Thursday, October 29, 2009

REVIEWABLY INCORRECT-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OMOITA-DA GRIN

1.GHETTO DREAMS(ft Sossick)
produced by Sossick
-In the beginning was sossick and then there was da grin.the chemistry between both of them is quite evident on this track which sets the tone for the album.da grin's delivery on this track is fierce and shows just how hungry he is.
9/10

2.EVERYDAY(ft Ejay)
produced by Sossick
-This song is quite okay but it is ejay's hook which doesn't quite sound right.as usual da grin's flow is tight and there is not much to complain about.
7/10

3.PON PON PON
produced by Sossick
-The beat on this track keeps screaming g-unit,it sounds like something sha money xl did.this dark and gritty beat serves as a perfect foundation for da grin to deliver his lines which he doesn't fluff.this track is hands down one of the best rap tracks of 2009.
9/10

4.KONDO(MAGIC STICK)
produced by SAS
-Probably this will be the second single off his album.you get the feeling he is trying to expand his fan base with this one.he sounds good on autotune and SAS's production is also solid.
9/10

5.SWAG(ft Cartiair)
produced by Sossick
-with everybody screaming swagger these days,da grin probably thought it would be nice to join the bandwagon but it turns out he was wrong as he doesn't really have much to offer here.who would have thought cartiair could rap like this?he suprised me on this one but the beat & subject matter lets him & da grin down.
5/10

6.MAKE DOE(ft Dark poet & Sossick)
produced by Sossick
-Not only is sossick's beat sick but his hook is also tight.if i was M.I or modenine,i wouldn't be sitting pretty right now cos the way these kids are killing beats is amazing.dark poet and da grin went crazy all over this track.
8/10

7.GBORO(ft Isolate)
produced by Sossick
-Da grin stays true to his roots on this one and as a sharp boy,he enlists the cheaper version of 9ice to spice things up a little bit and both of them come correct but isolate doesn't do anything out of the ordinary that could have propelled him out of 9ice's shadow.
8/10

8.WHAT THEY WANT
produced by Sossick
-This is one the few tracks on which da grin slips up,although his rhymes are decent and he keeps it hood,you will still find it hard to make head or tails of what he is saying.
6/10

9.HOLA HOLA(ft Tfrizzle)
produced by Tfrizzle
-Tfrizzle does double duty on this as he also helps out with the hook which is quite catchy.this track is just something to nod your head to and not necessarily one for the club contrary to their intentions.
8/10

10.THANK GOD(ft Omawunmi)
produced by dr frabz
-How do you close out a solid album?all you need is dr frabz on the beat,omawunmi on her best rihanna imitation and you praising God.this is exactly what da grin does on this track.the track is more or less a testimony of God's goodness in the life of da grin and it shows that while he may be happy with who he is now,he isn't ashamed of what he once was.
10/10

BONUS TRACKS.
1.NLA(Lala ft Da grin)
produced by Dr frabz
-whoever lala is,he sure knows how to sing and da grin's 16 bars is as ill as they come.while dr frabz's beat is quite good,it is lala's hook & da grin's verse that makes the song memorable.
8/10

2.IWOFA(Bigiano ft Da grin)
produced by Sheyman
-I owe bigiano a big apology cos i always looked at him as a one hit wonder,but this particular track has changed my perception of him.that boy can really sing and as expected da grin comes correct.
9/10

OVERALL RATING-8/10

Sometimes less is more.20+ tracks on your album won't give you the respect you crave so much unless every track is on point,which is almost impossible.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER

Out of respect for the past achievements of naija music industry's favorite twin brothers(peter and paul).i have decided not to review their most recent album "danger".not only is that album weak,it was also below expectation.luckily for me i didn't buy that album and i didn't waste my precious time downloading it(free).nowadays whenever i see a p square album anywhere,iam always like damn!!!,look what the cat dragged in.

