Death, taxes and an Olamide album every year. This time, instead of an eighth solo project, the YBNL boss opts for a compilation album with the members of his label’s deep roster of accounted for on one or more songs.
Over the course of his illustrious career, as he’s become one of the most prolific and most bankable Nigerian artists, Olamide has often featured artists signed to his imprint, as well as those he affiliates himself with, on his solo projects. YBNL Mafia Family—a low-key mehhh album title if you ask me, with a great cover art, though—is the first time Olamide is pushing the envelope into putting together a label showcase in the form of a project. It’s a move that some will say is long overdue, but better late than never.
From early year monstrous single “Science Students”, to “Kana,” his best collaboration with Wizkid till date, even though it is slightly marred by a horrible video, to the extremely infectious “Motigbana,” and a successful tour of the United States, it is trite to say Olamide has had a great 2018. Capitalizing on his star power as a primary element of appeal for YBNL Family Mafia, one can only hope that his run, closing out with the yearly full-length offering, ends with a bang—anything better than Lagos Nawa will do.
YBNL’s current, fringe roster is mostly stuffed with young artists who are street-wise rappers in the same vein as Olamide, with the first lady and songstress Temmie Ovwasa being the sole exception. While none has been able to make a splash as significant as erstwhile label stars Lil Kesh and Adekunle Gold, the trickles of appearances and solo offerings show that each of them bears a mountain of talent. The allotted time for each artist on YFM might be molehill-like, but strong performances that make each artist’s case is what is expected. Let’s get into it.
Instant reactions to each song, in real time, is what you’ll read from here on. No skips, no rewinds, no fast forwards.
Welcome (Olamide)
That’s a little too loud. Nice horns, oooohh that’s a groovy drum drop. Straight to the dancefloor immediately, no fluffing around. Olamide in his Afro-pop bag has been dropping nothing but fire this year, and this one is already set up nicely. He’s rapping, really nice flow, reminds me of BGEL. This is when I wish I could type in Yoruba, I’m slow and low-key trash at that. “In real life, I’m so dope: ise Colombia” is a bar. Pheelz laced this beat, irresistible bounce. “Dem no dey joke with my money, I no be clown” is a bar. That Spanish guitar adds an exotic touch. Unexpected intro, but I like this.
Oke Suna (Olamide)
I know these keys from somewhere. Percussions rolled in pseudo-makossa style. Olamide singing in a calmer tone is wayyy better than the forced yelps he tried to stuff down our throats on Lagos Nawa, I abhor that album. Anytime a rapper mentions R. Kelly, I cringe so bad. Olamide would’ve made a great town crier in the olden days, he has the perfect voice for bants. “Me I gast chop life, na my duty” is a rich nigga flex, my budgeting ass can’t even relate. Another solid afro-pop song. A set of songs produced by Pheelz would go really hard in the club, by the way.
Macaroni (Picazzo x Olamide)
Arabian flutes. These drum packs are really good. Alright, Picazzo is the second coming of Lil Kesh, please. This hook already hints at that, very jesty. I like this flow, but he needs to read the mood better, he’s getting a tad too aggressive for this somewhat jolly lyrics. If Picazzo is this good at crafting sticky hooks, he’s going to be a monster artist for YBNL. Aha, Olamide sounds far more in control of this flow, he’s clearly having fun. The lines sound like they were freestyled, they probably were. Pheelz is a premium guy, top-notch pop sounds.
Motigbana (Olamide)
The only reason you hate this song is if you are a soulless person. Killertunes gave us slapper after slapper this year, he deserves all the accolades. I really wish I could shaku on the beat because of this song, such a shame.
Listen to those guitar riffs and strings. Olamide picked really good pop beats this year, melodic and exotic. The first actually skipped by, anyways, the second verse is better, if only for that akata line. “Mi o r’aye oshi, owo ni koko” is an eternal mood. By the way, if you don’t like this song, you should watch the video.
Jealous (Fire Boy)
First song without Olamide, mid-tempo with some vocal chants. I’ve never heard Fire Boy but he must be good because he’s all over this tracklist. Seconds into his entry and I can definitely see his appeal, teen-ish voice that can wrap around a solid instrumental. Love is a scam, you’ll just be getting jealous anyhow. Is he Ghanaian or he just listened to a lot of Mr Eazi? I like this record, I see it growing into a big one over time. There’s nothing ingenious about his lyrics, but he’s putting in a heartfelt performance, the type that can melt even the coldest heart. This beat is really nice. Crackhouse tag, we need more of this guy.
Ika (Yomi Blaze x Olamide)
I like that intro. This beat isn’t doing much for me right now. Okay, I spoke too soon. Those piano strings told me to shut up, and these drums are really imposing. Yomi Blaze is rapping his head off right now, quite tenacious but not overbearing. “Rap ni ma n ba sun l’alale/rap ni ma n ji fo’nu every morning.” Like half the song just went by before I finished typing that line, insert crying emoji. I really like that verse. This hook is lazy, but I’m cool. Olamide is showing out, haha. Olamide might be on an artistic peak right now, or maybe the bar is low due to, never mind.
