ALBUM REVIEW: JESSE JAGZ'S HERETICAL "THY NATION COME"

Thy Nation Come album cover (Jagz Nation)

Those looking for full-on raps from start to finish will be thrown several curves on Thy Nation Come.  The Jos artist and producer is defiantly heretic. Those of you with a little rebel in you should pop it on full volume and close your eyes. Musically, Thy Nation Come is avant garde- fascinating and very powerful.  Jesse Jagz created this record with love and as far as he is concerned, critics can go to hell. The album creates a new era of thinking and challenges the whole industrial Nigerian hip pop. The production is head-spinning with plenty of romance with reggae.

Thy Nation Come is the sound of a man just doing what he loves without no boundaries. Jesse Jags  intent arrives on the third song, during a song called “Bed Roses.”  It involves two quotes: “If you want to give birth to stars, start fucking the sky” and “there is no bitching around when I’m feeling forsaken.” The line are used by Jagz to say if “I’m gonna reach a bill, take a different route.” He is creating a class for himself.  He continues to rap on that song “Now this is how we r gonna determine the best.J town flow until infinity yes.”

What is new is his disregard for conventional rap. The best of them, “Desire” is a rhythmic aggressive jam, very potent yet commercial. Being a Jesse Jags product, TNC is a brilliant career re-birth. Every single track has a maximum impact with Jag’s lyrics focused and articulate.  On "Mamacita", a mid-tempo jam with a chorus for the ladies he say “my music is the definition of what brilliance is.”

TNC weighs a ton and full of  mouthiness as Jesse rap on “God on the Mic”: “I’m the rod that will strike/Make way for the god on the mic/His sword is full of light”. The feeling and lyrics on this song is jarring and the production is rich as ever.  Jesse embodies extraterrestrial and sounds poetic and revengeful with “Fallen from the sky like a discuss, a god has fallen from Olympus.” “God on The Mic" is elegant hip pop delivery and very impressive. “Steady Going” is another song where Jagz show how comfortable he is with his craft and the vibe is super-chill. You will definitely “Get around.”

The guest appearances don’t come until the second half of the album. The most impressive are with 9ice and Brymo. The former gives a nostalgic feeling about how a brilliant artist he could be considering the below par outings he has had in the last 6 months.  9ice and Brymo’s cliché produce two outstanding records on the album. The collaborations are an inventive kick in the head that reach beyond the norm.

Listening to the album in one sitting is a gripping experience and truly is unlike anything else. Cohesion and audacious intent are at a finest on Thy Nation Come. Each song is cautiously created and bolted into its right place across the album. Jesse jagz deliveres a monster and we all have to deal with it now. Thy Nation Come is a multi-layered body of work that definitely be debated all summer.   

ALBUM REVIEW: WAJE ARRIVES ON W.A.J.E

Waje is one of those singers so gifted, she often sounds like she’s laces her voice on any beat without breaking a sweat. After six years of carefully creating her niche, Waje has finally arrived with her debut album. She is often touted as one of Nigerian best vocalists and now we can measure that claim by Words Aren’t Just Enough (Waje Music Entertainment).

She has in the past flirted electro pop R&B production and it wasn’t a surprise she opened up her album in a comfortable zone. Songs such as "Ijeoma", "Fine Girl", and "No Tomorrow" showcases her mastering of this genre. Continuing with the R&B theme, Waje experiments with Reggae on “I Wish”. The song is a moment of vulnerability as Waje reflects on being a victim of nonreciprocal love and she wishes “she had not heart.”

 What seems to be a subliminal purpose of the record is to elevate herself from the level of her contemporaries; Waje delivers her best vocal performance on “No Be U”. This song is a blueprint in understanding how gifted and passionate she is about her work. It has a potential to be one of her biggest songs if properly promoted as a single. It is a masterfully crafted love song.

 Waje wants to be taken as a serious artist, she played to her are strength and the results are impressive. In order to avoid the long shadows of big names, she only features a handful artists; MI, Tiwa Savage, J.Martins, Sarkodie, Eva, Phyno and Burna Boy. Needless to say, her effort with M.I and Burna Boy stands out the most. Waje and M.I chemistry is written in the stars- "Only You" is another huge single.

Besides being solidly built and not overstuffed at 14 tracks long, the album triumphs by not overly experimenting. She doesn’t fall into the trap of having very song she recorded on the album like most albums these days. The album is consciously R&B and Female power driven. On "Fine Girl" she sings “cos I am grown. I hustle…diva toh bad.” Waje goes inspirational on "Ijeoma" with “ you’ve got to work to grow and the road can be rough.”

 Many artists are afraid to grow and get complacent. This isn’t the case with Waje. She worked with an established and upcoming range of producers Del B, Spelz, Ekely,Sizzle Pro, Cobhams Asuquo, Leriq , M.I, who all bring their cliché to bear- producing a solid album instead of a quickie. The result is a brilliant debut project that shows maturity and professionalism. Words Aren’t Just Enough is definitely not the average album. Waje has proven she can be a strong vocalist, a lyricist and an entertainer. With her almost perfect vocal abilities with polished production, W.A.J.E sees Waje inching towards Nigerian R&B upper echelon, while still exhibiting the hunger of a single album artiste.

#occupyNigeria

Since the protest against the removal of oil subsidy began last week, a few artists have released theme songs for the movenment. My two favorites are eedris' Jaga Jaga 2 and tha Suspect's SUBsidy(freestyle).






God Bless Nigeria and those fighting for better days!

Who Born the Maga? Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala with Al Jazeera

The finance minister in this interview mentions the areas in which the money to be saved from the subsidy removal will be invested in. Questions I keep asking myself after watching this interview are, isnt any other area of government where the federal governments can make cuts to provide funds for road construction and reduction of maternal mortality> Doesnt our federal government know about collective sacrifice? How can a reasonable government claim to be helping the people be hurting them in the process?