To say the truth,i wasn't suprised by that album.i saw it coming.when you become like me,you are no longer suprised by anything.some people were saying that p square had become over confident but i don't think that is the right word.i think the key word here is complacency.there comes a time in everyone's life or career when you start thinking that you are too good,you are irreplaceable or you are unstoppable(not like tuface).iam talking about that point in time when you believe you can do anything and get away with it(think 50 cent's "amusement park",hmmmm,now you understand).the fact is 90% of the time you never get away with it(unless you are R.kelly),but you wouldn't know until you do it and can't undo it.

Am i the only one who thinks that album was appropriately titled.now i can't say i wasn't warned.from what i have learnt growing up,the word danger means stay away or don't touch but i didn't take the hint.That album should have been titled SOS(save our souls),cos its a cry for help(i can hear the okoyes screaming please help us,we don't know what we are doing again).you will think dem boys had a premonition that something bad was about to happen or since when has it become cool to be threatened with ejection from your home by your landlord on TV(not a reality show),especially when you are supposed to be rich & successful.

I wish i could see peter & paul right now,so i can ask them one simple question.what type of weed have you kids been smoking?how could you put out an album like that?have you forgotten how much hardwork you put in,to get where you are today?what exactly is the problem?now that's like 4 questions!!!to be frank you boys are losing the plot.the other night at guinness 250,you were throwing tantrums like some spoilt brats(ehn,if they don't allow tuface to perform,we won't perform).where exactly do you think you are?this is naija!!!,keep acting up and they will dump you guys.has bracket stolen your mojo?cos while their career is on an incline,yours is declining.

Take my advice and name your next album "SOS".another great title will be "grace to grass" cos you went from "do me,roll it & no one like you" to songs like "possibility & super fans" that has been terrorising us on radio.the last time i was in the club and "danger" came on,people were screaming "please,turn it off,its horrible"(true story).whatever phase you are going through,better get over it and brace yourself up cos from this point on,its all downhill.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

ALBUM REVIEW-KEL-THE INVESTMENT



If rap records were reviewed based on beauty,this sexy rapper would have won my coveted classic tag but fortunately they are not.with her laid back flow & nimble word play,kel strives to make her mark with her debut album,which she does more often than not.
She shows off her robust lyrical delivery on the lead single "wa waa alright" and lines like "i write like i was born to rhyme,make it count everytime. physically iam well designed,mentally iam on my grind" makes us know that baby girl ain't playing.she totally blows our mind with the alaye & may d assisted "too fine" and on "omoyapayaski" featuring durella she kept it hood.while on the ragga flavoured "push" featuring nyore she offers something totally different.
With production handled by the suspect,dr frabz,ty mix,j martins & jesse jags the album doesn't suffer much in terms of production although it is hard to overlook the lethargic production on tracks like "sitting on top,jeun soke & beautiful life".the low points on this album come when she tries to rap about love on "need you in my life" and the unconvincing storytelling on "boy meets girl" leaves you dissatisfied.when you listen to this album you get this almost there feeling,like there is something missing and it doesn't require much intellect before you know what it is.this album suffers seriously from lack of subject matter.
With her deft lyricism she has convinced us that she is a serious contender for naija's number 1 rap chick throne,but the question is can she hold it down on her own as her album has more guests than a 5 star hotel.apart from the previously mentioned tracks there is a lot of solid & i pod worthy material on this LP.songs like "die hustling,dem don dey move & nobody else" add the much needed jolt of adrenaline to this album.
Despite the fact that she is a rookie,kel's debut album is a solid & cohesive effort and deserves all the accolades it gets.she will definitely get better with time.with the present economic climate kel is a great and worthy investment.

RATING-7/10

PLAY-too fine,wa waa alright,push,nobody else,dem don dey move
SKIP-jeun soke,sitting on top,boy meets girl

Monday, October 12, 2009

BEEF ALERT!!!

BEEF ALERT

The major beef that has been the talk of town for the past few days has been that of Kelly hansome vs d’banj,wande coal & terry g.I don’t see any reason why kelly will be dissing Mo hits except for the fact that he finds it disrespectful that D’banj is calling himself an igwe.In terry G’s own case, he clearly deserves it as he was all over kelly’s dick on his album.check “halleluyah” on gingah your swaggah season 1.

