Pherowshuz looks livid – if I had released one of the dopest rap EPs of 2015 The I Am Phero EP and people still didn’t give me my respect, I’d be mad too. But the veteran MC keeps coming with the “Fire” and takes us on a short trip down memory lane for those unfamiliar with his catalog, so let’s ride along with the great Phero.

Feeling good with MI on Illegal Music – Classic, Classic

On MI’s epic Illegal Music 1, Phero was featured on one of the standout tracks from the mixtape titled “Feeling Good”. The song takes pieces of Nina Simone’s oft-sampled classic tune of the same title, as both MCs trade stories about their blessings. It’s no surprise that Phero picked out this song, it introduced him to newer audiences at the time (2009), as so many were familiar with the rapper’s name but not necessarily with his music.

Then I teamed up with Rapman and did “Sample” – Classic, Classic

The combination of Phero and his partner in c-rhyme Terry tha Rapman is one of Nigerian hip-hop’s most potent partnerships. In a similar way to which Yung 6ix did with Mr. Eazi’s “Bankulize” and re-packaged the song for a hip-hop audience, the tag team put a hip-hop twist to Stereoman’s “Ekwe” in ’09 and profited off the popularity of the song. The song was placed on Terry’s Boyz Are Not Smiling album, this was at the time when #BANS tees were selling like pure water on a hot day in Maiduguri.

“Korrect” was an underground classic y’all – Classic

And now kinda like viruses in a school, I’m trying to make more than a class sick

Yes, the beat was a little rough around the edges but the song itself put doubts about whether the hard-spitting MC could make crossover records to bed. Phero released his debut album House of Rap Representiv’s in 2006. “Korrect” was released in ’08 and remixed much later but the fact that it remains one of the rapper’s most popular records in 2016 is a testament to how impactful the record was but also how unfortunate it is that the rest of his catalog has been overlooked.

Okay, enough of the reminiscing – the single “Fire” is the first off of Phero’s upcoming album TWA (Thoughts Words & Action) . There’s no release date for the record, so just enjoy this and any other single you hear before then.

Other notable quotables 

Sparks go fly, I’m shooting for the skies like I’m trying to leave marks in the sky

Give me the power, absolutely… You will need at least 21 guns to salute me