On his new EP, Zed1st Establishes His Sonic Identity Beyond Reasonable Doubt And Thrives.
EP Opener, SEEK GOD is self explanatory and has Zed seeking the face of his maker in the heat of trials and tribulations. He melodic raps his way through the song, while also iterating that he would always rise to the occasion and deliver no matter how the odds are stacked against him. His melodies are a bit off, but it’s difficult to listen to this song and not get charmed by his energy.
His vocal performance is much better on JUNGLE and he mantains his rap cadence still. Zed highlights the fact that he’s from the jungle and that has forged him into a no-nonsense person who is laser focused on getting the money for him and his loved ones. The production is minimalistic and the drums, Afro-swing infused but it’s his charm that carries this song too.
SUGAR dials the tempo down a notch and Zed sings about a love interest that makes him feel all mushy inside and gives him a comforting solace. His lines here are some of the most cliche lines you’ll ever hear about love, but what is love if not cliche and sentimental. The production here remains in gear one and it’s a shame because a beat with more personality would have elevated this track.
We head back to Afro-Bashment territory on KRYPTONITE and the drums here pack a harder punch than the preceding tracks and it’s pixel clear that it’s this soundscape Zed thrives the most in, because the writing hardly gets any better here than it does on SUGAR, but his delivery is more layered and the raunchier, sexier twist to the song does give it a special flavor.
MINI SKIRT is an Afro-House bop with production that sounds of unsure itself and doesn’t get out of gear one. Zed isn’t so great on the song either and his vocal texture on the song sounds too eerily familiar to Rema’s, but without the melodic pathos to back it up. Nonetheless, it’s a decent song that has mainstream potential to do something if serviced well, as a result of House music thriving in the industry.
Zed1st’s HERE TO STAY is a strong display of talent and as a project that’s primed to introduce an artist to the world and establish him as a force to reckon with, it does quite well in highlighting his strengths as an artiste, even if there is glaringly room for improvement.
