Best New Music Special: Bloody Civilian fiercely guards her autonomy on ‘Anger Management’
Being punk is no gimmick here, there’s actual tongue lashing to go round.
Bloody Civilian evolved from rebellion. As the SoundCloud renaissance was firmly in its twilight at the end of the 2010s, discoverers became attuned to the heady writing and supple voice of the artist then known as Emosé. Her self-produced music was colourful but with a gothic hue attached to it, and she sang of freedom as a feeling she needed to attain. Just as the Emosé hype train was revving up with the 2020 release of “Goliath,” she unceremoniously packed it up. There were rumours, of societal constraints within the deeply conservative and misogynistic confines of Northern Nigeria, that her choice to pursue a creative career was an act of continuous blasphemy.
Naturally, a move down south made sense and it spurred the re-emergence of the artist now known as Bloody Civilian. That’s why her 2022 “debut” single, “How to Kill A Man,” doesn’t even remotely come across like the work of a rookie. In fact, the artistic singularity on display is incredible, it’s a prodigious mind expressing itself on clear terms. The instructions are remarkably vivid: “And if that man start to shout/Omo na to slap am oh/And take him to the backyard oh/And give him with the dagger oh.” It doesn’t matter whether she’s killed a man before or not, I believe her the same way you believe her because of the magnetic charisma in every line and the lustre in her voice.
On her new debut EP, ‘Anger Management’, there’s blood in Bloody Civilian’s mouth and it’s not from biting her tongue. Where her previous work couched some of her irreverence in biblical allegories, everything is out in the open and anyone who incurs her annoyance is fair game. The story isn’t linear but the narrative is unmissable: Freedom isn’t just something you manifest, sometimes you have to take it and guard it fiercely. In her taking and guarding, there’s impatience for “anybody wey cross my meter” and she’s willing to bite through flesh to reiterate her point.
The 3-song run that follows the second-placed debut single on ‘Anger Management’ is proof that, sometimes, adopting a no-nonsense attitude is important to self-determination. Fuck being politically correct—being punk is no gimmick here, there’s actual tongue lashing to go round. If you thought DETO BLACK had the ultimate aunty read in Nigerian music, “Family Meeting” would make you double back on that take. “Aunty, please go home/Even God rested on the 7th day,” she sings in utter disgust. Yes, Bloody Civilian agrees that she’s “the problem child,” but the she doesn’t want her motivations and life choices subject to the opinions to unwanted intruders.
As a pop song, the best part about “Family Meeting” is that it’s chockfull of quoteables, even the somewhat raunchy line telling a boyfriend off could be used as a caption. The rawness of her writing is how you can tell that Bloody Civilian is not playing the part, these lyrics are pulled from lived situations and she doesn’t have to sell it because she’s been through it. The authenticity adds to the allure, like when she tells some guy to “put that shit to rest” on the club-ready “Mad Apology,” her chagrin is effortless and the melodies stick in just one listen.
Released earlier this year, “I Don’t Like You” is staggeringly direct. It’s not so much an incise untangling of past, toxic friendship, as much as it is a messy gashing, with lyrics that bludgeon like a stick with spikes. Bloody Civilian revels in it. “It’s not like I hate you/It’s just that I don’t like you” is the kind of petty jibe that can cause physical heartache—sorry to Abdullahi and James. The object isn’t the “you,” it’s the “I,” and that’s where ‘Anger Management’ really wins. For every person she doesn’t fucking like, they’re just characters she expels on the path to definitive autonomy.
It’s incredibly heartening to hear a Nigerian woman express these thoughts and feelings, given that we live in a society where women are still subjected to casual abuses and intentional injustices. From pop stars like Ayra Starr and Teni to rap artists like Brazy and ytboutthataction, women practising and preaching irreverence is as mainstream as it’s ever been in Nigerian music. There’s even more space to fill and Bloody Civilian snaps at whatever boundaries of appropriate behaviour society asked of her when she performed under a different moniker.
Largely self-produced, ‘Anger Management’ filters musical influences through the artist’s ever-present gothic lens, resulting in a project that’s as glossy as it is dark. Opener “Escapism” starts off as an ambient house song with Bloody Civilian ruing her choice not to smoke “because my ancestors are watching.” You can hear it coming from a mile away but the log drum-inflected EDM drop is no less satisfactory. It’s a great tone-setter in the sense that the elements and sounds are familiar, but they function differently because of the artist’s vision and touch.
“How to Kill A Man” is actually a bashment song, but the centre is so bloodied that the instinctual move is to nod aggressively rather than imagine anyone giving or catching whines. “Family Meeting” is a psychedelic pop ballad until the occasional additions of drums on the hooks, with stick work that would impress Tony Allen. “Mad Apology” and “I Don’t Like You” are both influenced by the intoxicating bounce of Jersey Club, with the latter featuring sprinkles of gan-gan percussion.
‘Anger Management’ closes with “Come From,” where Bloody Civilian acknowledges vices and social constraints as obstacles, but not in the defeatist way. “Don’t have to find drugs/That’s the thing, drugs will find you,” she sings on the first verse over woodwinds and blown out bass, while referencing the raging insecurity woes in the north on the second verse. “I’m going to be sitting at the top shining so bright” goes the reminder on the hook. It’s a poised reflection that highlights the EP’s bracing sentiment: Anger against people and systems that aren’t positively enabling can be fuel to becoming your best self.
Anger gets a bad rep, and perhaps rightly so—it can be really destructive. In the hands of Bloody Civilian, it’s a rousing emotion.
TRACK-BY-TRACK: BLOODY CIVILIAN BREAKS DOWN HER DEBUT EP ‘ANGER MANAGEMENT’
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.
Keep reading...
T.I Blaze Updates ‘Shakur’ EP With Deluxe Version
Following the success of “Trenches Luv,” the street-pop star is back with seven new songs on the deluxe...
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.
Keep reading...
NATIVE PREMIERE: Rigo Kamp Runs Ahead Of The Pack With The Visuals For “Marathon”
Rigo Kamp’s Marathon video is an intimate Afro-juju revival that pays homage to Sir Shina Peters and stamps...
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.
Get an exclusive first look at the video for Marathon here:
Listen to the Rigo Kamp EP:
Keep reading...
