Review: Crayon’s ‘Trench to Triumph’
A celebratory endeavour with moments of stark humanity and vulnerability
On the cover for his debut album ‘Trench to Triumph’, there is a portrait of a group of children playing football, and a few others watching. The number 7 imprinted on the back of a jersey tagged “Crayon” says something of the musician’s first love–football. Now, however, he recedes from the attention, his figure in all-black as a wooden cross looms above. The building structure, the zinc sheets and the topography of the sand—it’s a setting well established in popular culture, the kind commentators would likely refer to as trenches.
Through his foray as a pop star, Crayon’s music hasn’t necessarily beenxz affiliated with this demography. He rather upturns their experiences through the dreamy eyes of someone climbing up the social ladder. Sounding much like the bright colours associated with his moniker, high-energy bops and skin-revelling dance makes up the artist’s defining traits. In that way, he’s been a patron saint of the vibe, more closer to the hopeful imagery of Zinoleesky than the stark visions of early Bella Shmurda.
Still, Crayon is his own man. That much was clear when he entered the scene with ‘Cray Cray’, the six-track EP which revealed his sunny melodies baked in everyday storytelling. It was 2019, a year symbolic in Nigerian Pop, if not for its continued incursion into global spaces then at least for its emerging youngsters. Among artists like Mavin Records label mate Rema, Fireboy DML and Amaarae, the fresh-faced Crayon seemed a less-orchestrated attempt at crafting a superstar, making records like “So Fine” and “Gock Am” ring out with the feet-stopping allure of something you’ve heard before, forcefully capturing your attention until you were soaked in its cherry quality.
The years since have brought good tidings for the artist born Charles Chibueze. From that initial fine stroke, his career has measured up to a collection of progressive colourful moments, the deep-hued expectations he carried petering out with balance, lighter and legitimate. From the narrative framing of its title, ‘Trench To Triumph’ carries the mark of Crayon’s journey. No longer can he be considered that wunderkind signed through Mavins’ extensive scouting system; he’s struck out on his own, growing though he is, but confident enough to throw creativity and intent behind a debut album, which is typically scrutinised by the public with the incisive gaze of a scientist.
Early into the album, Crayon unfurls his vision. “Call me calvary, cos I’ve fought so many wars,” he sings amidst the atmospheric quality of humming voices and dramatic sonic flourishes, army-type drums and brooding synths. “Calvary Kid” falls into the style of introspective album openers, with the message, and not much of Crayon’s voice, contributing to its allure. On “Trench Kid,” his individuality emerges more vividly, with urgent strings and heartbeat-evoking percussion forming the production. “I remember 2015 oh, I was depressed oh/ I was a broken crayon, I still dey colour,” he sings with obvious triumph, mapping the geographies behind his ascension. Meant to inspire, the feature of Oxlade is a fine choice, his falsetto melding soothingly into the dulcet evocation of Crayon.
Crayon’s opening movement tears the bandage from the scars of his formation. If every trench kid is a physiology of false starts and finally finding redemption, it’s a philosophy Crayon allies with. However, it’s not one he expressively relays throughout his debut. The triumph is the focus. It takes the other side of the thirteen track affair for that perspective to again emerge, on “Modupe.” Even then, tales of “barneys wey I reckless” are rendered with one eye on the future, with crowd vocals employed in amplification of its effervescence. There’s little to fault Crayon by; those who’ve lived in the trenches, the real trenches, do not glory over its gore, rather they are appreciative of the fact they made it out, able to tell its stories and give thanks as Crayon does here.
If anything, Crayon’s songwriting reaches palpable highs throughout the album. As B-side cuts like “Bamiloke” and “In Sync” off the ‘Twelve A.M’ project have revealed, the Ojo Town-raised artist has always possessed a flair for the dramatic, which is revealed in deceptively simple phrasing, but always framed with the ingenious mischief of an insider. “What shall it profit a man, wey God bless with money/ You dey stingy for your life oh,” he sang on the former, the first line of the quoted lyric indelibly blended into a popular Bible passage, but delving at the last second, trickling onto the sphere of everyday Nigerian living. “She talk say I dey give am,” he sings on the latter, the sensual intent folded into the words themselves, so that he says a lot without saying too much.
