The name – DJ Neptune – always brings the lyrics of the 2010 hip-hop classic “1,2,3 (Remix)” (Featuring MI, Naeto C & Dagrin) to my mind:
Neptune on the wheels of steel, best alliance in hip-hop
But Neptune isn’t just about hip-hop. From being an established radio disc jockey, to Naeto C’s one-time official DJ, to releasing free mixtapes, to DJing multiple A-list events, and dropping singles featuring industry heavyweights like M.I, Davido, and Olamide, DJ Neptune is among Nigeria’s most popular DJs. It’s perhaps no surprise that he named his long-awaited debut album Greatness. In a recent interview with Punch, the DJ explained: “I made a great record and that is why I titled the album Greatness”
“Neptune” is the name of the god of the sea in ancient Roman religion, he is the Roman counterpart of the Greek god, Poseidon. Neptune (the god) possesses the power to manipulate the sea, and in a similar manner, DJ Neptune makes an attempt to create turbulence in the waters of the industry with Greatness. I mean, what do you call a 15-track project that features an army of 27 artists?
The artists featured are: Jesse Jagz, M.I, Burna Boy, Mayorkun, Niniola, Patoranking, Davido, Mr. Eazi, Phyno, Olamide, Yemi Alade, Runtown, CDQ, Maleek Berry, Reminisce, Zoro, Slim Case, Mr. Real, Kizz Daniel, Skales, Small Doctor, Pasuma, Larry Gaaga, Efya from Ghana, C4 Pedro from Angola, Willy Paul from Kenya, and Harmonize from Tanzania.
The army of musicians, under Neptune, are teamed up with each other and producers to form an impressive force. There’s a different line-up of musicians on each song, and the only producer on the project that produces more than one song is Magix Beatz. The other producers whose expertise were enlisted are: CKay (of Choc City), Sossick (Dagrin’s go-to producer), Young John, Jay Pizzle (the beat maker behind Skales’ “Shake body”), Teddy, Majorbangz, GospelOnTheBeat, Del B, and Simba Tagz, while most of the songs were mixed by Milla Mix.
Greatness expertly pairs producers and artists in the manner DJ Khaled might do on an album (though absent of the surplus ad-libs). And until Neptune speaks about it, it’s anybody’s guess what roles he played on his album. He doesn’t produce any of the songs, and only lends hype and ad-libs on the tracks. That said, the DJ is credited as executive producer of the album, and this role could entail numerous functions that he could have executed to enable the project become a reality from bank rolling the project, timeline monitoring, human resource management, and supervising the creation process, to name a few. But judging from Neptune’s experience as a DJ, he was probably actively involved in scouting the artists and producers used on the album, and he probably arranged the album tracklist.
These functions were expertly done, the track arrangements which see the opening song of the album being followed with gentle danceable tunes and more energetic songs interspersed between them, move through energy levels that are easy to follow, and the artists featured on the songs are matched with instrumentals that are ideal for them.
The opening song “Blood & fire” is reminiscent of Neptune’s “1,2,3 (remix)” because of the scratches and his chanting. He also features M.I who was on “1,2,3 (remix)”. The nature of the opening song seems to be the oddest on the project, most likely due to the choice of instruments in the beat. But despite that, it makes for a good opening, rather than having it stick out awkwardly somewhere within the album.
The sounds on the project cut across a vast range, this is made much easier for Greatness to achieve as a result of the varying styles of the artists and producers that engineer the project. There’s the street tune “Shawa Shawa” that features Larry Gaaga, Olamide, CDQ and Slimcase – an appropriate line-up for the catchy street single that was released before the album dropped. There’s the opening song “Blood & fire” featuring M.I, and Jesse Jagz, produced by Ckay, that seems well-suited for Jagz, like it could have made it onto Jagz Nation Vol. 1 album. There’s the fuji-infused “Sisi”, and even the makossa “No Body” that features Yemi Alade and Willy Paul.
Clubs are sure to make favourites of almost all the tracks on the album:
“Friday” that pairs Zoro and Reminisce could be a song to fill the car for patrons on the ride to the club, “Shayo” (with Burna), and the very catchy “Tear Rubber” (where Mayorkun brings the same energy and beauty he brought on his break-out single – “Mama”) set the mood for dancing. “Shawa Shawa” is perfect to Shaku Shaku to, and “No Body” with its underlying inspirational message – “nobody is a nobody” – is ideal to really boogie.
And these are just a few, it would seem that the intention of the album is to move the listener to dance, or at least make them feel like they should.
The most impressive thing on the project is the use of the featured artists and producers. The individual, or team-up of artists featured on each track are expertly paired with producers to deliver just what fans expect of the artists. All of Neptune’s features are kept in their comfort zones enabling them deliver their best. Even the pair of Phyno and Davido on the Magix Beatz produced “Secret Agenda”, which highlights the greatest contrast in the delivery styles of the featured artists, still takes advantage of their strengths – Davido’s hook delivery prowess, and Phyno’s high-life rap efficiency.
Picking a favourite among the songs becomes more difficult with each listen, and it’s safe to say Neptune has made a strong first entry into his album discography, fans are sure to find instant bangers and sleeper hits on the Greatness roster.