Over the weekend, Olamide released his ninth studio album and his eleventh project in over a decade of his chart-topping career. ‘UY Scuti’, the swift follow-up to last year’s genre-mashing ‘Carpe Diem’ served as another well-defined piece in his artistic mosaic. Over 10-tracks, the rapper switches his gruff rap style and radio-ready hits for a softer, more melodic flow, this time delivering pop staples that will linger on minds long after hearing them.
There’s no denying that Olamide’s legacy ranks amongst the most powerful in this current climate and ‘UY Scuti’ is an effortless show of this veteran finesse. The album takes its name from the largest-known star in our universe — a statement by Olamide on where he sees himself currently and a marker of where he’s still yet to go. With help from a talented spate of collaborators and producers, together, they deliver an incredible taster of songs that accurately capture his growth over his decade-long career in the game.
Speaking to Apple Music at the time of the album’s release, the singer shared, “I’m a citizen of the world now, so my choice of sound is a combination of all the beautiful music I’ve heard. This is a full-time pop album, and it’s way above everything I’ve ever done,” and that’s certainly what we are hearing in the music now. A celebratory hitmaker moving the needle on his creative output yet again and widening the scope of his ability, despite his veteran status.
Olamide is certainly eons away from the Bariga boy he once was, surviving day to day and plotting his way out of the ghetto. Today, he’s one of Afropop most revered hitmakers, with a dynamic record label that has kickstarted and boosted the careers of artists such as Lil Kesh, Adekunle Gold, Davolee, Lyta, Fireboy DML and more.
On ‘UY Scuti’, Olamide sounds at his most relaxed. The street poet delivers a mix of pop-leaning R&B laced with a range of other genres from Afropop to Reggae, and more. While he expertly affords his collaborators such as Fave and Layydoe the space to take centre stage on “Pon Pon”and “Rough Up”respectively, it’s the album’s opener “Need For Speed” that’s an instant standout and sets the pace for the entire album.
Set in Lagos, Olamide paints a vivid picture of every ghetto kid with a dream to make it in life. Over warm keys and an array of ambient melodies, he sings “Hustle gat me high steady grinding for the doe/Destination far time is flying no be small/Trying to chase my dreams Lagos traffic make it slow,” visualising the mind of the average Nigerian with a dream. Olamide tells listeners that he was once on the bitter end of the stick, dreaming every day of the fast life like those in the cars he saw around Lagos, bidding his time till he became a star.
However, as he’s grown older, become wiser and made all the doe he possibly could, he realises the hypocrisy of life and witnesses a full-circle moment: he’s become the rich, detached individual speeding in the fast car. “I saw myself speeding and I did the same thing for Lagos Island one day/People worship money but we pray to God no be so,” he quips on the next verse, deeply regretful of his actions but armed with an understanding of the ever-changing dynamics of life. It’s almost bittersweet and a reminder that we can also be villains in someone else’s story. Olamide turns inwards, assuring listeners that they don’t have to rush to their dreams while reminding them of the world’s failures and potentials. He holds a mirror to his current reality and ours, reminding us to be empathetic no matter the side of the puddle we land on.
“Need For Speed” definitely encapsulates the premise for the remainder of the album. The need to slow down, let go of the excess and focus on playing the long game to victory. And if there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about bidding one’s time, betting on yourself, providing for people around you and playing the long game, it’s Olamide—an artist who’s upped the ante at every step of his career and carved out a space for himself and others after him.
TMZY and Yiizi’s nimble mastery of melodies, penchant for colourful storytelling, and palpable chemistry...
There has never been a more rewarding time to be a music lover. The democratic access that social media...
