Score Card
58%C5 - Credit
Reader Rating 2 Votes
43%

As one of the two marquee signings to set the ball rolling for DMW, in terms of new acts, Dremo’s stock rose considerably upon inking on the dotted line. Dremo went from prospect navigating murky, indie waters to being backed by a machinery being powered by one of the more prominent artists of this decade in Davido, the type of platform (m)any upcoming artist(s) would drool over.

While he’s been working in the two years since getting into Davido’s camp – a campus tour, couple of encouraging loosies/snippets, and impressive guest features – Dremo’s progression has been a lot more low-key, especially in comparison with the relative astronomical progression of his colleague Mayorkun, who also signed to DMW right around the same time. (It is easy to infer that Mayorkun’s zeitgeist fitting style of music helped his headstart for commercial success.)

In an effort to crank things up a notch, Dremo’s debut EP, Codename, Vol. 1, has been released today. While there is no prescient hit single or a protracted rollout to adequately drum up hype for this EP, expectations are still high amongst those paying attention. And going by the palpable excitement in Davido’s post announcing the release of the EP, we might be in for something special from Dremo.

Anyone who caught wind of Dremo pre-DMW knew him as rap prodigy, a gifted lyricist with the ability for ear catching wordplay with a street savvy but sleek edge, and an abundance of confidence dripping out of his voice. If “African rap is about to be changed” with Codename, the qualities outline above form a solid foundation for Dremo to snatch wigs and grab more eyes. Let’s get into it.

I couldn’t find an ideal time till now (it’s 9:01pm right now) to write this, so I’ve had to stay off Twitter and Telegram since morning to avoid getting influenced by the verdict of the streets.

In 1-listen format, everything you’ll read below is my gut reaction from start to finish. (If my initial, overall evaluation of Codename, Vol. 1 changes in a few weeks to come, I’ll do a retake.)

Nobody

By the way, fuck writer’s block and fuck life. Ominous keys and a solemn bounce, this is aptly 6am music. Dremo sounds assured but it’s not damping his confessional tone. Wow, Dremo was a producer? Spill this tea, autobiography Dremo. African parents and hammering on education, squeezing creatives and their dreams since 1900. Nah, this hook is lazy, even the interpolation of 2Face’s hook from M.I’s “Nobody” is tacky. Dremo has been swindled by “industry nigg*s,” I need a shocked face meme, the most conceited one that can be found. I’d really like this beat more if it wasn’t a little too loud. “OBO changed my life”, that Headies speech wasn’t faux obviously. Violin inflections is pure trips. From lewdity to morbidity, that’s an unexpected turn, but the candor still fits. Why do Nigerian artists balk at criticism so much?

Dapada (f/ Mayorkun)

We’re heading to the club with this. Mayorkun knows how to make infinitely catchy music, it’s a gift. Dremo just came in with the swag of a Dangote’s son entering Quilox. He’s owning this pocket, hitting the right spots. Wait, isn’t this piano chord a straight lift Mayorkun’s “Mama”? It still goes, though. This song should be bigger than it currently is, call your favorite radio station and request for “Dapada.” Summary of Mayorkun’s verse is that he doesn’t like girls that jonze him and he isn’t planning to retire. This hook might have the powers to heal those who go to clubs to sit and look, I’m one of them so I should know.

Faya

Autotune Dremo. OH. SHIT. That’s a fucking nice drop! Moshpit inducing level drop. WOOO, this is a banger. Another really lazy hook to be honest, but repetition works. That employer-fire line is unremarkable and I don’t want to hear it again. Dremo the dragon is dropping some bars in here, but it’s the personality that’s selling “Faya” evem more. Man, he’s stunting, hard. Dremo, please stop if it’s SARS, please. This pseudo harmonizing thing on this second verse isn’t working for me, where are the “skrr skrr” ad-libs? He just revved up his bike and he’s running this beat ragged, wow. Is it me or does Dremo sound like Olamide with this flow switch up? Man, this beat is hard, adrenaline rush. “Ice on my neck prolly melt ‘cos I’m on fire” is a nice stunt bar, even if it’s slightly generic. Play this at obnoxious volumes, people!

Kpa (f/ Davido)

Midtempo pop, typical DMW sound if there’s one. Dremo is semi-crooning and it sounds okay, shout-out to autotune. Davido is a master at combining romance and materialism, gruffy voice with a smooth words. This is another catchy hook. Is money the “Kpa”? Undoubtedly. I’d like to know came up with this slang. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but this song feels like a Davido song with Dremo parts attached to it. It’s far from a terrible song, it would probably get a gazillion radio spins which might be the plan all along. This is “Assurance” redux to be honest. All I can say is that I don’t hate “Kpa,” but you won’t catch me bumping it incessantly.