Actually,i am not here to talk about Kelly hansome vs successful artists.they can kill each other for all I care(wait,no!!!they shouldn’t kill d’banj,dem kokolets will go crazy).I am here to talk about a brewing beef that has gone under the radar.It involves 2 yoruba heavy weights(not isolate and 9ice),i am talking about the chief executive omoita himself & Lord of Ajasa.

Although,from my own point of view,Da grin never took shots at Lord of Ajasa,but his lordship has replied on jahbless’s track “jooor”.on the 3rd verse,ajasa was clearly taking shots at da grin with this particular verse.

“Ladugbo mi,ti mi o ti yo.

E wo won,won fe ma show

Awa gan gan ni igboro

Anything ta ba do,lon gboro.”

This looks like a reply to da grin’s gboro(ft isolate).Does ajasa feel that da grin is biting his style?if so,what does he want modenine to do about M.I(FYI m.i has destroyed mode9’s career)?looks like naija hiphop is getting interesting.I was already looking forward to a collabo between Lord of ajasa & da grin,but it looks like that dream has just being dashed.please,you guys just stop it.i don’t want to make a choice(I prefer Lord of ajasa).

This year has been amusing with shots being fired all over the place.shall we call this year,the year of beef?lets check the beef report/update.

Modenine vs Ruggedman(stale)

2face vs Komo(no contest)

M.i vs Iceberg slim & company/broke rappers(tantalizing)

Kelly hansome vs D’banj,WC&Terry G(most promising)

Reuben abati vs Banky w(lame)

Coming soon to a radio station near you

Lord of ajasa vs Da grin(perfect match)

Contestants

Beefs

Won

Lost

Albums

Shots

Scores

Lord of ajasa

0

0

0

2

1

1

Da grin

0

0

0

2

0

0

I guess we are about to find out,just how real these guys are.someone please book them for the same show and put them on the same stage.can't wait to see how that turns out.

Friday, October 9, 2009

ALBUM REVIEW-GINGAH YOUR SWAGGAH SEASON 1-TERRY G

After the single "free madness" dropped,terry g's album became one of the most anticipated album of 2009.being a producer is one thing while being an artiste is another.with gingah your swaggah,terry g has proved his critics right that he is more suited to life behind the boards.

Listening to this album,you get the feeling terry g recorded it overnight.the beats sound so amateurish that it is difficult to believe that a producer of his standard could come up with something this awful.some songs cut off suddenly without any explanation("wine dey go") while some sound as if they were never mixed("sangalow").the lyrics are mostly predictable as terry g sticks with gingah the gingah & swaggah the swaggah throughout the album.

"omo naija" is a lukewarm display of patriotism,"put something" is blatantly lewd and raw,"halleluyah" sounds like a weak remake or remix of kelly hansome's maga don pay and "free madness 2" tries to recapture the magic of the original and fails.Terry g's sophomore album doesn't end up being a total disaster as tracks like "gingah seduction"(ft house of gingah),"bad belle"(ft timaya),"fall in love",the infectious "free madness" & the fela inspired "ojukokoro" save the day.

Even with autotune terry g struggles throughout the entire album to make anything meaningful.this is clearly an album that was made under the influence and it will be better for any prospective listener to also be under the influence to listen to it.don't be fooled by terry g's attitude as he doesn't have anything worth your money to offer.while gingah your swaggah season 1 must have been a thrilling mad experiment for terry g it wasn't for us.we will kindly implore him not to waste his time making a season 2.

RATINGS-3/10

PLAY-free madness,ojukokoro,gingah seduction,fall in love,bad belle
SKIP-everything else

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

TALK IS CHEAP 6

Long time no talk.

MUSIC TALK
Inyanya Mbuk is about to release his debut album.

Germany based Nigerian singer nneka egbuna wins award for best african act at mobo(music of black origin) awards 2009.(never heard of her before)

Mike anyazodor wins mtn project fame west africa.

