A-1 Listen Review Of BNXN’s New EP ‘Bad Since ’97’
his sophomore EP
Since his 2018 debut, BNXN has continuously solidified his presence in Afropop, with radio-ready hits that have soundtracked our late night parties and hangouts. From “Testimony” to the Zlatan-assisted “Spiritual”, to the memorable “L’enu Remix,” with Burna Boy and his slew of other collaborations, the singer has seized every opportunity to showcase his undeniable skill and earmark himself as one to watch.
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Closing out 2021 in a heartfelt way, he released his debut EP ‘ Sorry I’m Late,’ which offered a rich throve of insight into the mind of the artist and his sweet melodies and laid-back delivery. The 7-track EP also found BNXN showcasing his versatility in composition and his knack for dropping dance floor-ready bangers with meaningful lyrics. The EP offered BNXN ample space to offer new variations on his usual sounds without erasing what we’ve come to love.
Still revelling in this stardom, BNXN is back with his sophomore EP ‘Bad Since ‘97.’ He began teasing its release, earlier this month on social media, by announcing producers such as Denzl, Sak Pase, and Ts Boy were on the EP. Now, the wait is over and BNXN has expanded his sonic tapestry with the help of seasoned Afropop veterans such as Wande Coal, Olamide, and Wizkid. Speaking with Apple Music, BNXN confirms that his sophomore album is different from ‘Sorry I’m Late,’ stating that there was more storytelling and maturity in the new drop.
In Usual 1-Listen Review Fashion, All Reactions Are In Real-Time While The Music Plays. No Pauses, Rewinds, Fast-Forwards, Or Skip.
“BAD SINCE ‘97”
This is the EP’s titular track so I’m excited to get into this. Ouu–sounding good already. These are really intriguing sounds being fused together. I love how BNXN shows he’s capable of singing on any beat you give him. Here, he fuses Afropop and alternative R&B, while acknowledging his musical prowess with braggadocious lyrics such as “don’t compare me to nobody I dey spazz you know”. I think BNXN surprisingly challenges himself with deep percussive tones while reassuring listeners that this is his world and we are all living in it.
“BAD MAN WICKED”
From the second song, you already get the gist of the album, BNXN is getting self-conceited, and he is not apologetic about it. Speaking in the third person, he positions himself as a talented god ruling over a kingdom. He is aware of his mark in the industry and has enough audacity to place himself among the forerunners of Afropop. This is only the second joint but safe to say, I am in love with the production of the EP so far. Honestly, BNXN came for our necks, and he is stepping on them. This has to be one of my favourite numbers on the project
“MANY WAYS” FT. WIZKID
This is not the first time BNXN is collaborating with Wizkid so I’ve been looking forward to this since I saw the tracklist. The melody is on fire and subtle, compared to the previous tracks. Deviating from the braggadocious flow of the earlier tracks, BNXN explores love as he adores his muse’s emotional strength over him. Alongside Afropop royalty Wizkid, they sing with their seductive voices about light-hearted love and romance full of sweet promises. I am definitely revisiting this track.
“KENKELE” FT. WANDE COAL
Previously released in July, this track has already garnered considerable fan fare and racked up over a million streams on Spotify. Listening to it, within the context of the EP, you can feel the synergy between the two artists as the log drums compliment the song as a whole. This might not be my favourite song, but I will have to inject it into my system again. The adlibs make this song extra cool.
“IN MY MIND”
It seems the album’s flow is getting slower and more composed as we near its end. The bass drums hit differently while BNXN’s strong writing ability shines brightest here. Painting himself as a Superman fan, he sings “I’m Superman and you’re my Louis Lane,” inviting his fans into his utopia where love is supreme. However, he paradoxically compares it to Superman’s and Louis Lane’s relationship with toxic aspects.
“MODUPE” FT. OLAMIDE
According to African origin, Modupe is an expression of gratefulness to God, and you can feel BNXN’s sincerity from the agile production to his clear-cut voice. Olamide serves the first verse in his native language as BNXN mixes it with English. His ethos is clear in this song giving reason to why he is among Africa’s top artists as he sings “I put the full commitment in everything I do, And I stay consistent in everything I do.” BNXN pours out his emotions giving the song a reflective yet inspirational aspect of the production.
