against the Nigerian concept of ‘see finish,’ and why he roots against the concept, ‘Sometimes’ documents the trenches where he’s from in details, while ‘Gbedu’ represents his desired place as a hitmaker and money maker - a place he envisions with optimism.
More importantly, his belief in hustle, as a sure way to success serves as backdrop of the EP.
Nonetheless, ‘Oba’ might be the best song on this EP, ‘Basic’ is its most important. The record is a timely proof of his range, and the earliest evidence that his ceiling isn’t limited to mainstream hits for a primary Yoruba or Nigerian audience. He coasted on a different beat and effortlessly blended with Bl4ckie and Rasaqi NFG.
In the end, ‘Sometimes’ - the original version - had no business on this EP. Tactically, it makes sense for numbers. But sonically, it makes no sense.