Since getting unto Phlow via her debut EP, Mind, Body & Phlow, about three years ago, it’s as though the Str8buttah signee’s career has been in a hyperbolic chamber, waiting for the definitive moment to signal an artistic arrival of sorts. Follow-up singles would pile on in ensuing months, mostly centring on a raw display of skill level, with a steady level of lyrical poise mixed her trademark suave delivery as her calling cards. These loosies functioned as consistent reminders of Phlow’s case as one of Nigerian rap’s promising talents, but they weren’t quite striking, and it largely bothered on the worrying lack of a unique personality—her rap credentials had enough appeal but there was little to no heart to her music.6
Released early into the New Year, Phlow’s new EP, Gloria, is a welcome page turn, as it is the most intuitive and touching work the rapper has come out with till date. In its comprising six tracks, Gloria relies on Phlow’s improving ability as a vibrant wordsmith to craft verses loaded with insightful quips and resolutions, all borne from her perception. The experiences attached to these ensuing thoughts aren’t detailed as proof, but it is intrinsic and telling from that each uttered lyric has been shaped by Phlow’s past, spinning lessons learned on her quest toward becoming a better, more assured person into authentic lyrics—“I’m ready for anything/but I’m not trying to be everything,” she raps on “You = The Hustle.”
Gloria is ushered in by American rapper Vitamin Cea, who, as the sole performer on the introductory title track, sets a fitting tone for the EP, her lyrics, delivered in a gentle but decisive cadence, written with resilience as its motif (“the struggle just part of the journey”) and ultimately reading like a declaration. The following tracks are given the same treatment by Phlow, employing an overtly introspective pen devoid of gimmicks and faux yarns, inherently making Gloria a collection of emotional centrepieces.
Loaded from top to bottom without coming off as choked up, being poignant is Phlow’s calling card in the tidy quarter of an hour playing time. Where her previous work banked on being authoritative with as much punchline-driven raps as possible, Gloria is staved off verbosity, with subsequent lines carrying equal weight as preceding ones. “I am not spitting random/I’m tryna paint a picture,” she notes on “Carpe Diem,” a nod to her chosen attitude on the EP. This economic approach gives off an organic aura, so much so that it makes Modenine’s appraisal at the end of “Stand It” that “this music is life” an appropriate, overall remark.
While Phlow’s vocal swagger as a rapper is still present, shinning even brighter handling the emotion-driven material of Gloria, she enters uncharted territory, briefly but effectively, flexing her singing chops—her voice is translucent and developing—on the final two songs on “Stand It” and “FALL.” It’s another marker that Phlow is pairing personal growth with artistic growth.
Created in collaboration with go-to producer Teckzilla, the ambient but boisterous production, a mix of boom bap and earthy neo-soul, forms a proper palette for Phlow’s lyrics to sink into. Taken together, Gloria isn’t immediately striking, even if the premise is clear from the off, but it gets more rewarding with each listen—that’s a form of arrival.