I remember it now. A straight-faced, light-skinned man emerging from the dark, with tattoos etched across his chest, a baseball bat hanging menacingly over his left shoulder and a neat six pack that had no hiding place on his slender frame. That was Phyno and the video was “Ghost Mode”.
His introduction to most of the country was with images like these and his music was equally dark and grimy. On “Ghost Mode”, for instance, the beast from the East was at his romantic best with sweet words like –
Same chic I used to tell – you look like Genevieve
Now looks in my face and asks – are you f*cking Genevieve?
Okay, I lied about the last part.
You see Phyno’s transition has been intriguing – from, at first, a producer and then an artist, to then an easy going, English-speaking rapper to a hardcore Igbo-spitting MC, and then from a hardcore MC to, well, a hip-hop/highlife artist. His last album Playmaker signalled Phyno’s last change, as the once hard-as-nails MC released sappy chic records like “Pino Pino”, “Financial Woman” and “Mistakes”. All three of those records have now become official singles, the videos for “Financial Woman” and “Mistakes” were released recently. “Financial Woman” was directed by Clarence Peters, “Mistakes” by Patrick Elis.
Financial Woman (ft. P Square)
Mistakes
“Financial Woman” takes a dig at a woman who didn’t see the potential in him and tried to come back when he made it; that story doesn’t have a happy ending. “Mistakes”, on the other hand, is a heartfelt apology in song form. Phyno has transgressed and pleads for his woman to take him back, after all he is just a man.
Fellas, if you’ve cheated on your girlfriend and she’s left you, play “Mistakes” for her. The better her Igbo, the greater your chances of getting her back. Valentine’s day is in exactly a week’s time, so Phyno’s timing couldn’t be better. If you want to get her back before then, you know what to do.