Victony has come a long way. From his subtle Hip-Hop and trap influences in the earlier phase of his career, to the full blown Afro-Pop star he has morphed into since the fatal accident that almost claimed his life. His mainstream breakout moment was undoubtedly on Mayorkun’s Holy Father, where he used his sultry vocal texture to serenade us with a chorus of the year contender, but despite being a competent vocalist—his voice hasn’t been the most impressive feature of his artistry. It’s definitely been his songwriting.
It’s quite easy to miss the depth of his lyrics and have them fly over their head, because they aren’t so disruptive to the song thematically that they stand out like a Lojay’s “Ass cheek Ballon D’or” line for example, but they are subtle nonetheless in their efficacy and quite impressive.
“Body dey draw me like Ogbono, body dey rise my tonono” he sings on Soweto, his biggest solo mainstream moment. The metaphor usage here is profound because it’s not only applicable at face or surface value. Yes Ogbono is a draw soup but it also tastes good and appeals to the senses. In this context, it’s appropriate because Victony’s love interest in question is also arousing his sensual senses.
“The outlaws don dey exalt me, the outdoors don dey exhaust me, and so I’ll rather just be by me” he sings on Outlaw, defining the parameters behind his self proclamation of being an outlaw. It’s no news that mainstream artists need to be accessible to a large extent and have extroverted lifestyles to garner momentum for themselves and even portray a friendly brand. Only a distinguished few can afford to be elusive and extremely private and get away with it. Victony hasn’t given that sort of impression though, but he is definitely alluding to the fact that he’s aspiring for that and isn’t someone that enjoys the innate pleasures of life on the fast lane.
The ability to say so much in very few words is an astute skill of songwriting that can’t be under emphasized. It’s one of the few elements that separates great songwriting from pure poetry, for instance. Yes, a lot of great songwriters and rappers are great poets but on a song, you’re within the confines of a time period, be it hook or verses—there is a limit and constraint to how much you can say, depending on the song structure. So conveying a lot of thoughts in little words in a succinct way is an impressive skill and one Victony definitely possesses.
“My salvation, reverend Father say e dey for your body oh” he sings on Apollo, the first single preceding the release of Outlaw. “If I go Kpai, my resurrection sef dey for your body oh.” With these lines, he aptly sums up the absolute control his love interest has over him and how she’s lord over his desires. “I no dey do say, I getti Medusa head oh, I still dey chase my daily bread.” The Medusa synonym on his Colors, Many Men performance could easily mean him attesting to the fact that he doesn’t have some magical edge to himself and he’s normal like everyone else, but it’s his drive instead that separated him.
It’s perhaps on Kolomental, that his pen is the most impressive in his pop discography, so far. “Make Ogbanje no use me test run, make potopoto no stain my cloth” he sings, offering prayers up on a subconscious level whilst affirming the magnitude of his musical prowess in the latter part of the chorus. “Home advantage every time i ball, cause na only Jah wey dey set my court” are the ensuing lines, reinforcing his earlier sentiment of prayers and even self exaltation.
With the deluxe of the Outlaw EP set to drop sometime later in the year, off the momentum that the recently released Soweto remix—featuring Don Toliver & Rema—is garnering currently, it’s not far fetched to imply that Victony would be stepping into a more important phase of his career, where he would need to bridge the gap between local appeal and global crossover aspirations, just like the rest of his peers. And what good luck he has to have good songwriting skill in his artillery to help execute that vision.
