Yemi sax, as he is called, is a Nigerian saxophonist. He is, without doubt, really good and arguably, one of Nigeria’s best.

I however can’t understand why he would do an album in such a silly way. So much skill, no creativity.

This is not so much a review. I am just expressing my curiosity. Why? Someone said he did it because he lacked musical education. I think it could have been a function of lack of respect for the art form. I mean, why take pains to be creative? Its not worth it. I’m assuming he must have thought along such lines. My skill can take me through.

Maybe I should do a review of some sort, its definitely not worth taking the pains to do a real review of the nineteen or so tracks.

If you are wondering which album, he’s got just one.

I mean, he couldn’t just take the pains! Ah! Why?!!! I really can’t believe it. I wish I could hear from the horse’s mouth. Can someone please ask Yemi for me; why?

If you are looking for a demonstration of plenty skill, no creativity; plenty saxophone pains, no production pains, then, the album is a must buy. Or at least, a must listen.

I’ve had this album on solid rotation for well over a month now and I’m still trying to wrap my head around why I’m just writing a review. To say I was eagerly anticipating this album is the understatement of the year and boy when I finally tore the wrapper of this gem, I was grinning ear to ear and practically shivering with excitement. Ill Bliss has such an intense focus and drive that it practically oozes out of his music. He is probably the only rapper who could stand toe to toe with elDee on business acumen and passion.

But I kept wondering, will that be adequate? Can he adapt to the new Nigerian hip-hop  scene? Will the album just be another typical “boom-bap” and irrelevant in today’s Nigerian (and truly even on the world hip-hop scene) ode to the old school?

He was (and according to gist has returned fully to being) the driving force behind The Thorobreds, who are according to reports, back together and currently in the studio recording a new album. I can’t compare Ill Bliss to any rapper currently living or dead because he stands out, with his painstakingly nurtured identity, so I’ll use his own words: “…I’m a hustler with mic skills…”

INTRO

Very “grand” intro and with a sample from one of hip hop’s living legends, I think it sets a nice tone for what to expect on the album. “In a league of my own, international but still locally known”

U GO WOUND

I’ve heard so many versions of this track including the Thorobred version which I thought was hotter than the version with Kel and Tha Suspeckt BUT I must say I still find myself impressed with a song that’s like almost a year old. Frenzy created a beast of a track and Ill Bliss tamed it. Full control. Never once let the beat overpower him. This is one of the best hip hop tracks ever made in Nigeria.

DAT IBO BOY

Another Frenzy production and after more than a year listening to this track it still grips me. “I’m what the games’ been missing, reason why your’ dough’s decreasing…”. Have I found my hip hop hero? hmm maybe… Listen, enjoy repeat till three thousand and 8. Its so unrepentantly and deliciously Nigerian, it really makes me proud.

ENUF SPACE (AIYE PO GAN)

You’ve got to give it to Ill Bliss, this track was very necessary knowing how Nigerians get all tribalistic for no good reason (not like any reason is good). The concept is simple, very well executed, the message timely. “Some say Ill bliss had a lot of guts (for Lagos?) Some say is the boy going nuts? Ibo people better than us? Never!, but you like the swagger, still a maga when I recite, but you can’t really bite..” This song is directed at all those “hip hop heads”. STFU there’s enough space for everyone, do your thing, I’ll do mine and don’t tell me its not hip hop. I concur and me likey very muchy!

GLORY

On first pass I detested this song and found myself getting pissed off that he wasted this genius beat from Wazbeat but I think this song requires a slightly different mind frame to understand. Ill Bliss has a very uncanny ability to read and use beats in unusual and refreshing ways. Most rappers would not have taken this approach but Ill Bliss did and made it work. The hook is quirky as all hell but its part of the charm of this song.

FEELING U

Yikes! Autotune… aw hell naw!! Its not exactly terrible, on the contrary I think the beat is one of the best on this album but autotune just rubs me the wrong way nowadays. What I’ll say is that this song just entrenches Ill Bliss’s creative talent and versatility. He is certainly doing his part in tearing down all the restrictive barriers that Nigerian hip hop artists have set for themselves.

TURN MY HEAD FT. WAJEH

The track has a very nice Nigerian reggae feel to it and I think the ladies will love this track… Wajeh does a great job as usual and when is her album coming out? Ill Bliss tells a nice story and he does know how to keep you engaged in his lyrics if you drop your preconceptions of what hip hop is or isn’t and just enjoy the music.

DON’T DIRTY MY SHIRT

Just a decent song, nobody is perfect. Next!