There has never been a more rewarding time to be a music lover. The democratic access that social media allows means that listeners are exposed to a wide variety of acts whose music mines the minutiae of their lives and the circumstances of their experiences as inspiration for their work. In many ways, that sense of believability is crucial in distinguishing acts that stand out in our crowded digital world, and rising singers, TMZY and Yiizi, possess that believability in spades. Their music, reflecting the pulse and vibrancy of their Ebute Metta upbringing, ruminates on the dynamics of modern dating. They are at once frustrated, enamored, and oddly amused by the financial necessities of dating as a young person in Lagos.
Last year, after teasing listeners with freestyles filmed all over their hood, they made a big splash with their debut, “Money Over Love,” a zestful, youth-fuelled dedication to the utility of cash as the primary catalyst for romantic love. Another single, “Omalicha,” expands on the precepts set out on “Money Over Love,” praising a love interest for her alluring qualities. It all set the stage for their debut project, ‘Money Over Love,’ which takes its name from their debut single.
On ‘Money Over Love,’ the brother duo presents a fuller vision of their sound, while tincturing their melodies with vocabulary sharpened by interests that intersect between the streets and online lingo. No track reflects TMZY and Yiizi’s nimble mastery of melodies, penchant for colourful storytelling, and palpable chemistry like the project’s opening track, “Ayawa.”
Like most of what has come from the brothers before now, they are head over heels for a lover and are keen to show the depth of their feelings. “Ayawa,” the Yoruba word for “our wife,” is used as a metaphor for living happily ever after with their loved one. Impressively, they manage to weave their sticky-sweet verses in Yoruba, English, and pidgin without losing any of the rhythm that listeners of the brothers have become accustomed to. Listening to the song, there are giveaways that the brothers are dialed into the cutting edge of music. “Ayawa” is cut from the sample drill style that American rapper and producer, Cash Cobain, has popularised, with the brothers choosing a humorous sample as a backbone for this track.
In just a little over two minutes on ‘Ayawa,” the brothers manage to pack in a week’s worth of thrills, promising a trip to Las Vegas, decking her out in designer outfits, and a visit to her parents’ to formalise their affairs. Almost impressively, they have a more nuanced grasp on healthy romance, candidly asking, “Would you stand by me?” It is a welcome micro-evolution from where we met the brothers on “Money Over Love,” and a reminder that they are master wielders of narrative with the world buying into their enjoyable music.
“Over” is arguably the strongest addition to Indi’s growing discography yet. It’s sexy, cool and...
Since the turn of the year, the underground music scene has been experiencing a surge of vibrancy, marked by...
Since the turn of the year, the underground music scene has been experiencing a surge of vibrancy, marked by the emergence of a talented new generation of young musicians. Loose terms like New Age and Cyber Youth have been used to describe this new wave of artists, but what’s certain is their ingenuity and profound artistry. Some of the best music coming out of this new movement has come from Indi, a singer, songwriter, and producer who sounds like she’s aching and flirting at the same time. Her songs, most of which barely cross the 2-minute mark, blend Y2K aesthetics with the boldness of contemporary Hyperpop. Think Clara La San meets Charli XCX.
Indi only started putting out music officially in mid-2024, but she’s fleshed out a clear sonic identity in such a short time that one might think she’s been at this for much longer. A Pop singer with light R&B contours, she employs a refreshing approach, somewhere between accessible and experimental, that stands in contrast to the overwhelming monotony of mainstream Pop music in Nigeria.
Tracks like “Atbu,”“Caution,” and “Promise” are built similarly: melancholic, upbeat, and made irresistible by her DIY charm. The singer’s latest single, “Over,” follows this same pattern, fusing cutting-edge club music to melodies and rhythms rooted in R&B and Pop. Her enticing melodies, a key feature of her sound, seamlessly swirl around a glitchy beat courtesy of frequent collaborator Awful Daniel and Three Cyk-Beta.
Most of Indi’s lyrics are often delicate depictions of relatable emotions like desire and teenage angst. They can, however, be pretty repetitive and opaque. “All these lights but I still want you more,” she sings with a spike of anxiety on “Over,” slyly referencing a love interest. This lyrical anonymity is offset by the song’s silky Electronic pop production and Indi’s ethereal vocal passages, which give much of her music deep emotional resonance, much more than her lyrics do.