Such phrasing comes alive again on “Wetin Go Be,” the penultimate song in the album. It’s an inspired dash of culminating experiences, obviously with his present figure as a superstar at the visible side of the narrative coin. Crayon sings about the imminent quality of life’s events, but he shares nothing of the rapper’s tendency to reside within that perspective. He’s rather like the everyday youngster one comes across on the street, bleary eyed but optimistic, with the hope of a better hand than life has dealt them so far. “As my face show, make my shoe shine oh,” he sings in the first verse, obviously seeped in the sphere of prayer while his tone retains its trademark honeyed quality.
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Crayon flips the narrative coin on album closer “Good Day,” an ostensibly positive song which encapsulates the triumphant ethos of the tape. With the melodious grooves of Highlife guitars and warm drums building around him, he charts the grass-to-grace tale Nigerian culture has come to love through mediums like film and music. “Everyday is a good day, when money dey” he sings with the philosophical clarity of Aristotle, and the famous dramatic sequence (beginning, middle, end) often accorded to the Greek maverick is present here.
If the trench is the beginning, and triumph is the end, what then makes up the expansive landscape of the middle? For Crayon, it is love. Beneath the energetic showing on obviously pop-tilted songs like “Ijo (Laba Laba)” and “The One (Chop Life),” there’s a more sensitive Crayon, a version of him where the world and all its material heft strips away. On ‘Trench to Triumph’ one hears some of the best love-themed records in Nigerian Pop this year.
The effervescent Ayra Starr features on “Ngozi,” turning in one of her strongest guest verses in a career glittering with them. From Lojay (“Runaway”) to Iyanya (“Call”) and Magixx (“Love Don’t Cost A Dime [Re Up]”), the ‘19 & Dangerous’ star has consistently showcased her awareness for duets, her luscious vocals embracing the fullness of experience, meeting her male co-stars halfway. Again proving herself amongst afropop’s elite songwriters, her verse reaches several highs, from the image of running to her lover in a panamera to the “wetin you put for this your jollof”, the switch in language matched by a switch in tempo. On “Ngozi” Crayon is the perfect host, sounding very direct while retaining the breezy candour a record like this requires. “Craving your nsala oh”, meanwhile, continues in the exciting ways Afropop artists are learning to describe sex, making the similarly head-spinning pleasure of food a worthy, nearby metaphor.
On “Belle Full,” it is Victony who sets the ball rolling with his divinely-pitched vocals. Released as a pre-album single, its Old Nollywood-inspired cover had spurred widespread conversation on social media, with users eagerly tracing the visual impact of that industry on contemporary creators. To the producer KTIZO’s credit, the song does sound like a jolt from the past, with electric touches to the synths matching the upbeat and simple direction of its drums. Vocals are left and right of this one, Victony and Crayon’s distinct range unified in saccharine compromise, as they chorus together, “Na only your love wey go belle full me.”
Magixx completes the album’s trio of distinct feature vocalists. Another heartwarming love song, “You vs You” has undertones of amapiano log drums, but to the song’s own benefit, they’re never allowed into the production’s dominant space. Rather it’s the swooning elements which evoke light tension—this is the soundscape that spurs one of Crayon’s best vocal showing on the album, while Magixx continues to burnish his mythos as one of afropop’s most underrated vocals with a short but evocative verse, his almost husky tone brilliantly complementing the relatively svelte frame of Crayon’s.
The album’s love arc moves deep into it, most poignantly on the duo of “Superwoman” and “Adey.” Significant they truly are, because they’re the last moments of cherished intimacy, before Crayon turns back to the trenches to paint the gripping image of his early years. Log drums emerge vividly on the former, a tender offering to the woman of his heart’s beating. With violin stretches and sparse horns, there’s a bubbly musicality thriving within the record’s seams. “Adey” is a reserved song—R&B seems to be an offshoot influence in its demeanour, even though Crayon, ever the Afropop student, inflects his delivery with subtle touches of the genre’s conventions such as the repetitive “I dey, I dey dey” in the chorus and the culturally-aware songwriting.
As the listener gleans throughout ‘Trench to Triumph’, there’s a consistent brilliance to the production. Each beat is realised, suffused with detailed finishes, and setting a buffet of sounds before Crayon and his guests. When beats establish their own movements and ethos, it’s easy for the artist to flow within those ebbs or bounce against them, depending on the vision they have. For the most part, Crayon rides alongside the beats, but with palpable confidence in his own individuality.
