‘YOUNG PREACHER’: The gospel according to Blaqbonez.

Music fans in Nigeria for a while have been saying “Hip-hop is dead!” And just when the chants were getting loud, Nigerian rapper Blaqbonez said, “Hold my mic!” After what could be seen as one of the most interesting album rollout in recent times, Blaqbonez dropped his sophomore studio album called ‘YOUNG PREACHER.’ Few hours after its release, netizens acknowledged the album living up to expectations, due to the puffery the Nigerian rapper singlehandedly created around it.

It’s only right we delve into the entire body of work with a track by track analysis.

Track 1 bears the same title as the album, ‘YOUNG PREACHER.’ It starts of with a smooth jazzy melody, made up of a cocktail of keys and a saxophone. From the very first bar, it’s quite evident Blaqbonez’ voice has matured tremendously. In that same breath, he recounts events from his escapades in the church, to his strenuous relationship with his dad, to where he desires to rank on the rap poll position.

The next song, ‘HOT BOY,’ is in two parts. First is dancehall heavy, and the second is a minimal Hip-hop instrumentation. On this particular record, we get an introduction to the Gospel according to Blaqbonez: a different philosophy, is it love or lust?

I feel ‘WHISTLE’ is a continuation of the first part of track 2. It carries the same thematic approach in terms of content and instrumentation. Lojay and Amaarae also understood the assignment perfectly.

Track 4, ‘FASHIONNOVA,’ is the felicitous definition of ‘short and sweet.’ I might be speaking for a lot when I say it’s easily a fan favorite. This should officially be the ‘Bad Bitch Anthem.’

Next up is the lead single that got everyone talking, ‘BACK IN UNI.’ The memeification of certain pop culture moments in recent times to make a music video was extremely genius. Maybe after music, Blaqbonez could look into PR and content marketing especially.

HIP-HOP IS ALIVE! I REPEAT, HIP-HOP IS STILL ALIVE! I understand the message on this particular song is an ode to all those ‘wey dey form packaging,’ but let’s not overlook the excellent nature of the beat, the sample, Blaqbonez’ delivery, Blxckie’s flow and Cheque’s melodies.

Can we talk about Tay Iwar’s range for a minute? The Tay Iwar who’s made appearances on Wizkid’s, and Tiwa Savage’s past projects is different from the one we are hearing on ‘RING RING.’ This specific record is the ‘sneaky link’ anthem, because nothing screams toxic than this song. As Blaq said on the chorus, “if you’re waiting for my text then you go die there.”

This entire project has shown Blaqbonez’ growth as an artiste, and that is especially evident on ‘LOYALTY.’ The confidence with which he performs the song is impressive. I also couldn’t help but notice the interpolation of Kent Jones’ ‘Don’t Mind.’ Track 9, ‘SHE LIKE IGBO,’ is structured like a skit. More than halfway through the album, it’s only right to take a little break from full length songs.

On ‘ESS MAMA,’ Blaq taps highly into the commercial side, and It’s no surprise he called on Tekno for assistance. Perfect club banger.

At this point, it seems there’s a run of commercial songs going on. ‘MAZOE’ feeds into the same theme as track 10. It’s also good introduction to the featured artistes, Takura and Bien from Sauti Sol.

Track 12 is titled ‘STAR LIFE.’ Ever heard that popular saying that goes, “it is lonely at the top”? Yes, that is what this song is. For someone who now has two number 1 albums in Nigeria and is regarded as one of the successful artistes, Blaqbonez is more than qualified to reiterate this philosophy. After all the cars, the accolades, the flashy things, the girls, the money; it gets lonely, sometimes. The question then is, how are you going to cope?

As the album is almost coming to an end, things are winding down a bit. On the penultimate song ‘BACK ON BS,’ we hear Blaqbonez imploring a former love interest to give the idea of them together another shot.

Now to the final song, ‘I’D BE WAITING.’ If at this point you’ve realized track 14 and track 1 have the same beat then kudos, if not, you’re welcome. It also confirms the idea that this album has a very high replay value; an unending presentation of sermons about a rapper’s life, money, success, lust, love, women and everything there is in-between.

‘YOUNG PREACHER’ is huge evidence that Blaqbonez has grown as a man and an artiste ever since he put out ‘Last Time Under.’ This project is he making a statement, when you take into account how all songs are titled in all caps. Make sure to check out the Gospel according to Blaqbonez, ‘YOUNG PREACHER.’