One of the few artists that knows how to put in the work is Blaqbonez. He’s one of Nigeria’s rappers that puts in the works, as well as is aware of how incredibly talented he is. What a troll would not do, is to whitewash his artistry, and call his music subpar.
One notable thing about this rapper’s music is that it’s well resonated in every gen-Z’s mind, with an inclusive tagline of millennials. What’s to hate about the artist’s music? Is it his marketing structure, or how melodious his music is, so you never fail to recognize a line or two when on full blast.
Whatever wave Blaqbonez is on, we definitely need to be on it too. The artist does whatever he wants to, and moves at his own pace— truthfully, it’s like he’s unaware of his counterparts presence, and is moving on an entirely different trajectory.
In 2021, Blaqbonez released Sex Over Love, his debut album, that was surrounded with a lot of complimentary noise, one that marked the beginning of his greatness. It is worth noting that the artist has successfully built his career on the grounds of anti-romance and an alluring sense of independent intimacy. Having built his debut around that, with the album’s title well explanatory, the rapper moved into 2022 with his sophomore, Young Preacher.
The same impeccable record he was able to achieve with Sex Over Love, was what Blaqbonez replicated on Young Preacher. Thought he was done? The artist has capped his catalog with a resounding third album, Emeka Must Shine.
This writer believes that each album is penned and coined from a point of his emotive feeling at the moment. From crooning on Sex Over Love and his stance on being against love, to acting as a self imposed preacher on the gospel of anti-love; Blaqbonez has tilted to revealing his affirmation of being a fulfilled artist, hence the Emeka Must Shine title.
As much as one would attempt to paint Blaqbonez in an image that depicts unseriousness, playfulness as well as cheesy, there is the undeniable streak of intentionality as well as strategic commitment the artist puts into his music. It’s as though he understands the demands of the Nigerian music industry and is willing to do what is necessary to make his impact. Else, why would an artist put up such a brilliant consistency in his music, and produce at least one anthem for each passing year since his entrance into the music scene?
Here’s the first hint to knowing how Blaqbonez aced his very recent album — playing with beats and instrumentals on the intro of Emeka Must Shine, and replicating same mastery on the fifth track, both answerable to different track names. Road Runners featuring Black Sheriff and Nyem Ego featuring Jeriq.
Whilst he maintains the same chorus on both songs, Blaqbonez displays utmost talent by delving from two entirely different genres, reigning supreme in highlife under Nyem Ego. As a sound with high replay value, Jeriq as a featured artist is indeed a perfect match for the track, given how he seamlessly creates unforgettable lyrics, that aren’t only addictive, but as well alluring. “Nyemu the ego, Blaq shoki the shoki“, Jeriq coyly croons.
What’s a Blaqbonez album without having to express his adoration for women and his profound passion for having to do anything to have a woman— when he melodiously twists and turns expressively in 6 Business Days, featuring Projexx. He attempts same feat in tracks such as Naija Shawty featuring Victony, Cinderella Girl, Kilo, amongst other tracks following same patterns.
As with every typical Nigerian artist, Blaqbonez’s Emeka Must Shine is packed with a certain arrangement— it’s as though a group of songs displays a certain theme, such as the likes of No Sleep, Bezos, Dollarzx Masquerade; they’re expressively clear in sending forth the message of the rapper’s determination in his pursuit for achievement as well as success. His lyrics even implies at some point, how his account can never read at zero; such profound confidence.
If there’s anything Blaqbonez most certainly aced with his third project, is the perfection of artists that collaborated on the album. The artist has never faltered with his intentional features in his album, and it’s as though every featured artist is predestined to turn out evenly well. Such as the appearance of Zlatan on Bad Till Eternity, or Young John on No Sleep— one cannot imagine another artist hopping on the likes of these tracks, because the featured artists leave no room whatsoever for doubt, or subpar performances.
There is the assumption that a third project ace is every Nigerian artist’s identification of his thrive in the music industry, and it is well evident that Blaqbonez has gotten to that very stage. Where his music has an undeniable approach, where it’s very sadistic how one might dismiss his music. The artist’s sound is particularly peculiar, alongside the inclusion of how flexibly stylish his hip-hop sound is. There is no need boxing Blaqbonez into a confined space, with how provenly talented he is, making the most of his sound, as well as infusing various styles with his uniqueness.
Blaqbonez’s Emeka Must Shine is a definitive smash, that leads you into each following tracks, showing how addictive they are. The artist didn’t have to do too much for you to approve of the album, a bit intentionality with the intro, and the right build up was all the artist needed to do.
One might assume that Emeka Must Shine is just another Blaqbonez’s album, whereas it’s actually a decree of the artist stepping into his golden era, one of recognition and eventual acceptance.
Leave a Reply