“Poe’s next up though, trust me. That’s who the torch is with,” Show Dem Camp’s Tec gleefully proclaimed in the dying minutes of the “Intro” to Clone Wars 3. It’s been over 18months since, and Tec’s prophecy is yet to manifest itself. In that timeframe, though, Poe got tapped by Don Jazzy, becoming the first rapper to join the legendary producer’s Mavin imprint.
Since getting signed, two official singles, the thumping “Man Already” and the radio-ready, Tiwa Savage assisted “Are You Down,” have been released, along with a grip of covers and freestyles. For a notoriously unprolific artist like Poe, it’s been business as usual even with the backing of a relatively dominant record label.
Anyone who’s followed Poe since his explosive, breakout verse on “Victoria Island of Broken Dreams,” off Show Dem Camp’s 2010 Clone Wars, Vol. 1 mixtape, can attest to the level of skill he’s constantly shown on his multiple but sporadic appearances. From being a well versed lady’s man (“Adore You” with Funbi off The Collectiv3 LP) to grabbing displays of introspection (“More to Life” with Ikon and SDC) and stunning lyrical showoffs (“Ko Ye Won”), there’s evidence of a rapper with a deep arsenal and hints at an artist tilted toward dynamism. But a full assessment is impossible without an actual body of work.
Earlier this year, I wrote about the immense amount of expectations surrounding Poe – he’s been around since the turn of the decade, but he’s stayed at hot prospect level ever since. There’s no better time than now for Poe to fulfill the promise he’s flashed around and bring tangibility to Tec’s words.
Today finally sees the release of Poe’s debut album, Talk About Poe. (By the way, 10 original songs is an album, guys.) Considering how long it’s taken, it’s an achievement that TAP, the mythical tag Poe’s been throwing around for a while, has finally been liberated. After all the wait, though, what really matters is the quality of the music.
For something I’d say is long overdue, Poe needs to make a defining statement with TAP. It doesn’t need to be grand, but it must be impressionable. Excitement and curiosity built up, deflating it with average music is not an option. Enough of the preamble, we’ve been waiting for Poe’s album for eons. Like a wise man once said, Let’s get ready to rumble!
From here on, everything you’re going to read is my gut reaction to each song. No pauses, no rewinds and no skips.
Intro
29 minutes? Poe doesn’t love us. Is today his birthday? Gotta check.
Voices (f/ Efya)
Efya the neo-soul angel. This beautiful crooning is a reminder that Janesis is a fantastic album, and I should revisit soon. Poe sounds very at home over this funk-lite guitar riff. Shit! There are these lively drums that kicked in some seconds ago, and Poe is drawing energy from it like Superman traveling to the sun for a recharge. There’s unmistakable poise in his voice. This Efya hook is really gorgeous. Yep, this is how to start a long overdue album, weigh those choices, man. I like that well-taken penalty line, giggled remembering John Terry’s legendary miss a decade ago. Chiagoziem and Ehis should be proud of me right now, haha. I need production credits, this is a fantastic beat. These drums are like getting punched in the eardrums by AJ Wilder. Great intro. Voicemail from a fan, definitely an older person, suspecting it’s Poe’s mum.
Double Homicide (Interlude) [f/ Ghost]
Heard the snippet/freestyle of this when it dropped, interested in hearing this one. This is a loose flow, but Poe does sound focused. “I don’t have to qualify the rappers that I nullify,” talk your shit, young man. Ghost always sounds like the boogeyman. Yep. He brought the grim reaper’s sickle to this. Haha, that’s the best vampire line I’ve heard in a minute. “The flow is so vivid/ it should be a folklore.” Nice. Solid record.
Red Light (f/ Seyi Shay)
Strobe light keys, I’m guessing potential club record. This is about to be a very corny song, I can tell from the lax flow Poe is toting. Girls will be IJGB boyfriends finna be triggered. The “Ragga Ragga”-esque hook by Seyi Shay. This woman was (read: is, but don’t tell anybody) my crush, take a number behind me in the queue. Second verse already sounds better than the first. Skirts >>>. Poe knows that, and I respect him for that even if he’s carnal about it. Shout-out to Snapchat, I heard things happen on that app. I should get an account, but I’ll probably follow Seyi Shay only.
One Step Closer (f/ Funbi)
90s R&B keys. Spax tag. This is late night music, what you’d definitely expect from a Poe-Funbi collab. The only duo better and more prolific is Beans and bread, argue with your phone. Complicated relationships went with 2017, so I’m not on the same wavelength with this Poe verse, but I catch the drift. Cotton candy has nothing on Funbi’s voice. Somehow, I’ve heard this song 70 times from Poe and Funbi, but it still sounds fresh. Poe’s rapping has flowery tinges, as should be. Don’t invite Funbi to perform at your wedding, unless you’re good with potentially losing your wife. Another good record.
