Beyond being used as an overwrought, idealistic yardstick to parse, and sometimes piss on, current trends, one of the primary objectives of older art, in any form, is to inspire artists of following generations. For recent examples in Nigerian mainstream music, consider last year’s artist of the year, Davido, drawing from the same wellspring in Duncan Mighty’s “Obianuju,” for his twin hits “If” and “Fall,” and Burna Boy relying on Fela’s “Sorrow, Tears & Blood” in creating the (still?) unofficial Nigerian national anthem.

While the more prominent Nigerian artists definitely do not show off their influences, it’s much more amplified by the famed, burgeoning alte movement. They are way more unabashed about how music and movies, even, from their younger years inspire their craft, so much so that it is inevitably reflected in their own music, and extended into their public brands. From Odunsi’s documented Tony Tetuila obsession—peep that dyed hair again—to Santi’s ongoing craze for older Nigerian horror flicks channelled in his latest music video for “Freaky,” there are lots of tangible examples of these artists reaching into the past and incorporating it in their present work. Add Mango Juice & Bad Decisions, the latest EP from Abuja-based artist AYÜÜ, to the ever-growing list of examples.

Right from its opening track “’00 Nostalgia,” AYÜÜ’s idea to interpolate and rely on lyrics from wildly popular songs from the last decade and earlier this decade is as captivating as it is loveable, retaining and retooling at his discretion. “’00 Nostalgia” borrows exact lines from Sisqo’s 200_ smash hit “Thong Song,” with AYÜÜ bouncing off the innate lasciviousness of those repeated lyrics to craft a breezy piece of warm bedroom pop. “Teyana,” another standout cut, featuring a delightful verse from Psycho YP, merges lyrics from Craig David’s “7 Days” and Wizkid’s “Wiz Party” into a memorable hook. Nostalgia is the obvious cornerstone of MJBD, but AYÜÜ’s increasing song making ability is a big draw.

There’s the obvious, concerning element of gimmickry when it comes to new songs using ideas from old songs as integral pieces, especially when the old songs were once hit records. With such baggage comes equal chance at success and failure. MJBD happens to be a huge success in execution mainly because AYÜÜ’s recent music has shown how he tends to do more with way less. Where his first EP, last year’s H.E.R (His Emotions Recorded), was musically scattered and sometimes too shackled to a nebulous narrative for its own good, MJBD, true to its title, thrives on being thematically carefree, while still finding a way to be as expressive he was on ØÜ, his joint project AYLØ, one of the best EPs of the year, yet.

Also similar to ØÜ, MJBD is also musically streamlined, though a bit giddier, to fit AYÜÜ’s competent baritone vocals. With stellar, apt production from Benny Que, Jaylon and Higo, MJBD is a fitting description of a vibe, as we kids like to call it. From gentle and joyful discordant snare and bass combo (“Pull Up”), to finger snaps and sparse but gleaming keys (“In 2 Ü”), songs on the 4-song EP slap mildly and drip tropical sauce.

MJBD intersects at the juicy middle of slipping into playlists for house parties and Netflix & Chill (especially when the Netflix part goes silent) purposes. Even the mean mugging on “Pull Up” is ear candy. At a mere 11 minutes, brevity is an obvious issue, but the repeat button was created for a reason.