M.I Abaga proves with new album that, he is who he thinks he is; ‘The Guy!’

“Alhamdulillah, God is great I can’t lie,” because after 4 years there’s finally a solo album from M.I Abaga. After 4 albums, 5 mixtapes and 2 EPs, the self-proclaimed ‘Africa Rapper Number 1’ delivers his 5th studio album called ‘The Guy.’

The record went straight to number 1 on Apple Music Nigeria, while charting in 29 other countries within hours of its release. After 15 years of being in the rap game, one might think there’s nothing left to be desired by M.I Abaga, but he might beg to differ. Here’s a track by track review of his latest record.

The album titled single, ‘The Guy,’ which serves as the intro is a statement piece in itself. His ability to get his peers (Omar Sterling, Tiwa Savage, Ladipoe and Vector) to make guest appearances on the song to deliver ad-libs, as opposed to verses, shows M.I’s ascendancy in the game. He once again manifests his ability to make a lyrics laden song but at the same time, ‘commercial,’ as is evident on his first 2 albums.

Track 2 carries a similar theme as the intro. Upon first look, there’s the ‘article-noun’ naming structure, also, we hear a guest ad-lib from Naeto C. ‘The Hate’ has M.I questioning the animosity shown towards him sometimes. But should we surprised? No. Looking at what he’s been able to achieve, such is expected.

Now, in M.I’s own words, “this is history right here.” Who knew there would be a M.I, Olamide and Nas record in this lifetime? I don’t know if it is by design the track is titled ‘Bigger,’ because this is indeed a big record. Everything about this song is perfect, from the production, to M.I and Nas’ verses, then to Olamide’s hook flawlessly affixing the rap verses.

‘Soft Life Tony’ is a slapper, hands down. Extolling the accomplishments of Nigerian billionaire businessman and philanthropist Tony Elumelu, M.I and Lord Vino deliver some very aspirational lyrics on this.

M.I never loses his charm of making love songs that hit straight home. In April this year, he shared a video on social media of his engagement to his fiancee, which came as a surprise to many. ‘The Front Door’ is the first song on this album that makes us know that he’s deeply in love.  Echoing his romanticism from old records like ‘MI 2: The Movie,’ ‘Rendezvous’ and ‘A Study On Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl,’ it’s calming to note that M.I’s still got it. As a Ghanaian, I couldn’t help but notice Duncan Mighty’s Ghanaian reference of ‘Odo’ on the chorus too.

On track 6, ‘Crazy;’ the M.I from ‘A Study On Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl’ pops up briefly. At this point in his career, he’s mastered the skill of navigating social issues and providing appropriate discourse. This track is a good introduction to the featured artiste, Ossi Grace, who I look forward to hearing more from.

Can M.I and Wande Coal ever miss? Probably not. I didn’t forsee the legendary duo topping what they did on ‘Kososhi.’ And once again, M.I doesn’t hold back in letting us know that he’s in love.

Track 8, ‘The Inside,’ carries the same characteristics as the previous song. Same ‘article-noun’ naming structure and love theme. This time around, he taps into authentic Highlife melodies on a Masterkraft produced beat, assisted by Phyno and The Cavemen who deliver stellar verses.

On track 9 it looked like Thanos snapped his fingers to get M.I out of the love bubble he was locked in on the two previous songs. ‘Daddy’ featuring Chillz is wholly ‘pop-rap;’ made for the hot girls who want to shake their backside in the club, and the ballers who want to spray some cash and pop bottles.

‘Soldier’ on the other hand tackles a rather delicate social issue; toxic masculinity. The lyrics of the chorus:

“lift your head up soldier/

pick your head up solider, don’t cry/

lift your hеad soldier/

pick your head up solider, don’t cry”

sang beautifully by Tomi Owó, really characterizes how society for so long has frowned on men wearing their hearts on their sleeves. An extremely relatable and moving song that is.

For the penultimate song, there’s ‘Oil,’ which features BNXN (fka Buju). This is a top contender for fan favorite off the entire album. Sometimes as onlookers, it gets lost on us what very successful people like M.I have to go through to get where they are and maintain their spot. Faced with trials and tribulations ranging from betrayal, persecution, hardships to broken relationships, he still can’t forget to count his blessings and acknowledge the divine power at play.

Finally, ‘More Life.’ This song carries so much nostalgia. After a long time, there’s  that ‘Choc Boys’ reunion which still leaves more to be desired; I would’ve lost it totally if Brymo was on there. That would have been a perfect sequel to ‘Represent’ off ‘M.I 2: The Movie.’ Regardless of that fact, it’s still evident Ice Prince hasn’t lost his hit-making ability, while M.I and Jesse Jagz as always, channel their healthy blood rivalry into their penmanship and delivery.

‘The Guy’ is undoubtedly a feather in M.I Abaga’s cap. Absolutely what an album should be like, this body of work took a look at various themes like love, gratitude, rap supremacy, social conciousness and maturity. M.I Abaga being a 15-year rap vet and still on top of his game is something that can’t definitely go unnoticed, and this record makes known the certitude that M.I Abaga is actually who he thinks he is; ‘The Guy!’