Tonee C unleashes his working formular on his debut EP.
Tonee C needs no introduction anymore. Since his debut project in 2019 has been showing us the different layers of his musical artistry through his works which has earned him recognition leaving him highly rated. So when he announced a new project, it only came as a form of readiness to actually solidify those claims.
The Pop-Rap prodigy or TNT Baby comes through with his latest and independent body of work after some collaborative efforts. The ‘STARDUST‘ EP is a 9-track project that showcases Tonee C’s pop-rap sonic as he fuses dreamy indie rap, synth R&B trap with Pop elements with a delivery similar to a Hip-Hop cadence. On this project, Tonee C delivers an enthralling tale on struggle, heartbreak and focus on success over anything else.
The project begins with a notice from Tonee C. “If you’re not ready to listen to this project with an open mind, without expecting anything, please exit now“, Tonee C suggests on ‘N. B‘. That intro definitely scored a lot of point because no one would definitely see that coming. The tape opens up properly on ‘star, duh !‘. Set on a dreamy Hip-Hop production with heavy bass lines, Tonee C narrates his struggle “I feel the heat and I’m just a rapper homie, not a baker ../ I know life ain’t no bed of roses” and how much he has achieved while chasing his dreams ” But on a scale of 1-5, I got a 7-point GPA“. Although, Tonee C admits “Life ain’t bed of roses, you can’t leave the stress out“.
‘not. your. mate‘ takes it cue from the Grime soundscape. Tonee C links up well with the featured artists Miickey Metro and Kryptian Icon. Tonee C raps putting everybody in their place in a Psycho YP-esque manner. ‘love . is . a . drug‘ explores the theme of heartbreak. The artists decides to focus on anything else except the heartbreak. The mid tempo trap infused pop track makes the project a memorable one. Forged out of an already existing relationship with Geoxpress; a combination that has birthed lot of quality music. The existing synergy between both artists makes this track one of the best cuts in the tape.
‘h x g‘ (Henny & Ganja) also calls on Geoxpress again, but this time, another usual collaborators 9t9 also features. Having all worked together on a project in 2020, the familiarity with all of their sounds helps them create another flawless song. Elsewhere on ‘s e l e n e‘, we are ushered in by a smooth guitar riffs that remain ever present through the song as he ponders on the joy of achieving all his aims although he is been patient.
‘czu’s . energy (interlude . pt . 2)‘ starts with a more somber guitar riffs taking the semblance of an alt-pop song. This is the song that showcases Tonee C’s pop-rap sonic. The song share a thematic relation with ‘love . is . a . drug“. The artist sings about moving on from a relationship he had so many expectations about. ‘the . floating . world‘ and ‘bobby . it’s . okay‘ further highlights the artist’s goals. Although, the latter takes a large chunk of its lyrics from ‘s e l e n e‘.
Growth is an important aspect of every artist’s career. All over the tape, the growth from his previous tapes is so glaring. His flows, bars and songwriting has improved so much. This project comes after a lot of experimentations on other releases and it is so pleasing to see the end product all encapsulated in one body of work. The production is great on all tracks especially when the guitars were employed, it raised the appeal massively. The collaborators also had a wonderful cameo with top notch performances to match with Tonee C’s magical energy and performances. This is a solid tape if we are actually take Tonee C’s advice in the intro; have no expectations, just enjoy the good music. The pop-rap prodigy has unleashes himself.
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