Falling (f/ Tems)
It’s been rather mellow since “Double Homicide,” and I don’t see it changing here. Ladies always doubting the nice guy is a little funny, but whatever. I like this afro swing, Caribbean vibe on Poe’s voice, he sounds quite good. Who’s Tems? Why haven’t I heard of her before now? I really like her voice, it’s syrupy. How many relationships has Poe been in? “Sometimes falling is the biggest step we ever take” is a line that would make Wale blush with envy. There’s clear J Hus influences here, which is a good thing since Hus makes great music. Tems bodied this song!
Mood
Keys. Very light keys. Bankyondbeatz is a fantastic and underappreciated producer. Help your life and listen to Fuego Senoras. The beat buildup is nice. Poe is tripping over genre stereotypes. Haha, Poe recorded this while high, can’t tell me different. Well, Poe, you’ve been semi Frank Ocean-ing guys for about 8 years now. Production deserves accolades. Somehow, Poe is in his feelings but he’s still exalting himself. Sounds exactly like being inebriated and/or high. The flow switch up in this third verse is tighter than a tie knot, it’s like he swapped batteries mid-flow. I usually don’t like hooks explaining things, but the fact that I believe Poe was heavily faded while recording this makes this good enough for me.
Win Win
Sinister buildup, needs a Leviathan drop. Creaky snares and a good drop. “Win Win” would fit into Blaqbonez’s Bad Boy Blaq without any issues. “Kanye went crazy” made me chuckle. This sounds like Poe got into the booth and freestyled this, there’s no way he wrote: “on gen, of course.” Even at his murkiest, Poe runs into some profound thoughts, LOL. This hook is extremely lazy, probably why it won’t stick. Steam picked up on the second verse. “Life is short, but we Al want more life after that.” Shout-out to Poe’s weed dealer, I’m crying and cringing. Wait, is Poe cribbing this flow from Shakez’ “Sauce”? Nah fam, this ain’t it. This is blatant filler, and I’m a little riled up.
Hello Goodbye (f/ Sir Dauda)
Hope this better. Spax, please help! Groovy production is always a winner. Another relationship-themed record. I’m not mad, it’s right up Poe’s alley. Familiarity isn’t tainting the genuineness in this first verse, it sounds slightly engrossing if you ask me. Spax is a grade A music assembler, can’t wait for Palmwine Music 2. On the right beats, Sir Dauda spills magic from his rather plaintive voice. Like those horn inflections. The second verse is somehow better than the first. “Goodbye is how we greet/before we have a chance to say hello.” Fam, the only Nigeria based rapper that should be working with Wale is Poe. Someone @ Wale. That’s a potential heart warmer/panty wetter. Can’t believe I just typed that, haha. Good song.
Revival
Final song. It’s been a short album. I’m a sucker for good guitar riffs. Poe’s entry was explosive, at least that’s his version. “They’re like stars in the sunshine: invisible” is a very interesting bar. I like the unorthodox knock of this beat. Beat selection on TAP has been really good. That Afrobeats fever line made me chuckle. Whoever on that phone call just said everything we’ve been saying about Poe for years. Bragging about proficiency while being condescending to inferior rappers and still being self-aware is a nice look on Poe, he doesn’t even need to sell it. Let me quickly add that, “Revival” is 10 times better than Revival. If you know, you know.
Talk About Poe Final (1-listen Review) Thoughts
Talk About Poe sounds like a project Poe put together within two days while in his house slippers. That doesn’t make it a bad album, far from that, but it’s obvious Poe lowered the stakes of this album. For what it’s worth, he sounds good doing just that. You don’t need to look too close to see that these collections of songs are staples for Poe.
While he’s dynamic enough to make whatever he attempts sound effortless, thanks to a combination of premium enunciation and a buttery flow, there’s simply a gnawing lack of innovation. The good thing is, Poe’s rapping is often impressionable enough to augment. Talk About Poe is all about displaying and reminding people of Poe’s capability in front of the mic over pristine production, and the album does just that.
While there a few moments we get to peek beyond the unflappable rap persona, what makes TAP less striking is that Poe doesn’t distill enough of himself into songs to make them riveting. “Voices” and “Revival” already have the aura of standout deep cuts: both have a personable and defining quality that set them apart. Other songs with their own defining elements, though, and the brevity makes it easy to embrace the very few, rather average tracks.
On first listen, there are no bad songs on TAP – it definitely could have been helmed better. But for what it is as a reentry of sorts for Poe and also a potential introduction to newer audiences, this is a thoroughly enjoyable album. Probably the biggest take away is that Poe intends to be here for a long time, and TAP is a solid capstone to build his long-stalled career on.