Olamide’s Unruly Review: Is This The Much-Fantasised Parting Gift From King Baddo?
Where does Unruly rank in Olamide's discography? This album ranks above the polarising Lagos Nawa! However, it's nothing close to the seminal Carpe Diem.
By Emmanuel Daraloye
Nigerian rapper, Olamide, scarcely needs any introduction. He is one of Nigeria's most successful rappers. He has also given others a helping hand. In the last five years, he has been in a semi-retirement stage—, just like his mentor Jay-Z— while helping Fireboy and Asake navigate the industry. After months of anticipation, his new album, possibly, the much-fantasized parting gift, Unruly has been released. Truly, it's unruly. The release date was quite unusual. Wednesday, August 9, 2023. That's not the unofficial date of album release in the world. Artists hardly release an album on that day of the week.
Olamide’s, (also called King Baddoo) album releases have always been a moment the fans anticipate. I still remember where I was, and how he felt when Olamide released his last two projects, Carpe Diem and UY Scuti. I was unaware of the release date of Unruly, not until I woke up four hours into August 9, 2023, and my inbox was filled with messages from Olamide’s fans.
2022 was a mild year for Olamide. His two solo singles “Hate Me,” and “We Outside,” failed to boost his brand. This year, things seem to change for the better as two singles “Trumpet,” and “New Religion,” made some waves in the music space. The songs became the torch bearer for the new album. A brilliant teaser for what to expect in Unruly, also, the timing between these singles was right.
Olamide featured just five artists on this album. The other ten tracks are standalone. Ezkeez and Magicstics, Asake’s longtime producers, worked on the majority of the songs. With over a decade in the music industry, Olamide attempted to satisfy diverse demographics with this album. There is the Gen Z generation, there’s also Olamide's early fans, as well as, the people in their 50s and 60s who are familiar with some of his songs. Simply put, there were many mouths to feed with this album. It's always hard to satisfy different fans, yet, Olamide made some brilliant attempts.
“Celebrate,” which kicks off the album, takes the fans through some of Olamide’s musical journey. It's a song for a victory lap, the type you sing after a major accomplishment. Olamide has nothing to prove. For him, the accomplishment he has made is enough, and he's thankful to the highest for this. The intro of “Jinja,” taps from “Rock,” off UY Scuti's album. The Amapiano elements in the track brighten the song. Olamide’s flow in the song takes a cue from the Galala music genre. On “Problem,” Olamide finds it hard to be the motivational speaker he aspires to be. He hardly stays on topic. He allows the log drum to dance around the song.
Olamide has claimed to be from the streets. He makes music for that demography, as well as the elite. Some songs on this album are created for the street. It shows in the lyric compositions, choice of beat, flow, etc. The street emblems are written all over these tracks. For example, a track like “Gaza,” is for the street. The lyrics are filthy and sound like a freestyle. Olamide returns to this template on “Doom,” only this time around, with the production slowed down. This allows Olamide to manipulate his vocals to give him the desired result of giving the street a jam.
The featured artists on this album take tracks six to ten. The previously released “Trumpet," finds Olamide and Ckay singing about ballads and living a good life, as Ckay tries to win a girl over with his voice while Baddo delivers his verses about living an easy and private life. The track is a fusion of pop and Hip-Hop. Bnxn's legendary status as the go-to guy for hooks remains unshaken, If there was ever a doubt, a spin on “Come Alive," will change your mind. His brilliantly written hook lays the foundation for Olamide’s braggadocious two verses.
The sweltering “New Religion,” swirl between Afrobeats and Amapiano, as Olamide and Asake leverage on their strengths for a celebratory tune. Fireboy could have made a whole song off his hook on “Shibebe,” it's that good. Olamide’s verse is a disservice to Fireboy’s dazzling hook.
Rema, the Mavin Record signed artiste effort on “Mukulu,” is so forgettable, that one wonders why the track was not taken off this album. It's a dreary attempt at making a hook. It's even a disrespect to the fans for Rema to have laid this blather hook. “Hardcore,” sounds like something created for Hip-Hop fans. The ones who love Baddoo raps. Nothing is hardcore about this track, it's just Olamide having fun in the studio, perhaps after some puffing. “Supplier,” is a return to making a street jam. A freestyle that takes inspiration from UK Grime. “Life Goes On,” is arguably the most personal track on this album. Olamide sings about life changes. The message of this song seems to be reserved for old friends and enemies alike.
“No Worries,” and “Street Jam,” are the final two tracks on the album. On the former, Olamide makes peace with life's challenges while he's full of hope for what life will bring. “Street Jam,” reminds one of “Voice of the Street” of the YBNL album (2012). This track is significant, it's a way of paying homage to the street and appreciating them for their support.
At just eight seconds short of forty minutes, Olamide takes the listeners through a journey. His attempt to satisfy the different travelers remains a hard knock for him to crack. Beyond the Rema feature, all other features come off well. They are not even much, so, that gives Olamide ample opportunity to give the fans what they desire. In the course of penning this review, the question of if this is the much-fantasized parting gift arises.
No doubt, some track will become hit,
common, this is Olamide, a one-time street lord. This album has a slim chance of taking its place in the legendary or classic list of Nigerian albums. Olamide relied heavily on Amapiano. Remove that genre from this album, you find a watered-down project. The number of tracks and the time frame are kept short, this is a smart move.
Where does Unruly rank in Olamide's discography? This album ranks above the polarising Lagos Nawa! However, it's nothing close to the seminal Carpe Diem.
3/5
Emmanuel Daraloye is Africa’s Most Prolific Freelance Music Critic. He has over 600 album reviews in his archive