“Over” is arguably the strongest addition to Indi’s growing discography yet. It’s sexy, cool and forward-thinking. It’s also quickly become her most streamed song yet, a testament to it’s irresistible charm. In a clime that mines nostalgia for the sake of it, Indi borrows from the past to create something refreshingly familiar and futuristic at the same time. This unique ability has placed her at the forefront of this new wave of eccentric artistes who are looking to make their mark on our ever-evolving music scene.
A strong opening salvo from what could be one of the best albums from anywhere in the world this...
If you look past the tonal alterations and futuristic production choices that litter Amaarae’s work, a...
If you look past the tonal alterations and futuristic production choices that litter Amaarae’s work, a career-long embrace of fervid desire emerges from her work. From the whimsical, soulful ballads of ‘Passionfruit Summer’ to the playful, sirenic calls-to-action of ‘The Angel You Don’t Know,’ and the riotous, Punk-influenced extravaganza of ‘Fountain Baby’ as well as its sprawling addendum, ‘rose are red, tears are blue – A Fountain Baby Extended Play,’ Ama Genfi has crafted a catalogue that basks in her indulgent embrace of desire – sexual, material, and emotional – while cavorting with a multitude of sonic influences. Songs like “FEEL A WAY,” “Angels in Tibet,” and “sweeeet” all contend with the nature of sexual desire in the humorous yet layered fashion that could only emerge from the hallways of Amaarae’s mind.
In recent months, Amaarae has been teasing her next album, an eagerly anticipated follow-up to ‘Fountain Baby.’ The rollout for the album, now confirmed as ‘Black Star,’ has seen her lean more into her Ghanaian heritage than ever. During her performance at Coachella in April, where she made history as the festival’s first solo Ghanaian performer, she paid homage to Ghana’s musical history by playing songs by La Même Gang, Asakaa Boys, and Joey B. She also hosted a block party for the ‘Black Star’ album in Accra, hinting at an evolution of her relationship with her home country.
In the lead-up to the release of ‘Black Star,’ Amaarae has shared its striking cover art as well as a new song, “S.M.O.” that espouses on her gospel of desire. Shortened for ‘Slut me out,’ the lead single of ‘Black Star’ opens with brooding drums and a thumping bassline that sets the stage for Amaarae’s requests from a love interest. As always, she is forthright and clear with her demands, with lines like “Slut me out / Show me how you like to love” and “I lay it all on the waist line/ Ginga me, ginga” instantly standing out.
One of the most interesting parts of listening to Amaarae’s music since the lead-up to ‘The Angel You Don’t Know’ has been resolving the internal dissonance between her silky, enthralling vocals and the salacious details on her tracks. “S.M.O.” is similarly risqué while maintaining the alluring tenor of her voice. Unlike many singers who raise a temple dedicated to desire, Amaarae’s music contemplates all angles of her requests and what they mean, lending a layer of authenticity to her songs. On “S.M.O.,” it manifests in the shape of a love interest that she has to make comfortable. “You don’t like talking salacious / I understand / Sex is a part of your nature,” she sings.
More significantly, Amaarea seems to continue to sing about her desire for women, taking a stand against the restrictive anti-LGBTQ beliefs and legislations that are commonplace and prevalent in her home country and West Africa at large. Lines like “I’m wavy / I wanna taste her” and “I wanna week witb her / She taste like lexapro” unabashedly show that Amaarae will not be censored by homophobic performativeness or perform overt heterosexuality just to advance her music. Ultimately, “S.MO.” sounds like a mix of The Angel You Don’t Know’ and ‘Fountain Baby,’ taking the high points of both albums for a song that’s undeniably in line with Amaarae’s stated vision of making futuristic Afropop. It’s also a strong opening salvo for what could be one of the best albums from anywhere in the world this year.