…the detailed, LENGTHY, long-winded, objective (?), sometimes satirical, occasionally sarcastic commentary / review / critique of the (mostly Nigerian) mass media and other facets of Life written from the points of view of several observers who possess undisputable passion for entertainment, fanatical addictions to music and an unfaithful love for television. In other words, this is our take on entertainment, media and Life…
This here’s my last M.I. track for the month of June… The lyrics of this track were once the subject of debate between two Facebook-ers on the MI group page. Interestingly, the debate stems mostly from each person’s interpretation of what feature-artiste Pype is really saying, giving his strong patois and the overlapping beats. Too bad few Naija artistes bother releasing the lyrics of their tracks so we’ll just keep doing the transcribing for them. This here is my own interpretation of that song…
Track: Teaser (Track 5 from the album Talk About It) Artiste: M. I. (feat Pype) Transcribed by:Naughty Eyes
[Hook] x 3 Me tell her say I’m the girl pleaser, big booty squeezer Teaser looking for a diva fo’ shizz-a What you need is a geezer cool like a freezer Rule like a Ceasar
[Pype] Bling! 7-star General ‘longside M. I.
Repeat Hook
And that’s me…
[MI] Me tell her say: Hello Mamacita You a-sexy chick-a I’m a girl teaser So baby let me please ya Far from a church mouse but love a lotta cheese-a Me loving your features Can you move your feet-a I’m a Loopy President, you can be my Evita If a girl don’t wanna flow, me always delete her And me never repeat her Me look for something sweeter Take me to the club and make it hot like a heater
[Pype] From Pype to the Pipe, Pype, Pype! From the juvenile, irreversatile They did not promote girl, we the genuine Love them to swallow them pride And just to gleam and wine 7-star General, MI, fresh rhyme Me a-flip it, lift it on it and the girl them love I And we no nigh ‘pon them mime midnight to 5 Me love the girl them pretty head to toe And what you a-goner? Me a-sing all night
Repeat Hook x 2
[MI] So me tell her: Have you ever been to Jamaica Been to Malaysia All I’ve got is paper so let me upgrade ya Take you to the next level like an elevator Your boyfriend is a hater But he can be our waiter I’m solar energy and he a-generator I’m a-PC and he a-cheap calculator Girl I got dough I bake bread like a baker Now you’re on my radar so let me get your data
[Pype] OK! Suddenly me pull me pepperoni ‘pon a pizza And these girls them love me just like them redeemer Give it to them and they call me the teacher Me flip it, lift it on it and the girl no retire From me roll, send me love their way To the early morn me no run away Fi give the girl them truly what them need 7-star General, MI once again
Repeat Hook x 2
And that’s me… (echo)
Pype [Spoken] Rump on it Crump on it MI and Pype!
Repeat Hook x 2
MI and Pype! Begin the wine Me love the way me see some boys Big up them chest like a-them King Kong Say from now till the early morn For you we a-fi ever sing song
Repeat Hook
7-star General, ‘longside MI Me a-sing fi the girl them Blew! Ok, alright Ok, alright…
This song on M.I.’s album turned out to be my best track of 2008 much thanks to its extra-smooth blend of soulful R&B tones, rap, drum beats, thumping bass and haunting background violins. I’m posting it here especially for all the females I’m currently in crush with. Even if you turn me down, me still love y’all!
Track: Forever (Track 14 from the album Talk About It) Artiste: M.I. Transcribed by: Naughty Eyes
[Intro] Baby (echo), Baby, Baby, Baby (x 4)
[R & B Verse 1] ‘Scuse me lady, I’ve been wanting to know I’ve been watching you all night on the floor I’ve been hoping and waiting for this chance So I could ask you if you would like to dance
[Chorus] I like the way you move I like the way you shake If I don’t answer you girl Life in lying my heart go bend I wanna hold you, tease you, rock you, squeeze you So promise me that you will dance alone with me
[Rap 1] So sister don’t move, please You give weak knees Hey, lil’ Mama, what’s your steeze is Gotta say ma, you’re looking grand like jeans Hello hi! I’m M.I. I’m so fly, my low is high Been staring all night, you’ve been on my brain And I wanna be Abel like Cain To dance all night with you Let you know since I met you I know I can’t forget you See, I can make it rain and I wanna wet you Let me show how forever can feel like a couple of secs It’s a whole lot more than just sex And it isn’t complex Girl, I’m so Xtra-cool, let’s Xtra-connect
[R & B 2] If you are ready, let me rock you slowly Hold you and then we can dance the night away I have been waiting for so long To get lost inside a song This feeling is so strong C’mon let’s dance the night away
Repeat Chorus
[Rap 2] Come close, stand here Eyes closed, no fear See, you’re the best thing I’ve seen Destiny has destined, I seen What’s your story, what’s your tale? But if it’s love thing just send me a mail Right now what I wanna do is inhale Exhale, set sail So let’s set sail to a foreign land All these other guys so boring and You can come too when I’m touring and I can see your face in the morning and perchance We can share a whole lifetime’s romance It’s us right now, tonight what a dance What a kiss, Miss, miss you I know you miss me too
[Bridge] X 2 Take it slow, don’t you know (Waited my whole life for you) Rock your body on the floor (Baby girl I adore you) If you’re looking for the man to dance with you tonight Let me do the best I can We’ll dance from now until it’s light
Repeat Chorus
Forever (echo x 3) Baby I want to show you How much I love you
(Oh baby, I want to show you How much I love you Hey!)
