Is Olamide The Current King Of Rap Music In NIgeria?
Editor’s note: Rapper Olamide recently released his sixth studio album Eyan Mayweather. Naij.com contributor Udochukwu Ikwuagwu reviews the album named after controversial American boxer Floyd Mayweather.
Punches. Jabs. Hooks. Knockouts. Southpaw. Orthodox. Pound-for-pound. Hip-hop has always referenced boxing with subtle and not-so-subtle metaphors telling of the rapper’s frame of mind as s/he penned down rhymes. This matrimony between the most competitive genre of music and one of the fiercest sports goes back in time. Before Grammy Award-winning rapper, 50 Cent, and Money Team’s Mr. Floyd became buddies. Before Fiddy’s archrival, Rick Ross, got to escort Mr. Floyd into the rings, with Lil’ Wayne and 2Chainz rapping him along. Way before boxing lost its glitz and glamour—one could argue hip-hop, too.
One of the major pillars of hip-hop is battle rap. In the early days of hip-hop, rappers had constant face-offs to test their rhymes, originality, street credibility over ‘chop and screw’ beats unleashed by DJs or the icon of history, boom box. ‘Who was better’ was always the prize. That’s how the genre grew!
Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z, in his book ‘Decoded’, told of how he once traded stories in a New York restaurant with U2’s frontman, Bono, over the history and relevance of the hip-hop.
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“Hip-Hop is a perfect mix between poetry and boxing— of course, most artists are competitive, but hip-hop is the only art […] that’s built on direct confrontation.”
Boxing terms have been used to express lyrical strength, drug dealing prowess, sexual prowess (right up Lil’ Wayne’s alley). It’s not all foreign as Nigerian rappers have employed this: from Ghost (Show Dem Camp)’s “rolling with punches, sticking with jabs—when I throw that haymaker dawg, shit is a wrap” on OD, to Mode 9 comparing himself to Rocky (Graziano or Marciano or Balboa?) on Your Girl, to A-Q on Simplified, to Jahbless’ Joor (remix) video, to Lynxxx in gloves and shorts on Eziokwu. But the link goes to the sixties and seventies when a certain Muhammad Ali used “rap” verses to unsettle opponents before knocking them out.
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Olamide Adedeji, known monomymously as Olamide, digs through recent history to title his 6th album (in five years), Eyan Mayweather (like Mayweather) after Floyd Mayweather. Olamide drops his second album in a year following in the tracks of 2015 Naeto C and 2010 Mode 9. Like Money Mayweather, Olamide attempts to remain undefeated, retaining his title as the “hottest Nigerian rapper”; how does he fare in this herculean task?
Olamide’s work ethics in Nigerian contemporary music is second to none. He has arguably the most hit songs in the last five years, and counting. From a studio rat in ID Cabasa’s Coded Tunes to rocking the industry with YBNL to his protégés- Pheelz, Lil Kesh, Adekunle Gold- bringing the goods. Awards, sold-out shows in Lagos, Malaysia, USA and London, brand endorsements have all been stacked by the Baddest Guy Ever Liveth, and he isn’t done? He quipped: “I’m still very hungry.” And the hunger that lines his belly shows on Eyan Mayweather, he spits bars like a freshman searching for fame and not as one who already sits atop Hip-Hop’s pyramid serving the hoi polloi.
In keeping with his “I do this for my fans” mantra- that he once voiced- Olamide gifted Lagos Boys, an anthem to unite revelers from Ikorodu to Lagos Island, with the knowledge that every city needs a theme song. Lagos, the birthplace of Olamide and home to over 17 million inhabitants, is known for the ease at which cash is spent—as long as pockets run deeper than the lagoon to cater to this extravagant lifestyle. Olamide knows it. He knows the heart of the city. He stands as the voice to quell protestation, search for a defining sound for the cosmopolis, and he responds—Sneh! Lagos Boys isn’t the only punch Olamide draws that marries elements of Juju, Fuji and Hip-Hop for those who love their egg white agbadas and magical geles and their owambes and their lips glossed with assorted meat and the finest of alcohol, he throws Be Happy, Say Something and I’m OK. These songs are bound to get party animals throwing the baddest shoki or Shakiti Bobo on the dancefloor in the clubs or under canopies.
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On the latter Bobo, Olamide’s Young Jonn crafts a contender for the Song of the Year. Off the sound, one can tell his Fuji/Alujo leanings, while Eko Akete described by Chris Ajilo gets homage. Yellow faces and yellow buses in Ojota, Agege and Okota get mentioned by the Bariga-born artiste. Olamide has gathered a strong team, something most rappers have found hard to do, and on Bobo not only Young Jonn and BBanks (song engineer) are recruited, DJ Enimoney- YBNL’s DJ- gets to work, too. The ubiquitous dance that birthed the record was inspired by Enimoney, who happens to be Olamide’s brother.