Send Her Money (DJ Enimoney x LK Kuddi x Kizz Daniel x Olamide x Kranium)
So far, I’m happy with this album. Yo, this is another good beat. Anything with Spanish guitar always takes my heart, shout-out to 2kris. “She dey tell me she want to go to the bed/she dey bend low like the back of my Benz,” haha, Olamide. Something was done to Olamide’s voice, or maybe it was the mix. The beat just went to Mexico for a bit, makes me want to rewatch Coco for the mariachi. I’m guessing this is LK Kuddi, he’s having fun also, fits in. A song that has Kizz Daniel, and Olamide is taking the hook, and he’s doing a good job. Mehh, this Kizz Daniel ragga attempt is not for me. Kranium! He’s taking this to school, oh no that’s too short. I hope 2kris was well paid for this beat, it’s a nice slapper.
I’ll Be Fine (Fire Boy)
These keys are somewhat R&B-ish. Alright, I’m finding it hard to get into this guy singing with sparse instruments around him, his voice isn’t that exquisite, yet. But this is very heartfelt. “What if I never get to blow” is a very jarring question. Beat just went to the island. The reflective motif is there, but there’s the much-needed bounce in already. I’m into this more than I was in the beginning. Are these EDM chops really necessary? Solid one, anyway.
Poverty Die (Olamide)
I listened to this song once when it came out, and for some reason, I haven’t gone back. Pheelz has been consistent, those horns and the cele bells are fire. This “poverty die! die!! die!!!” refrain is hitting me differently, I felt that shit. Kegaites just got a new addition to their playlist, super eagles’ supporters’ club as well to be honest. “Poverty na my ex ooo/me I’m unto the next ooo” is a mantra.
I just remembered the artwork for the single, haha. “I dey hustle make the poverty japa.” I like this, actually, song title might also be making my list of yarns for 2019, I’ll need to hear Nico’s thoughts first to confirm.
Fire Down (Fire Boy x Picazzo)
This is an interchangeable beat, almost every song in this year had this drum pattern at this tempo. But I’m not mad, I think. Fire Boy went from being jealous to begging a snobby, potentially trifling girl, low-key funny. Yeah, he’s Ghanaian from what I just heard. This is actually growing into a nice song, Fire Boy bringing his charm to bear. Picazzo is a rascal, haha, I like the way he came in. Men and asking for ride or die ladies makes me laugh a bit. Serviceable song.
Le Le Yi (Lil Kesh x Fire Boy)
Are these chopped vocals a sample of Simi’s voice from an Adekunle Gold song? Is Lil Kesh back on YBNL? So many questions. These beats has nice drums. Kesh comparing ladies to fish based on body parts is a reminder of the poetic titan this man is, your fav could never. Where’s his Pulitzer? Fire Boy is scatting? Haha, this whole song is low-key, high-key wild. There are like ten words on this song so far. Lil Kesh just turned frying fish into a chant and I want to laugh out loud and fall off my chair. This man is a genius. This whole song is genius. At least he’s not hailing ladies that don’t take their bath like a certain rapper from Ibadan was doing on a certain song that also involves a common source of protein.
Lie (Limerick x Olamide)
This album has breezed by. Olamide got a great pack from Pheelz, this is another nice beat. Baddo is killing hooks. Yo! Limerick is using a flow that I know. I hate when a detail I need is stuck to the roof of my brain. Why isn’t Limerick dropping more songs? This is detailed storytelling. Where is the album?!!! “For jungle where you dey, dem no dey talk like that.” Yoooo, this is 2Shotz’ heir, streetwise and suave. This is the best performance on this album so far, clear standout. I’m coming back immediately. Olamide also delivered an immaculate hook. Standout!!
Finally (Temmie Ovwasa x Fire Boy)
Spry guitar riffs and percussions, this should be good. Yup, Temmie’s voice is very radiant, balances out Fire Boy’s wry voice. This is really bright, solid matchup. At this point, I’m a little mad that Temmie is only on this song. But at the same time, I’m happy she’s on a song that suits her well. By the way, “Holy Water” is a great song, I hope there’s more coming. I like the conversational flow of this song, the brief harmonizing adds a really nice touch. This is a wedding playlist song.
YBNL Mafia Family 1-Listen Review Final Thoughts
YBNL Mafia Family is an album that embraces the gloss of Afro-pop and refracts it in a way that perfectly fits in all the participating artists. Each song has realistic chances at commercial impact. There’s no exact throughline or concept to grasp at, you’d be wrong to look for that here, but it’s so well put together, it’s almost as though there’s an illusion of pathos. Most of that comes from a beaming energy that suggests the album was made in a fun environment but also with the stakes in mind.
As expected, Olamide takes the lead, and he puts in a stellar shift. While we have grown accustomed to his pop sensibilities over the years, that ability might be at its most pristine at the moment. Considering how a gem such as the loosie single “Logba Logba” didn’t even make the cut for this album, it wouldn’t be foolish to project that a solo project with Afro-pop at its centre was in the works, and most likely would’ve been a solid project.
YMF does hit whatever mark he might have been going for, and thankfully, it is restrained—13 songs, short (by Olamide standards) and sweet. The collaborations are well worked, and the production, mostly handled by Pheelz, is not to be understated. All of this culminates into a remarkable body of work, one that’s potentially memorable.
YBNL is at its most packed since its inception, and while it’s not every artist that’s present, notable absentees are Davolee and Lyta, those who show up show out. Some of it may not be highlight reel material, but it is always praiseworthy. Since YBNL have shown the potential range of its roster with a stellar album in YMF, it would be interesting to see the moves that will be made on a solo level by each artist. Regardless, YMF is a victory each of them will have on their CVs, an accomplishment that, hopefully, only precedes more accomplishments.