Q1 2024 is gradually coming to an end with March already upon us and now it’s time to resume our tradition of recapping the best moments of every month, in terms of releases. There’s been a lot of talk lately about Nigerian mainstream music hitting a sonic stalemate and a lot of the music sounding underwhelming in general. Nevertheless, there were some moments in February worth highlighting nonetheless.
1. Yusful Music (Reloaded) – YKB
YKB’s unique blend of pop that has roots grounded in R&B, Afro-Pop and street pop and it makes for incredibly resonant music. The pop tempo and rhythms ensure records that are groovy and feel-good in nature, and when spiced up with honest confessional R&B writing and flow cadences—alongside sprinkles of street pop-esque lingual, it’s just the best sort of resonant music.
Although the original version of Yusful Music abstained from the dominant soundscape of Amapiano fusion and log drums in them mainstream, this version does conform. This writer doesn’t think said change is necessarily justifiable, as we’re now in a period where log drums are sparsely used in a creative way anymore, but it hardly detracts from the overall quality of the music.
2. LOVRBOY – Praiz
The weekend before Valentine, Praiz released an emotive RnB EP that has the thematic direction of a project you’ll expect for a record released around that time. Vulnerability on display, emotions in motion, grand promises declared, it does hit all the right notes thematically. One could of course argue said execution, especially in the songwriting leaves much to be desired for. But is it sufficient for what it wants to be? Yes it is.
In thirteen minutes, Praiz navigates through Afro-R&B, electro-funk, contemporary R&B and Amapiano infused Afro-Pop. The listening experience isn’t exactly the most cohesive thing, because of the constant genre switching but the project as a whole packs enough justification for you to forgive it.
3. m. – Melvitto
As far as curating cohesive album experiences go and choosing strategic features and collaborations to execute said goal properly, Melvitto is in the top echelon of African producers to be considered in that respect. More known for his work with Gabzy, as the duo have created some niche classic R&B records in the past, Melvitto has proven time and time again that he is one of the best producers where Afro-R&B is concerned.
And he’s quite experimental with it on this new EP. In one song, he’s infusing Highlife synthesizers. In another, he’s infusing Gbedu/Bata drums into RnB soundscapes. It’s ingenious stuff and does hard an undeniable stamp of African-ness to the project. Sometimes the delivery of the featured artistes don’t match the Mel’s level of ingenuity though and leaves a little to be desired.
4. Blessed – Berri-Tiga
There have been doubts cast on the legitimacy of Berri’s talent, following the scale of the fiasco that ensued as a result of the Machala stint with Carter Efe. And although, Berri has released a stream of singles since then—for the critics, it’s simply not been an adequate display to silence said conversation once and for all. The EP isn’t exactly some experimental piece of progressive music that affirms otherworldly talent either, but it does show he’s quite adept at making good, resonant music by drawing from popular influences in the soundscape.
5. Urban High – PRESSPLAY SMG
Following in the footsteps of great cohesive albums like SDC’s Palmwine Music series and Basketmouth’s Yabasi, Urban High is a project curated with so much love and intentionality, in the way it seamlessly blends traditional African genres like Highlife and hip-life with more modern variants of pop music and R&B. It might be an acquired taste at large, but it would definitely mean more for connoisseurs who appreciate cohesion.
The line up of artistes include Yarden, Swayvee, Morien and Yunos. Each artiste brought their own dynamism to the album and the interactions of their varying deliveries on each record—is usually an highlight, as there is always a refreshing element of something new and divergent to always expect.