CURRENCY BOYS FT. ELDEE THE DON

Listen to this song on good speakers. The song is in the bass. You won’t get the song on your shitty ass computer speakers you need some powerful sub-woofers. I thought elDee was going to murder Ill Bliss on this track but man its a tough call… “rap Dangote, I go change your fortunes man” that’s a hot line in context. Man, I don’t know hip hop heads should love this song. This is one of those tracks that I’d love to hear more people use on mixtapes and such. And did Ikechuckwu just get called out? lol! Hmm “that other fake Ibo boy…” I know there was some shady stuff going on with “someone” trying to “acquire” the Ibo Boy image.

DA BOSS

I’ve learned not to underestimate Ill Bliss’s range and depth. Tha Suspeckt is on some weird ish on this track but it grows on you and (I hesitate to use this word, its really its embarrassing) is actually quite cute. There I said it. DNH. I think I’ve found my hero.

LEADER FT. DURELLA

First song that really disappointed me, Durella could have offered so much more on this track but instead just kind of ruins it in my opinion. However, this song is not really on the album for its strength, its a marketing tactic so I’ll just keep on moving. Next!

TOBECHUKWU

Oh shit! That classic sound. Sick beat. Just to let you know he still got it but before certain kinds of heads start getting too smug he drops this gem: “This is how hip-hop is supposed to sound. Underground, main stream, f*ck classifying it…” I agree boss. Elajoe is crazy for this one. What!!!

SIDE OF YOUR MOUTH

Hands down, I think this is my favorite track on the album. Most people might find this strange but I has a very Tupac meets Wu Tang Clan in 2009 feel. Just listen to the lyrics and soak up that ill beat. Just let it flow over you, don’t fight it. Ill Bliss switches his flow a little bit here and shows yet another dimension to his skill.

LIMELITE

Another song I didn’t like at first. It’s not a very typical song, even though it uses elements of the currently reigning formulas. Again his storytelling is quite engaging and compelling, I find myself getting sucked into his world and seeing things from his perspective. This is great music. I can feel it.

NATIONAL CAKE

Pure throw back track. Would have been sick to have Modenine or the other Thorobreds on this track! Oooh the possibilities. Jonah The Monarch did brilliantly with this beat, its very powerful and soaked in a painful emotion that Ill Bliss echoes. I think most Nigerians can relate to the content of this track on some level.

BLESSING

It’s not a bad track but no matter how I flip this track I just can’t get into it. Even Pype’s very well vocal’s couldn’t lift this track up for me.

LEAD THE WAY FT. C-MION

This is world class music with that mid to late 90’s feel. You know you can just imagine Puffy and Mase on this track and C-Mion is so on point with his singing it almost hurts. Damn. I’m getting all emotional here. I’m sure the ladies will love this track. Beautiful track. It’s simple, elegant, well written and executed. Micworks needs to be flogged for this track! Its like he’s cheating for Ill Bliss.

MUSIC NA HUSTLE

You would imagine that I’d not forgotten not to underestimate Ill Bliss right? Well I’ve been thoroughly disappointed by many Nigerian musicians in the past but Ill Bliss is in a class of his own. Genius on the mic, he has a knack for taking you to a familiar destination in a very different and unique way and this track is no exception. One of the best tracks on the album, from the beats to the delivery to the lyrical content, everything falls precisely in place. “No godfathers, all I need is God the father for my success…”. With a line like that how can you go wrong?

CHANGE

Does he ever stop? I know I’ve definitely found my hip hop hero. Listen. Listen well. Listen until it sinks in.

UWA AFUFU (LIFE)

Another classic beat from Jonah The Monarch on which Ill Bliss tells yet another well told and engaging story. I like this combination. It’s unbelievably getting boring how he seamlessly blends into every track so effortlessly.

OUTRO

Well done. It is a classic.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Dat Ibo Boy is a delightful offering from rapper Ill Bliss, that redefines all the parameters typically used to measure a hip-hop. There are no self-imposed boundaries here and Ill Bliss makes it very clear that he intends to keep his music that way. Lacking the raw lyricism of a Modenine or MI (and that’s not to say he can’t hold his own with the heavyweights as he proved on Currency Boys), he more than makes up for what ever he lacks in lyrical dexterity with a persistent and skillful simplicity and with a clarity of thought that keeps everyone on the same page with him. You never for once feel that he is doing anything you can’t do and there, in that complex simplicity, is part of the appeal that will keep Ill Bliss relevant for years to come.