John ogah wins naija sings.

Chocolate city's ice prince won the hennessy artistry competition.

Waje releases new single "kolo"(i hope its not her first single)

VIDEO TALK
Recently i watched a lot of videos and can't wait to share them with you.

Azeezat's "ife"-good song,bad video.video looks so 99ish and azeezat is still as ugly as ever.

Od& terry da rapman's "if i catch you"-immediately i watched this video,the first question that came to my mind was,how will this boys make it?

Banky w's "strong ting"-good song,better video.banky clearly took it to the next level on this one.good & matured concept

Wande coal's "you bad"-can't really explain what is wrong with this video.its just too ordinary for such a good song.you will be better off just listening to the audio.

P square's "danger"-lets not talk about it.

There is supposed to be something called Nigerian music video awards(NMVA) coming soon.i will keep you posted.

IN THE NEWS
Wahala dey!!!
P square are about to be evicted from their lagos residence by their landlord.The okoye's seem to have some unresolved issues with their landlord chief charles nwangwa.(the question is with all the money these guys are making,shouldn't they have a house of their own by now)

Shots fired!!!
Kelly hansome is dissing dbanj,terry g & wande coal.what's the beef?can't really place my finger on what the problem is here but i will find out later.(i always knew there was something special about that boy)

Friday, October 2, 2009

YOU DON'T KNOW ME

The other day someone asked me who i was?to be candid i don't even know who i am.i know a lot of people who read my blog will give an arm and a leg to know who i really am.i mean you guys will do anything to find out my true identity.

I have got good news and bad news for you.the bad news is that i will continue to be anonymous and the good news is that i will give you some clues as to who i really am.

1.iam a Nigerian(you will have to be dumb not to know that)
2.i may or may not work in the music industry(video director,marketer or producer)
3.i could be an artist(am i dbanj,terry da rapman or sasha?)
4.i might be a friend to the stars(denrele edun or efe omorogbe)
5.i should be between 20-50 years of age(that rules out fatai rolling dollars)
6.iam not computer literate(someone types all this for me)

Now who am i?too vague,right?if i keep giving you clues it will take all day,so lets cut to the chase.this is who i am.iam a ghost writer or should i say pen for hire.i write songs,scripts,books etc,so if your wordplay ain't on point holla at me.is that good enough for you guys?is there anyway i can give you good clues without revealing my identity?let's see.........

7.wait......change the i's to we.(iam not the only one writing this blog)

the truth is my identity keeps changing everyday,so for today this is who iam.

Iam a bloggers hope,not his pipe dream,
when they speak of blogging success,
iam what they might mean.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

ARE WE THERE YET?

The only difference between a problem and a solution is that people understand the solution.the problem with understanding the problem is that most people don't realize that the problem is not that there are problems,the problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.the question now is what is the problem with the Nigerian music industry?the problem is that we do not realize that we have a problem.

Looking at the Nigerian music industry right now,one would be inclined to think that the industry is moving forward,which is not the case.only a fool would look at us right now and say we have arrived,i hate to be the one to break it to you but the promised land is not yet in sight.you can call me an harbinger,i don't care.i have been to a lot of places but i have never seen a country where mediocrity is celebrated like Nigeria.We are yet to win any grammy and none of our artist has been signed to a big record label,i personally don't see anything to write home about.to get a better understanding of what iam talking about,just take a look our music report card.

