Jaywon has something in common with 2 Face Idibia (African Queen), Christie Essien Igbokwe (Seun Rere) and Prince Nico Mbarga (Sweet Mother). In “This Year (Odun Yi)”, he has that once-in-a-lifetime evergreen song that will always be remembered even when the person that sang it isn’t.
However, in the what-have-you-done-for-us-lately world that is Nigerian music, 2012 is an eternity ago, Jaywon has to keep it moving.
He released an EP in 2014, but Oba Orin presents the best opportunity to see how much he has grown as an artist after unceremoniously leaving the house that Kenny and D1 built.
If growth is calculated merely in numbers, then Oba Orin is 5 songs better than Meet Jaywon was. Alas quantity and quality are usually mutually exclusive and OO is at least 5 songs too long. Perhaps it was to compensate for his prolonged absence, but is a “Madantin” remix still something that people want to listen to in 2016? Also, “PFM (Mama)” was brought to life by a rousing rendition by Sojay but was then killed by a percussion loop that sounds distractingly similar to Omarion’s “Ice box”. Surely that song didn’t deserve a second part.
We initially got introduced to Jaywon, the self-titled Royal Prince of Afro Hip-Hop, as a motivational speaker with a beat at his back. He tries to inspire the listener by using his own life as a template and speaking openly and honestly about his struggles, it’s perhaps his most endearing quality. The instrumentation might not be as polished as “File be” but it doesn’t make the words on “Favour of God” any less profound. Think more 4 minute prayer and less 4 minute song. The singer gets on his knees once again on “Show Me”, selecting a woman to take down the aisle is an extremely confusing process and Jaywon needs all the help he can get.
If Jaywon is comfortable making music for Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, he’s equally comfortable with providing the soundtrack to your Friday night. Rap verses from Reminisce and Seriki slow the intensity of “Kule Lori” down to almost a walking pace but Jaywon picks it up in between for a swift club procession.
OO is stacked with collaborations, some inorganic, like Stormrex’ on Jay’s now mandatory Igbo song per project, and some inspired. Enter “Baraga”, no fine wine we know but Obasere shows his descendant Small Doctor what Fuji music and a little bit of age could sound like.
Jaywon is ageing well too, musically. He didn’t make another “This Year” but there’s a nice consistency to his music that makes you fill like he might not need another one of those in order to continue to bring attention to it.