This is important because there is no shortage of great producers in the creative room. Mavin-affiliated figures like Andre Vibez and Ozedikus score credits on the album, while Crayon’s mentor Baby Fresh also layers chops for the golden-voiced protege. DJ Tarico of the Yaba Buluku Boyz produce the song they feature on, the uber-popular Blaise Beats chips in his output, while BMH (most known for his work with CKay), Biggie Jazzy and Caleb Music also contribute to the album’s cohesive core. The titans Sarz and Don Jazzy have three songs between them, and the former’s genius extends into the earthy brilliance of “Ngozi”. Jazzy’s signature drum work is everywhere on “L’Eko” and if you listen closely, you’d also hear his reverberating bassy tone.
Quite remarkably, Crayon pulls all these distinct creators together and makes the album work. Although exposed to the temptations of modern afropop and the urge to try out anything and everything, the artist relays an unprecedented maturity in the handling of his material. ‘Trench to Triumph’ is a neat album, but not insufferably so. The sugary quality of pop music, and which has indeed been present throughout Crayon’s catalogue, is present, but the moments of stark humanity and vulnerability also are.
Like the album cover lets on, beauty doesn’t have to be instinctive. It can sometimes be put together, like organising a couple of kids on the street to play football, but the magic is in the photograph that’s created. In this case, the magic is in the expressive joy retained within the sound.
ICYMI: A 1-LISTEN REVIEW OF CHEQUE’S NEW EP, ‘CHEQUEMATE’
Luwa.Mp4 Releases Riotous Debut Album, ‘punKstA*’
Across the album’s 12 tracks, Luwa.Mp4 continues his fiery exploration and fusion of genres like Punk Rock,...
Rising singer and rapper Luwa.Mp4 has released his debut album titled ‘punKstA*.’ The underground star who has been on a release spree all year long, announced the imminent arrival of his debut only a couple of days ago with a cryptic trailer video and an Instagram caption that simply read ‘PUNKSTA* MONDAY.’
Before the arrival of ‘punKstA*,’ the rising fusion star had been showcasing his diligence and talent with a consistent output that has seen him put out over a dozen songs since the start of the year. A string of singles led to a 6-pack titled ‘lore skooL,’ while a deluxe version that housed 5 new songs came just a month later.
His debut album’s lead single, “pUNK FANTASY,” arrived in late July, setting the stage for what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the underground star’s burgeoning career.
Across the album’s 12 tracks, the eclectic singer continues his fiery exploration and fusion of genres like Punk Rock, Afropop, Hyperpop, and Rap into something uniquely different. Tracks like “Pure Water,” which was previously teased on Cruel Santino’s Subaru Live Stream, the abrasive, Tecno-influenced “pROMISED NEVERLAND,” and the more laidback “pEEp MY RIDE” put on display the sort of varied, autotune-soaked approach that has set him apart and helped carve a growing niche.
While Luwa decided to go solo on his debut, credited as the only recording artist, the album was brought to life by a cast of talented producers like frequent collaborator TOPSY, Emyboi, JTRN, 3CB, FVKK.ANDI and Jeremy Cartier.
Listen to ‘punKstA*,’ here.
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Shekhinah Returns With Surprise Album, ‘Less Trouble’
The South African R&B star is at her most assertive on her first album in four years.
South African R&B and Pop singer Shekhinah has released a new surprise album titled ‘Less Trouble.’ The Durban star, who had been quiet for most of the year, took to social media shortly before midnight to share the new album’s cover, synopsis, and tracklist, simply stating, ‘If you’re seeing this my album LESS TROUBLE is out now at Midnight,’ in an Instagram caption.
The soulful singer first began teasing ‘Less Trouble,’ her first album in over four years, about a year ago when she released its lead single “Risk,” a bouncy Afropop-inspired collab with Ghanaian star MOLIY. A few months after the release of “Risk,” she put out “Steady,” a dreamy pop number that suggested that something bigger was on the horizon. But then it was largely radio silence about a project until its surprise arrival at midnight.
If 2021’s ‘Trouble In Paradise’ represented a coming-of-age for Shekhinah, subsisting some of the dreamy, youthful exuberance of her debut album for more measured musings on themes like heartbreak and grief, ‘Less Trouble’ finds her at her most assertive, writing and singing with the acuity of someone who is grown, decisive and discerning. The delicate opener “Break Up Season” sets the tone for the rest of the album as she shows little tolerance for shady behaviour and toxic patterns.