This is the interview.


courtesy: Youtube & Al Jazeera

I think the lady should have asked her tougher questions.

Who Born the Maga? Nigeria Fuel Subsidy Removal

For many years, Nigerians have put up with a government that is so indifferent and unsympathetic to the harsh reality of its people.  In a time when the global economy is just recovery from a recession, the PDP led government just yesterday decided to stop government oil subsidy.  It is wrong and doesn’t make any sense. It is a reflection of the greed and irresponsibility of a few.  It is unfair to hard working Nigerians who are responsible and do their fair share. There has been a debate to restore growth, prosperity and fairness in this country but this isn’t the way to do it. This isn’t the way to repay Nigerians. This isn’t what Nigerians need at this point in time. It is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and for all those who are fighting to get into the middle class.

What's at stake is whether Nigeria will be a country where working people can afford to raise a family, build a modest savings, own a home, secure their retirement. We can no longer live in a country where a very few live in excessive abundance by amassing public fund.  There is class warfare in Nigeria and the rich and prosperous are clearly winning. Nigeria is blessed to have the hardest working people on the surface of the earth.  But every day the spirit and strength of so many is tested by a few.  Hard work seems not to pay off and fewer and fewer families can truly be proud of their country. We have to do something about this.

There is a time for everything, a time to pray and preach and a time for campaign and election but those times have passed away. There is a time to remind our elected officials why they are in office, and that time is now. It is time for them to roll up their sleeves and help the Nigerian people. How we got here is a story we all know too well. We cannot continue to wait and suffer while the National Assembly with the president makes anti-people decisions.  In this time when families across the country have to make tough decisions about their expenditure- making decisions between sending their children to better schools and or buying enough food- the last thing the Nigerian people need is for the folks in Abuja to cancel oil subsidy.  

Nigeria dependence on petroleum products has sky rocketed since independence. It is unprecedented and a national disgrace.  In a time where other countries in the world are looking to the future and investing in alternative energy, the National Assembly and the president are yet wake up to reality. Since the government has failed to develop affordable alternative to automobile transportation, the Nigerian people have an unending demand for petrol and diesel. Since the government has failed to provide uninterrupted power supply, the Nigerian people have to fill up electric generators for business and personal use. Our economy relies on oil products.  And to prove its utter disregard to the yearning of the people who elected them into office, the Aso rock has made it difficult for these products to be purchased. It makes no sense, it doesn’t help the economy and it hurts Nigerians.

The removal of oil subsidy amounts to additional 76 naira for very liter.  It maybe that the folks in Aso rock think 76 bucks isn’t a lot of money but to the hard working Nigerian people, 76 bucks can make all the difference in the world.  This is the kind of situation that makes Nigerians frustrated about the federal government. This is it exactly; an unsympathetic and callous government.

                     
The issue right now is this; time has ran out, they have tested our patience enough, the clock is no longer ticking. And if the executive and legislative branches of government refuse to do their job, we the people will remind them who this country belongs to. I saw today that many Nigerians have taken to the streets to show their dissatisfaction and have their voices heard.  For the sake of clarity: this isn’t a game and this isn’t politics as usual.  Right now, the movement is small, but it is moving in the right direction. The subsidy removal will have effects not just on families but on the economy as a whole.  It is unfair to an average family who doesn’t have an extra 76 bucks to lose.

It is unfair for a small business who can’t afford to spend extra 76 bucks on every liter to power the generator. It is unfair to the millions of Nigerians who will take the hit when the prices of commodities start to triple.  The livelihood of the millions of Nigerians is bigger than the personal interest of those in Abuja. And they need to learn that there are people counting on them to make their lives just a little bit easier, a country where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded.  They owe it to us to do the right thing. That is what the leading nations of the world are doing.  We need our leaders to do the same. We are tired and weary of an unsympathetic and callous government.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

cLOVEr: VGBG

Cheers to the weekend! It doesn't matter if you are a nerd, party girl, from Timbuktu or Tokyo, black or yellow I think very girl deserves a Very Good Bad Guy. So ladies unless you already have a VGBG bagged please start texting and calling (i hope my number is in your contact list :p) its never too late. Enjoy.








#teamnodulling. Y'all have a eventful weekend.

Big Blast, Bloody Bath

Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress? If by now you have no idea about the bombings in Nigeria, it means you live under a rock. I thought it was high time I gave my spiel about everything. A lot of the bombings have been claimed by Boko Haram. The group has claimed 14 attacks so far this year. I am not a nah sayer that the group doesnt not exist. My concern is how much is Boko Haram actually responsible for.

Remember December, 2009 and Mutallab? Nigerians were so outspoken, in total disgust and disbelieve a Nigerian would be a role player in such a despicable act. Now fast forward to fall of last year independence celebration and the months preceding the elections, everything in between is a dark history that has become our reality.

It seems killing innocent lives and putting the fragile security of the nation in jeopardy is the new political weapon. Some disgruntled politicians believe to undermine the current administration capabilities ( which is no doubt questionable) is to be a threat to our security. This is unfortunate and pathetic.  Whatever their repulsive plans are, its definitely not for our good. This is not the way democracy ought to be. It was not designed to kill its people.  I hope the madness stops before it gets out of control.

We celebrated another anniversary this Saturday and people's anxiety could be felt. The uncertainty the bombings have caused is unfair and barbaric. Even if it were for a noble cause, killing of innocent lives and depriving families and children their dreams and opportunities should not be the price. It is wrong. May God of creation direct our noble cause and Guide our leaders right.