Family is priority- blood or not! Mr. Adedeji treats his YBNL signees as family, integrating them into his own blood. So, when he decides to honour members of this ‘extended’ family (Toriomo, Mama Mi, Melo Melo) he is in the right place. Olamide’s Mama Mi is for his mother similar to 1999- for his dad- off Street OT. This autobiographical piece talks about the struggles of lack with the sacrifices and advice offered by Mama Adedeji—“Ta ma’je rice epo ati’reesi aroso, ti ko s’ata ko s’eran ko s’eyin […] E bami ki mama mi.” Maximilliano, his toddler, gets Toriomo—in line with Jay-Z’s Glory, Kanye’s Only One. It starts off with carefully-plucked guitar before the drums welcome Papa Batifeori’s “I no mind make I suffer—I go grind for my baby” ode. The minimalist production lets introspection swim over the record’s course before sounding off a note of warning—“Iya e le l’owo l’owo, baba re le na shile (shillings) po/T’oba gboju le won o te tan mo so fun e yen.”
Perhaps Melo Melo was dedicated to his baby mama who has been with him through thick and thin before the fame and monies, one still finds the R&B experimentation worthy of praise. Pheelz, whose stock started rising on ‘I’m Going In’ off Olamide’s debut album, acts as the chief producer on Eyan Mayweather and this is his finest moment on the 21-track project. The piano-ballad sees Baddo sing for his Akanke, bearing his emotions and vulnerability—something of a rarity among rappers not named Aubrey Graham.
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Opponents cooling-off in the corner get hit before they wipe the tears brought by the emo-rap—straight off from the title track Eyan Mayweather. The opera-infused track throws punches, Olamide gets into Biggie mode- Kick in the door, waving the four-four– then enters into double entendre “I’m on the ghost mode, eyan Casper/Cassper.” When in doubt ask questions, so Olamide gives rappers the opportunity—Tani best rapper, oya so fun’mi?”
He calls himself the “New Jigga”, something he first voiced on Apa Ti Jabo. Like Jay-Z who dropped 10 albums between 1996 and 2004 (an 8 year-period), Olamide is on that path to retain the totem pole year-in-year-out. Jay-Z had in the past compared himself to Ken Norton, Cassius Clay, Rocky and even Mayweather. Olamide follows Jigga’s template of Hip-Hop southpaws, unorthodox method of snatching hearts and charts.
Jega continues the supreme-rap marking his territory with boxing metaphors: “Ti’n ba wo gboro won ma n treat mi be MKO/T’eba wo gboro won ma run yi pa, KO […] Won ma punch e.” Jega’s keys are eerie similar to T.I’s Live Your Life, just like Ball is a blatant rip-off of T.I’s song of same title. Be Happy’s synth-bass sounds like helped off Jay Pizzle’s Vasashii for Tee Blaq.
His ode to bootylicious ladies Don’t Stop comes off like an afterthought, and becomes a filler track. Olamide’s Ewo Idi was a better track for backside lovers in this internet age. When he sings “pesepese bi Man O’War, bo’je iro ati buba lo wo” the punchline isn’t as sharp as Vector’s take on big bums on Sexy Steel’s Bebedi Alhaja.
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Olamide’s Eyan Mayweather has its flawless in the obvious mixing and mastering that made the album sound as one produced by a part-time grinder, who took minutes off while UBA Alaba marketers knocked on the door—amateurish, heck of a slipshod project. Back to his mentor and former label boss on Sold Out is a throwaway track, fit for under-the-village-tree-palmwine shed and played for tipsy men and their one-night stands. Production, though could be judged simple, lacked the texture and layering of a professional perhaps Pheelz decided to take the safe route.
On Eyan Mayweather, Olamide is back to form after back-to-back mediocre albums- Street OT and 2 Kings- like a lost round and black eye. And he does it in fine form winning this fight, retaining his title as the Hottest Rapper in Nigeria, and one of the Hottest Artistes. Worthy is the fact that he did it with no features, save additional vocals from Pheelz and BBanks. The cover art for his 6th album takes points off; a street album need not be designed prosaically. Kendrick Lamar did To Pimp a Butterfly. Eric B & Rakim’s Paid in Full had a street-inspired back cover with the original 50 Cent- who terrorized New York blocks. Olamide redeems himself, ending the album on a high with OG Waheedee—Nigerian take of Que’s OG Bobby Johnson. Eyan Mayweather hits hard, throws jabs, gets black eye, loses rounds, but Olamide comes out victorious!
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