“LOOSE EMOTIONS”
The drums on this closer sound amazing. Of course, he had to wrap up the project with a fire Spellz production. This single is a sequel to BNXN’s “In My Mind”. In the latter, he compares his muse to Judas, however, “Loose Emotions” sees a brighter side of BNXN having moved on from the toxic love cycle. As he transitions from a grateful stance in “Modupe”, he has a happier approach to life as he feels comfortable without his previous lover. I’m not particularly too keen on this but I guess we need more honest representations of men’s emotions so good one, BNXN.
FINAL THOUGHTS
On ‘Bad Since ’97,’ his sophomore EP, delivered less than a year since his debut tape, BNXN sheds off his old skin to make room for new. Here, he sounds more confident in his craft and capability, proving that his voice is not just an asset, as he has put his time and energy into the composition, delivery, and proper curation of the EP. As ‘Bad Since ‘97” kicks off, the hunger in BNXN’s voice is evident, as he sets out to silence the haters and oppositions over airy bass productions.
The procession of each song in the project shows his capability in encompassing vast human emotions with little but impactful words. As he tackles success, fear, love, and all the thoughts that go into existing, BNXN is telling his fans they have to believe in themselves and sprinkle a dash of dedication and determination into their craft.
In 17 minutes, BNXN delivers a masterpiece peppered with memorable verses from Afropop veterans such as Wizkid, Olamide, and Wande Coal. If you had not gleaned from the project’s title already, ‘Bad Since ’97’ is a searing body of work which solidifies BNXN as a considerable talent, capable of offering existential and poetic self-reflections that’s catchy and instantly memorable.
Listen to ‘Bad Since ’97’ here:
Maya Amolo Is Committed To Giving You The Sweetest Time
There’s undoubtedly more to come from the talented singer as she looks to solidify herself as one of the...
“Sweetest Time,” Maya Amolo’s latest single, is a soothing, lovesick confessional that mixes intimate, heartfelt lyricism with wistful production courtesy of Ugandan musician and producer SOULCHYD aka MAUIMØON. Alongside fellow Kenyan singer Ywaya Tajiri, the self-acclaimed sweetest girl delivers a lustrous duet that sees her soft vocals, which perfectly complement Tajiri’s more robust voice, skip and flit across moody synths, intensifying the spotlight on her wholehearted delivery. “I can feel you rushing through my system / Every single day it’s my religion,” she sings passionately halfway into the record. The whole thing sounds like the aural equivalent of a warm blanket; a truly affectionate record that immerses and envelopes its listeners in its warmth. This is the brand of vulnerable, understated R&B music that has been helping Amolo gain significant attention since she debuted in the pandemic year.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Amolo always had an affinity for music. The singer and producer, who took on piano and guitar lessons as a child, has previously credited acts like Brandy, Erykah Badu, Prince, and Kenyan musical icon Eric Wainaina as her early influences – and it’s easy to see how Amolo’s style draws from this strong lineage of musicians whose music is equally expansive, soothing and vulnerable. After years experimenting with different styles, recording covers to beats she ripped from YouTube and posting them on her Soundcloud page, Amolo released her debut project ‘Leave Me At The Pregame’ in 2020.
The EP, which quickly soared up the charts in Kenya, served as a brief but emphatic introduction to Amolo’s minimalistic take on R&B. Standouts like the emotive opener “Puddles,” “Lush Green”, and “Jokes” showcase her clever and poignant lyricism that reflects on themes of love, depression, and self-healing. Along with sparse, melancholic production and the icy sensuality of her voice, Amolo delivered a remarkable debut that made her one of the most promising figures in Nairobi’s alternative music scene. Two years after ‘Leave Me At The Pregame,’ the Kenyan rising star released her debut album, ‘Asali.’
‘Asali,’ which translates to “honey” in her native Kiswahili, showcased Amolo’s progression as both an artist and a human being, as she swapped out the sad-girl tunes that filled her debut EP for more vibrant and intricate records – thanks in part to Sir Bastien and Kenyan producer and rapper Lukorito – that explore themes of growth and the complexities and rich luster of love. The album’s lead singles, “Foundry” and the self-produced “Can’t Get Enough,” found relative success on streaming platforms, placing Amolo as one of the continent’s most exciting new R&B voices. About a year after the release of ‘Asali,’ Amolo updated the album with 8 new songs on a deluxe version that featured Kenyan stars like Bensoul, Xenia Manasseh and Zowie Kengocha.