Other standout cuts on the album like “Bare Minimum,” a sombre collab with fellow South African award-winning singer lordkez, the ethereal, in-your-face interlude “New Casanova,” and the percussive “What Are We,” where Shekhinah contemplates the nature of a relationship but ultimately demands all or nothing, all drive home a part of the album’s synopsis, which reads ‘A BOOK ON MORE HEARTBREAK BUT LESS HEARTACHE.’
Shekhinah invites a couple of new collaborators on ‘Less Trouble,’ featuring the aforementioned MOLIY and lordkez as well as multi-instrumentalist Mars Baby and Young Stunna across the album’s 11 tracks. Mpilo Shabangu handled the majority of the album’s production, while other producers like Michael Morare, her longtime collaborator, Mthintheki Mzizi, and Vuyo also contributed to the album.
Listen to ‘Less Trouble’ here.
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The NATIVE’s First Impressions Of Amaarae’s ‘Black Star’
‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for Amaarae, and The NATIVE team offer our thoughts after a...
Change has always been a constant theme in any discussion about the career of Ghanaian-American star, Amaarae. Since she emerged as a singular voice in the late 2010s, she has evolved from a sirenic Afropop-adjacent singer into a Punk-Pop firestarter with minimal fuss. ‘Fountain Baby,’ her 2023 sophomore album, was a sweeping departure from the lilting melodies and shapeshifing cadences of the hypnotic ‘The Angel You Don’t Know,’ emphasizing her commitment to charting new courses with her music.
In the lead-up to her new album, ‘Black Star,’ she has wholly embraced a Pop aesthetic and sheen that was reflected on the album’s promotional singles, “S.M.O.” and “Girlie-Pop!.” Now that the album has arrived, the singer has advised listeners not to go in expecting a continuation of the soundscape on ‘Fountain Baby.’ As keen followers of Amaarae’s career from its start, we are sure that ‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for her, and we offer our thoughts after a few listens.
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF AMAARAE GOING INTO THIS ALBUM?
Kemnachi: I had zero doubts that she would impress me again. Amaarae always comes correct. She is audacious with her choices, taking creative risks most artists would not dare to imagine, and somehow rendering them seamless, deliberate, and effortless. Her music has a way of enveloping me: it’s fluid, slightly dangerous, and yet irresistibly sensual. Every project feels like an immersive world she has curated down to the finest detail. With ‘Black Star,’ I knew it was not going to be a mere collection of songs but another meticulously constructed realm.
Bamise: I expected something fun, genre-bending, and sonically diverse in the fashion that Amaarae’s music typically is. I may have taken the album title a bit too literally, though, because listening made me realise I had an eye out for some Pan-African statements or something to spark discourse on African identity, but I didn’t quite catch any of that.
Boluwatife: Amaarae has largely delivered throughout her career, so I knew she was going to come correct again. She’s one of those forward-thinking artists who take the kind of risks most others wouldn’t, but she always manages to make it work. She’s proven to be a musical omnivore who constantly meshes her wide-ranging influences into something new, fluid, icy, and more often than not, sensual. I knew ‘Black Star’ wasn’t going to be any different.
WHAT SONGS STOOD OUT ON THE FIRST LISTEN?
Wale: I liked “Girlie-Pop!.” I feel like it captures Amaarae’s vision of pushing Afropop into the future. She’s also really grown comfortable with music and lyricism and will not dumb down her message for anybody. The instrumental for “Girlie-Pop!” is also a wonder; it’s so dense, but there are pockets for Amaarae to be emotive about her feelings. Top song!
Daniel Akins: I need to hear “B2B” at the next rave I’m at. Amaarae is in her Dance era, and I’m here for it. Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” with PinkPantheress is the collaboration I knew I needed, and I’m glad they finally linked up. It’s a clear standout on the project; their ethereal style complements each other.
Shina: “B2B” was the one that did it for me. That is my favourite track on the project. The number of times I ran it back was unhealthy for a first listen. It was also really fun to catch the Don Toliver “Best You Had” sample. I need to hear this outside!
HOW WELL YOU THINK THE GUEST APPEARANCES ENHANCED THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE?