Bigger Meat

Tribal drums came in without warning, shout-out to South African house. This would go in the club. Already giving me Falz’ “La Fete” vibes. “Issa bigger meat” is a very 2018 hook if I’ve ever heard one. This is the one aiming for the shaku shaku playlist. Is Dremo just filling commercial lanes with this EP, playing rock-paper-scissors to see which one blows up big? Can’t knock the hustle, though. I’m disgusted by this refrain by the way, I don’t think anyone should be going after anyone who doesn’t take their bath, regardless of gluteus size. I have a Jhene Aiko joke, but I’ll keep it to myself. Pretty sure any regular listener of The Joe Budden podcast can put it together. 40 seconds of dead air, let me drink water.

Breezy (f/ Sinzu)

Siren-esque keys. Ad-libs. Hayyy, Sinzuuu! You can tell this is a typical trap record from the jump, shout-out Chris Brown and his dance moves. Waiting for the drop. Now I’m disappointed, that’s a trash drop. I’m not enjoying the autotune in Dremo’s voice. WOO, I spoke too soon, now we get a bounce. Stunt, boy, stunt! So much drip and bounce, this is a sugar high. There’s those cool ad-libs I was talking about earlier. That subzero bar is washed, but it’s cool. Sinzu has arrived! He’s a tad rusty, but there’s still some magnets in his performance. Nice flow switch up, really solid performance, Sinzu. How’s a ring and a tec related here? I think too much.

Hey Ma (f/ Simi)

The transitions on Codename have been extremely clumsy. But who cares about pacing and cohesion when you’re putting together a collage of jams? Fresh should’ve gotten someone to play those horns live. Dremo is waxing poetic, who’s the muse? This song is middling, and the Simi vocals are struggling to elevate it. We need to place an embargo on the number of artists allowed to trade harmonies with Simi. This girl next door shtick Simi exudes is always so pristine, and ticklish, color me a superfan if you like. Dremo is still Mr. Loverboy-ing it, sounds genuine if you ask me, but I’m not sold on this song as a whole.

Unbeliva (f/ Peruzzi)

KO is getting some love with this intro, whatever happened to him post-trybesmen 2.0? The pon pon sound is thriving in the shaku shaku season, it might be here for all time. Another love song. That beat line linking “producer” and “Olisa” is nice. Peruzzi’s contribution is serviceable, exactly what you’d expect. This is another okay song, another potential “certified jam,” but I’m not exactly very enamored. Another DMW-esque song produced by Fresh.

Fan of my Fans

Final song, let’s finish. Is Dremo’s music really niche? I don’t think so, but in a rap-averse terrain I can understand the sentiment he’s showing to those who’ve taken time to press play. This beat is fantastic. Luxurious, leather padded horns and ambient pianos. Caught another quick whiff of Olamide. I’ve not met a Dremo Stan, but going by Dremo’s description, they’re the Naija version of Nicki Minaj’s famed barbz. That’s wild and I never want to get into any problems with them. I like that Dremo’s girl is a big fan, I hope she pushes him to be better than M.I as well. What are Dremo fans even called? Dremoians? Dremaniacs? Man, I’ve got terrible jokes. Whoever made this beat deserves all the accolades.

Closing Thoughts

On first listen, it’s safe to say Codename isn’t going to change African rap, there’s nothing musically groundbreaking that suggests it will. What it will do, though, is help increase Dremo’s commercial viability which seems of more importance to both the artist and his label. Even with the overt concession, Dremo still primarily comes across a rapper, delivering a combination of bars and enjoyable vibes on the EP.

While Codename contains a couple of songs with high potential to impact charts, it’s short on songs with adequate level of insight into who Dremo is. Save for the opener “Nobody,” the rest of the songs hinge on vapid premises. As such, much of Codename feels like a premature victory lap. Not like he shouldn’t be celebrating – escaping relative obscurity is a big deal – but it’s less significant if the struggles he alludes to on the opener aren’t given enough runtime. Hopefully we know/hear more in the future.

For now, though, Codename flashes the promise of Dremo’s talents, an enjoyable EP that sates the taste buds of those who’ve wanted Dremo to properly take flight since joining Davido’s fledgling imprint.