In August 2024, a few months after she delivered a splendid Colors performance, Amolo released a new project titled ‘What a Feeling.’ The 5-track EP, which essentially serves as an ode to Amolo’s home city, Nairobi, sees her experimenting with an array of dance sub-genres without straying too far from her R&B roots. While the project still retains much of the melancholy and elegance that defined her earlier work, there’s a hypnotic and pulsating energy that courses through ‘What A Feeling,’ that highlights a shift in the singer’s sensibilities. Amolo’s honeyed vocals gently seep through subtle Dancehall, Electronic, R&B and House-inspired production and the accompanying visualizer, a mashup of camcorder footage of her and her friends in Nairobi, also adequately captures the charming and nocturnal vibe of the tape.
The project produced standout tracks like the sensual “Let It Flow,” the title track and “Take It,” which later got remixed by Ugandan singer Soundlykbb and rapper SGawD. With Amolo’s latest release, “Sweetest Girl,” the Kenyan rising star continues her intricate exploration of R&B music, merging it with varying styles to produce her own distinct and refreshing variant. There’s no telling what Amolo might do next, but with only a handful of releases to her name so far, there’s undoubtedly more to come from the talented singer as she looks to solidify herself as one of the genre’s most prominent faces across the continent.
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Over the last few years, street-pop, a guttural version of afropop, has surged to mainstream popularity, birthing stars like Asake, Seyi Vibez, and Shallipopi. On the homefront, a generation of younger stars also put unique spins on the sound. Singer, T.I Blaze, has been a notable star in the sub-genre since his 2021 single, “Sometimes,” and a subsequent remix with icon, Olamide, launched him into a different stratosphere.
Since “Sometimes,” Blaze has established his profile as a reliable source for songs that reflect the pulse of the streets while archiving his come-up story across a debut album (‘El Major’) and three extended plays like ‘The Fresh Prince Of Lagos’ and ‘Dangerous Wavy Baby.’ His 2024 EP, ‘Shakur,’ further underscored his evolution as an artist, featuring slippery numbers about escapism, his thoughts on life in the fast lane, and brotherhood with features from rising stars like Tml Vibez and BhadBoi Oml.
In 2025, the singer has picked up where he left off last year, releasing “Trenches Luv,” a balmy February release that examines the dynamics of romance from his point of view as a young adult moulded by the hard realities of life on the street. The success of “Trenches Luv” has led to a deluxe version of ‘Shakur’ with the singer adding seven new songs to the original version of the project. Impressively, on the new version of the project, TI Blaze taps up Ayo Maff and Ghanaian star Arathejay on “My Brother” and “Mario Remix,” respectively.
Led by a galala-inflected opener, “Track 1,” ‘Shakur (Deluxe)’ is both raw and complex with the singer sounding refreshed on songs like “My Brother,” “Dodge,” and “Introduction.” In many ways, this project is an invitation for listeners to explore the many facets of T.I Blaze’s artistry as well as a portent to celebrate his roots and offer a glimpse at his evolution.
Listen to ‘Shakur (Deluxe)’ here.
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Last Friday, Rigo Kamp, a NATIVE uNder alum and one of the architects of an equal parts nostalgic and refreshing sound released his self-titled debut EP, delivering a propulsive fusion of Alte, R&B, Funk, and Soul-infused rhythms.
Featuring previously released singles “Morning Sun” and “Summer”, the six-track eponymous EP executively produced by Odunsi The Engine sees Rigo lean heavily into his element as a sonic alchemist, jumping from silky falsettos to gritty grooves without losing an ounce of cohesion, and ultimately stamping the Abuja-born, Lagos-based singer-songwriter as a mad scientist of sound.
Just last November, Apple Music named Rigo Kamp as its Up Next artist, an acknowledgment that underscored his potential and confirmed what the tastemakers and underground scene already knew. Weeks later, he delivered an exhilarating live set for Spotify Fresh Finds in Lagos, proving he’s just as compelling live as he is in the studio.
On “Marathon”, the refreshing opener to the Rigo Kamp EP, Rigo borrows the bounce and swagger of Afro-Juju legend, Sir Shina Peters’ golden-era, fusing nostalgia with re-imagination to birth a vintage performance that feels like a private party for two, where it’s just Rigo, and you.
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