Israel: The guest features on Black Star aren’t mere flexes. They’re strategic, theatrical, and sometimes emotionally resonant. They enhance, yes, but they do so on Amaarae’s terms. A standout for me was PinkPantheress on “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” The tradeoff is that a few songs feel like dazzling cameos rather than an integrated conversation, yet overall they enhance the album’s drama, texture, and bravado with precision.
Daniel Banjoko: Everyone showed up and delivered, no weak links here. Instead of just guest spots, they felt like vital pieces of a bigger puzzle. Charlie Wilson on “Dream Scenario” nailed his part especially, making the track sound exactly like its name promises.
Moore: The guest appearances on ‘Black Star’ feel very intentional; each one enhances the album’s world without overshadowing Amaarae’s vision. PinkPantheress’s signature airy delivery meshes with Amaarae’s experimental pop sound. Naomi Campbell’s commanding voice on “ms60” is an unexpected but powerful addition, adding drama to the track. Each feature feels carefully chosen.
WHAT SONG IS THE BIGGEST SKIP?
Bamise: Not to be a party pooper, but I don’t get the PinkPantheress collab, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” It feels like a PinkPantheress song with less pop in it, and just borrows the title of the iconic Soulja Boy song but has no other similarities. It’s between that and “ms60.” For me, the chorus of that sounds like something I’ve heard from Amaarae before, and I doubt its absence would have diminished the album.
Shina: I feel like biggest skip is a strong word for a solid project, but if I have to pick a song to skip, it’ll be “ms60.” I think it’s easily forgettable.
Wale: It’s hard to single out a song that stuck out to me, but hearing Naomi Campbell on “ms60” threw me off. It’s just too contrived to bear for me.
WHAT SONG HAS THE BIGGEST HIT POTENTIAL?
Boluwatife: My gut answer would probably be “She Is My Drug,” just because of how she beautifully reworks the melodies from Cher’s “Believe.” DJ remixes of this song could go crazy. But if I were to think a bit more logically, TikTok would probably lap up “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.”
Daniel Banjoko: “Kiss Me Thru the Phone pt 2” goes crazy. Amaarae and PinkPantheress are the perfect match. This collab feels like it was destined to happen, and it delivers in full. Honestly, I can’t believe it took this long, and now I just need more tracks from these two, ASAP.
Moore: “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” has the biggest hit potential on the album. The song has a nostalgic, sad party girl vibe that makes it appealing, and it’s also catchy and well-produced. PinkPantheress consistently performs well on platforms like TikTok, and her fanbase overlaps in a really interesting way with Amaarae’s. The collaboration feels organic and exciting, and will likely create a lot of buzz.
OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Wale: There is a very visceral quality to how Amaarae expresses desire that I don’t hear very often in a lot of music. It’s abstracted and warped in futuristic textures, but it’s very profoundly human, and it’s always great to hear that even as she advances the sonics of her delivery. I do, however, have an issue with the thematic scope of ‘Black Star.’ I thought there would be overt references to her experiences of navigating her Ghanaian identity, but those references are limited to samples and interpolations. It’s still an incisive listen and a triumph for finding ways to advance music from Africa.
Bamise: It’s Amaarae; she can never go wrong. But for me, this is the album that excites me the least from her catalogue. Other than how bass-heavy some songs on the album are, like “S.M.O.” and “She Is My Drug” among others, it feels similar to other projects I’ve heard from her in a way that’s not exactly refreshing or mind-bending. I may have gotten spoiled by how diverse and eclectic Amaarae’s music tends to be, but I wanted more from her. I expected more gangster, Hip-Hop Amaarae. Thematically, I didn’t get anything that gives the Black Star of Ghana, or black stars are ruling the world. Will I listen again and enjoy every bit of it still, though? Yes, I will.
Shina: So first off, this is a solid body of work. I love the fact that Amaarae stuck with the Dance, Electro-Pop route she was going with throughout the album. The features also played their part, adding their unique touches to each record. I would say, though, a feature I would’ve loved to hear on this project is 070Shake. I think she would have been perfect on “100DRUM,” but we don’t always get what we want, do we? Thematically, I think Amaarae could’ve leaned heavily on her Ghanaian heritage, seeing as the title and cover of the album are a nod to that. Maybe Amaarae just wants us to dance, and that’s what I’m just gonna do, and you should too.
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