There is no half-stepping on this album, when he commits to a track, he goes all out and doesn’t hold back. Even with the overused autotune on Feeling U, he somehow manages to keep it under control and not let it overshadow him or his message. There is also a very strong pride in both himself and his country that can only be achieved when a person is comfortable in their own skin and identity. There are no fake or forced accents here, no pretentious attitudes, no arrogance. Just a simple confidence in his ability and a very clear and intense focus throughout the album.

Ill Bliss also manages drops several hints about what his game plan is and if you listen carefully you’ll get the message. To him, this album is nothing more than a stepping stone and maybe a blueprint for what’s yet to come. He is not just a rapper, he is a force of nature. You can not and should not even attempt to define Ill Bliss as he somehow manages to shatter all expectations and perceived limitations you place on him or his music. “This is chop music, music wey dey bring bread.”

Ill Bliss’s biggest strength and simultaneously his greatest weakness, is that he is so intelligent and skillful that he makes it all look too easy. So easy that people, including myself, tend to underrate him. He has with this album, sealed his place as my hip-hop hero. He is the vanguard in the struggle to define what it means to be a contemporary Nigerian rapper; boldly going where no man has gone before and making it work.

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS

U GO WOUND, DAT IBO BOY, TOBECHUKWU, AIYE PO GAN, SIDE OF YOUR MOUTH, LEAD THE WAY, MUSIC NA HUSTLE, GLORY

I’ve been looking forward to this mixtape for a while and I gotta give props to M.I. as he really seems to understand what the game needs.  This mixtape couldn’t have come at a better time and where the hell are all the other mixtapes? Rappers need to be prolific with it. Fans don’t like to wait two years for their favorite rappers to drop an album. We need more collabos, more mixtapes like this… Bring the excitement, the drama!

Illegal Music doesn’t disappoint on any level. The samples are  crazy, the flows are inzain. I just keep wondering, with material like this on a free mixtape, I’m practically biting my nails in anticipation of his next album. The saddest thing to me is that this mixtape in terms of content, production, creativity, lyricism and practically every benchmark you could think of is way ahead of the “albums” that a lot of cats put out.  The bar has been raised. Who’s gonna step up?

Apart from Modenine (who has actually dropped 2 mixtapes) and M.I. has any other rapper dropped a mixtape? We really need more of this in the industry and not just from the rappers, the DJ’s like Jimmy Jat need to be more prolific, lets get more freestyles going, some real battles you know (not the one sided flogging  Modenine gave Rugged Man), lets see more of those ill collabo’s and a lot more concept projects between rappers and producers like Nigel Ben’s Kraftwork: The Soul Edition.

If you haven’t got it yet pop on over to NotJustOk. You’ll be glad you did.

I think Hip Hop is overrated now adays… Theres just too much of all that “commercial” versus “true school” and way too much emphasis is being placed on being “real” (whatever the hell that really means) that to me it seems a lot of folks, miss the point entirely.

I just saw this comic called the Hip Hop Chronicles. I’m not going to talk about the comic itself, I’ll leave that to people like Spaceboy. An aside, the comic industry in Nigeria really seems to be booming right? Anyway what stood out to me while reading the comic was  the direct reference to Idris Abdulkareem and how he was supposedly ruining hip hop.

My take on that is that music as a whole is nothing more than a form of entertainment. Yes, music can take you places, expand your mind, teach you new things. Hell, some people claim to have reached enlightenment from listening to music. Cool.  But the fact remains that music that does not entertain is worthless. End of story. It doesn’t matter how “deep” it is, or how many metaphors are used, or how lyrical the artist is.

So who exactly gets to judge what “real” hip hop is? How exactly do you rate music that thugs with nothing relate to? Who honestly is the better musician, Idris Abdulkareem or Sauce Kid? Rugged Man or Modenine? MI or Eldee? Don’t read to much into the particular comparisons I used, read carefully, I said “better musician“.

Its pretty clear I think, who the better MC’s are but who has touched more people? Affected more lives? Positively or negatively? Who has directly or indirectly contributed the most to Nigerian Hip Hop? Who has helped to grow the industry? And most importantly who entertains the most and widest variety people?

This is going to sound extremely hippy and shit but honestly there is a beauty in all forms of expression.  Its all about how you as an individual perceive it.

Live and let live.

Ps. I really am a nice person…

Why is this guy so cool? Damn I know its not really him but its like everything around him or about him is just super cool. Peep the video after the jump for an interpretation of Obama’s State of the Union address in Hip Hop form.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcuXV99asO8

I’m just trying to imagine someone doing a video like this for Yar’adua or Obasanjo or maybe even Fashola… Can you see it? hmm?