“M.I is performing, it’s a surprise.” That information passed to me by Honour was enough for me to slow my roll and halt my departure at Show Dem Camp’s Palmwine Music Festival late last year. It was already past 10pm, for a guy staying on the mainland, waiting in anticipation of an M.I performance on the other side of town was huge risk – one that paid huge dividends because the show was a literal bang. I wasn’t the least bit prepared for the detour, but the universe provided a solid plan B and I ended up staying till the end.
At that point in the festival, Funbi was on stage and he held the gaze of every female fan. I like Funbi’s voice and his music, but I obviously wasn’t the target audience for his set-list until he brought Poe out to join him on stage. With a little grin on his face, Poe came on stage to moderate applause. But the grin he flashed disappeared in a matter of seconds, replaced by a disarming vigour, Poe set to the task of performing the primary duty of an MC – move the crowd.
Funbi x Poe (by Manny Jefferson)
Urging the crowd to sing with Funbi on the hook of “Adore Her” – the duo’s ageless love song from the cult classic The Collectiv3, the energy Poe came up with was unprecedented and the crowd obliged his requests. It was my first time seeing the rapper in a live setting and I was caught by surprise, and so were many others. By the time he delved into his verses, he gave each word a biting energy that you couldn’t ignore, turning a honeyed song into an undeniable declaration. He motioned with his hands, and the well-oiled band acquiesced, giving funky breaks and a different feel (as they did throughout the night) to a normally smoothed out track.
People weren’t going gung-ho throughout Poe’s set, but all eyes were fixed on him and swaying to the complimentary groove from the backing band. He asked the crowd to clap and create the tempo for his verse off Falz’ “Chardonnay Music” and it was impossible to not follow instructions, he repeatedly asked if the crowd were down during his performance of “Are You Down” and nods of approval were visible. With every uttered line and every spirited move, the lights in the arena seemed to get brighter off Poe’s energy, even the drummer broke his sticks trying to match it.
Personally I was stunned because I didn’t expect such a wholesome, powerful performance from a rapper who I inferred would wield coolness as his persona, based off the near-lilting flow he usually uses on his raps. It was a case of expecting a water bender and getting a fire-bender who basked in the heat he dissipated.
Standing beside me, fellow FilterFree scribe Ehis made a comment that stuck with me; “this guy shouldn’t stop rapping, he’s on the last line of Naija hip-hop.” Ehis’ statement highlighted the need for rap music to become dominant on the mainstream, with Poe being its ideal purveyor.
With major co-signs from rap veterans (including show headliners, Show Dem Camp and surprise performer, M.I), a horde of stellar guest verses and impressive loosie singles showcasing his monstrous talent, Poe has been touted as ‘next up’ for a while now. If there ever is a time this prophesy need be fulfilled, 2018 is it.
In a very surprising move, Don Jazzy announced the signing of Poe to Supreme Mavin Dynasty in February 2017. Being a label fully grounded in making and pushing out pop music, and Don Jazzy’s penchant for turning rappers into singers, there were questions about the artist-label fit – was Poe going to be a lyrical mavin or another statistic to add to the T-Pain list?
Aware of the questions raised, Poe addressed the concerns with “Man Already” – his first official single under SMD. Reiterating his aim to continue keeping it 100 as a rapper bookended by clever brag lines and production grounded in hip-hop’s zeitgeist – a speedy trap beat that thumps like it’s trying to take down the wall of Jericho, Poe slightly rested the conversations.
Critically, “Man Already” is a perfect foot to start on, with the makings of a hit single – repetitive hook and a great beat – but it ended up being commercially disappointing (the video racked less than 30k views on YouTube). Not every artist gets the ball rolling rapidly on first try, and with Nigerians’ shaky relationship with rap music, Poe needs the elusive oomph that has folded many rap careers and redirected others permanently.
While he’s stated his current resolve to expand his musical sights, Poe primarily raps and a quick trip down his catalogue of singles show that he is adroit at working with aesthetics tilted towards mainstream acceptance. This ability is (sorta) displayed with the release of “Are You Down” as Poe’s second official single, an obvious crossover attempt. The Don Jazzy-produced track is a radio-ready single, significantly smoother than its predecessor, placing a lot of priority on the vibe of the song. While it doesn’t contain top notch lyricism, a simple song structure with freewheeling lyrics and Tiwa Savage’s contained but well-used feature achieves the song’s pop-rap idea.
I wasn’t exactly enamoured by the “Are You Down” upon release, but my position changed during Poe’s dazzling performance at the Palmwine music fest. Great live performances have the ability to change your stance on a song, especially when the dimension of the song is represented and given more juice – which is what Poe did excellently. The song’s ‘cheesyness’ did not bother me as I sang along with hook, and revisiting the song hours later gave me a realigned perspective with which the record was created and should be accepted.
Asides the fact that Poe as an SMD signee is an investment that is expected to bring in revenue, the rapper himself seems also determined to consolidate on his current fanbase and improve on the numbers and inherently the odds of his success. Being malleable with his musical choices for wider appeal is expected, but it’s also a tightrope walk that older fans can only hope doesn’t wear out Poe’s original identity as a great rapper. If it takes a couple of songs in the same vein as “Are You Down” to capture a sizable audience, I don’t mind.
Although, he’s in a dicey position, Poe’s situation isn’t exactly peculiar. There have been a few musical comparisons with American hip-hop superstar J. Cole, but the parallels don’t stop at the music if you consider Cole’s label situation at his nascent stage. “Work Out”, J. Cole’s official debut single isn’t considered his best work, but it achieved the aim it was created for – a radio ready single to push Cole into the mainstream. These days, J. Cole has the creative license to make rap music as he deems fit and release it to plenty fanfare without the need for a big poppy single. Poe might be adopting the same strategy, we only hope it works.
Anyone who’s listened to Poe’s music pre-record deal knows he’s capable of creating rap music with a cerebral DNA. Just like the artist himself, many insiders know Poe is the man already, but the gospel of “Lifelines” needs more followers.
It is 2018, rap music isn’t the most lucrative style of music to make in Nigeria these days. The genre needs an incredible talent (not related to Jesse Jagz) to propel an upward movement, a leader of a new wave and Poe is the most viable answer at the moment.