At last, a debut album for the woman who surprised everyone in 2021 with her single “Kuku Corona”, revealing a sharp, percussive MC, just like Nicky Minaj when she raps, over a rhythm just as sharp, in short, we’ve been waiting for this follow-up. And the artist from Lagos, Nigeria does not disappoint, far from it.
Not only is this angular delivery to be found on productions that are part Hip Hop, part Afrobeat, part R&B and part experimental, but it proves just as excellent when the pace is less frenetic, more soulful, leaving more room for Bisola Olungbenga opposite her more percussive alter ego, who still dominates the full work’s count.
Ambitious, the artist had a clear idea of what she wanted to do for her debut album, and recruited a team that would create the sound she felt best represented new African music. Congolese guitarist, singer and producer Titi Bakorta, Ugandan producer Ill Gee, Scotch Rolex from Japan, Brazilian baile funk producer DJ Cris Fontedofunk, beatmaker Debmaster from France, fellow Nigerian singer and producer Slimcase and futuristic avant-pop specialist Kabeaushé from Kenya deliver the goods, hands down.
Here, the artist offers a mature, polished work, confirming that the singles preceding this opus were not just a straw fire, but a forest fire. An almost flawless album (too much autotune for my tastes on You not worthy of my love) that knows how to conjugate Africa in the present while keeping up with the global sound, by a musician in full command of her art. It’s a rare thing.