COLLABOS/FEATURES
Proud to be african-Wyclef/tuface/sound sultan/faze
Nfana ibaga(remix)-Tuface/beenie man/reggie rockstone

SOUNDTRACKS
African queen-Tuface(phat girls)
Danfo driver-Mad melon/mountain black(phat girls)

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
GRAMMY
-Best world music album category-Femi kuti(nominee)
45th annual grammy awards 2003

MTV EUROPE MUSIC AWARDS
2005,african artiste of the year-Tuface(winner)
2007,african artiste of the year-Dbanj(winner)

MUSIC OF BLACK ORIGIN AWARDS(MOBO)
2007,best african act-Tuface(winner)
2008,best african act-9ice(winner)

with the rich variety of music we have in Nigeria like juju,apala,fuji, afrobeat,highlife & last but not the least naija hiphop.we are yet to make it to the world stage.i can't stop laughing whenever i hear a naija artist talking about winning the grammy,that's like saying the super eagles will win the world cup(you will have to qualify first).iam not a pessimist,its just that i don't see that happening anytime soon,at least not with the shake your head,move your hips mentality that most naija artists have.first of all,there is no such thing as a Nigerian sound,we don't have anything we can call our own.this can be blamed on the western influence as everyone wants to sound like jay z,beyonce,lil wayne,rihanna etc.the only thing naija artists are good at is copy copy & follow follow,which is why most international artists are not impressed whenever they get to Nigeria.there is really nothing new for them to see.we will never get the desired recognition until we can outdo the originators of this sound,but can we outdo them?that is a rhetorical question.

When you take a look at African artists that made it to the world stage e.g Hugh masekela,Yvonne chaka chaka,Late brenda fassie,Angelique kidjo,Yossour ndour,King sunny ade,Koffi olomide,Awilo logomba & the late fela anikulapo kuti,you will notice that they all have one thing in common-they created their own sounds.take for example,in the American music industry,the south stuck with what they were doing for so long that they finally made it to the top.they came up with crunk,snap kept on leaning & rocking with it till it became acceptable,now they run the hip hop game.

Despite the myriad of opportunities that we have had we are still nowhere to be found on the world music map.isn't it sad that not even one naija artist has benefitted from all the shows & concerts where international stars have performed in Nigeria.here is a list of all the international artistes that have performed in Nigeria since 2000

2001,October-Naughty by nature(NB plc)
2001,December-Shaggy(Star)
2002,May-Eve/kci & jojo
2003-Ginuwine(Benson & hedges)
2004,January-DMX/Ashanti(Wotclef)
2004,April-Sean paul(Guinness)
2004,August-Wyclef(Guiness)
2004,November-50 cent/G-unit(Star)
2004,December-Beenie man(grafton entertainment)
2004-Joe
2005,Febuary-Boyz II men(Gordon sparks)
2005,April-Ludacris(MTV base)
2005,July-Akon(Westside inc)
2005,October-Pras(MTV base)
2005,December-Ja rule/kelvin little
2006,October-Jay z/busta rhymes/snoop dogg/ciara/missy elliot/beyonce/envogue(Thisday)
2006,December-LL cool j/Akon(Star)
2007,Febuary-Donell jones/112/chante moore/kenny lattimore(History of love 101)
2007-T pain/Kanye west(Star)
2007-John legend/rihanna/neyo/diddy/kelly rowland/shakira(Thisday)
2008-Nas/nelly(Star)
2008-Rihanna/jay z/chris brown/usher/mary j blige/fat joe(Thisday)
2008-Brick & lace
2009-Lloyd(Mode men-black night 3)
2009-Mims(Soundcity-SMVA)
2009-R.kelly(Thisday)
2009-Sean paul(Guinness)

Looking at this now,you will realize that if our artists are half as good as we think they are,they will be on def jam,interscope,bad boy,rocafella or even any independent record label in US and we would probably have won a grammy by now.lest i forget,we have actually won some grammys by proxy.

SEAL
-kiss from a rose
record of the year(1996)
song of the year(1996)

CHAMILLIONAIRE
-Riding dirty
best rap song by duo or group(2007)

SADE ADU
-No ordinary love
best R&B performance by duo or group(1994)
-Lovers rock
best pop vocal album(2002)

Tunde baiyewu(lighthouse family),lemar & taio cruz have also done us proud on the international scene.

so how do we answer this question with no lifeline,no phone a friend,no 50/50,no asking the audience.how hard can this be?its just a simple question with a simple answer

Are we there yet?
FINAL ANSWER-CAPITAL N-O