Hold up! Have you seen the lyrics to M.I.’s “Safe” ANYWHERE online or offline? No? I didn’t think so! So here’s what I’m going to do… How about I transcribe the lyrics just for you? Great, ain’t it? YO! Here’s me TRULY and loudly blowing my horn. Not only that but you also get to check out the fresh hot video right here! Did I hear you say you love me? Where did you get it all from first? I can’t hear you. Where? Only on Media Nemesis, baby!
Track: Safe (Track 7 from the album Talk About It) Artiste: M.I. (feat. Djinee) Transcribed by: Naughty Eyes
[Djinee - Spoken Intro] All these kpomo men now… Them be kpomo men… (Scoffs) Woah!
[M.I.] Yo! It’s the way that they do me [echo] (Are we safe right here?) The way that they do me Crowds used to boo me but now ladies woo me Truly I’m sorry, sue me Me, I’m a Loopy, I’m money long like Moony I’m Looney like Tuney, your girl wish she knew me My arms strong like Loony, and C. City blew me up Yup, you can only watch like a movie Ruby I’m a- melt the game like a booby People asking “Who he?” They call me M.I.-er, just because I’m getting higher I’m spitting fire, this written fire There’s no bullshitting I’m sitting on top, Naija’s rap messiah I kill them Mama, them Papa, bring drama, end proper in coma This rapper show-stopper, he’s hotter Top-shot, no other rap while I’m rendering, hear the words he’s uttering ‘Cos other rappers stuttering I rhyme am well, I’m not them, I’m hot, chill! I’ve got skill The most incredible out of Naija, I’m on fire I’ve got street credibility and he definitely flow infinitely and so intermittently Ha! Plus, I’m a party rider ‘cos I flow tighter so put up your lighter MI be in the house and MC’s they shall bounce and go home to their spouse ‘Cos to stay might be detrimental (mental), better flow better instrumental (mental) You gotta learn the fundamental (mental) and my flow is so essential, essential, essential Listen! Silence (Shh!!) is the best answer, not violence That’s why I bring war on the violins This is Armageddon dog, hear the sirens And no, I am not retiring No, I’m never tiring, these lyrics that I’m firing But don’t be dismayed, ‘cos Zenith Bank is hiring For instance, there’s no resistance The flow persistent and so consistent Other rappers distant, they should have listened Because I’m the engine room and the gear and the piston There’s no rest see, at best you’re assisting I’m what they’re missing, I’m why they listen I’m the heart police dawg, I’m cardiac-arresting The best thing and you’re just microphone-testing
[Hook - Djinee] Are we safe right here? You better run fi cover, na we dey right here Hey! Where you dey when we dey chop kuli-kuli Dey sell kpoli-kpoli, you dey form holy-holy
[Repeat Hook]
[M. I.] Don’t try me oh C. City wan’ eye me oh And I’m rated highly oh Heh! They call me M.I. Listen y’all, yo! Mo gbono feli feli, I’m spitting like Machiavelli I’m always inside your telly, your lyrics are smelly-smelly I’m chilling in Pelly Pelly, I’m chilli inside your belly Rappers are really silly, you rappers Milli Vanilli But nuffin’ do me because I dey rhyme yo Nothing’s gonna rule me because I dey shine yo, shine yo I know I’m so fine yo, I’ll blind y’all with each rhyme yo I move like a rhino, until we sitting on top, sitting spitting on top Rappers spitting, they should stop It’s real when I drop, your sh*t is gonna flop You kickin’ so sloppy, getting spanked by your Papi And you should know my P, they call me M.I., M.I., see I’m rocking M.I. - M.I.C. and my flow is so deadly Whiskolo whiska, the incredible Mister The top on the list-a, he’s voted like Next-a Loved by your sister, he maybe even kissed her The brand new experience like Vista Ebariba sanbori bobo The ladies going loco when they hear his vocal Rap’s in a choke-hold Other rappers local, they rap with a vocorder I’m the koko Other rappers so-called, I’m medicine for the game like I’m Procold You can’t deny, I give them what them wanting And if you’re still sitting down, you’re on a long thing And if there’s ever been a rap this fly Yo, it hasn’t been done by another M.I.
[Djinee - Freestyle Pidgin Rap] Hey! Hey! Why you dey run where you dey run, you think say you get liver You come dey form like say you be that Arnold Schwarzenegger Hey! You go talk the one you dey today Today, today we go run you down you no know where you dey Heh! We dey kill them, M.I. you dey treat them Show them say this hip-hop music dey your system Teach them, school them, if them f**k up, cane them Oh! Them no know say, them no know say You be Pyeri boy, I be B-side boy We do run things eh! We dey run things oh! Hey oh! Hey! Hey! Ihe ne me! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Pack your load go, pack your load go M.I. don come here hey!
[M. I.] Yo! Djinee in the house ladies and gentlemen
[Djinee] We go run you down in your area Think am oh! Hey yo! We go run you down Your Mama, your Papa (Scoffs) Na we dey right here oh
PS: The Safe video was directed by Mex of Pixel Chaos. Interestingly, it also contains subtle references to a few other music videos. Quick examples: the background shown when MI says “Whiskolo Whiska” (the title of a Durella song) is a replica of the bar backdrop featured in the video for Shayo, another song by Durella. Also certain digital effects used here are exactly the same in style with the Gbenga Salu - directed Ten-Ten (embedded in the previous post). Most music video connoisseurs will recognize Mex as the director of the smashin’ high-tech video Dangerous in which Dipp features M.I.
PPS: For those of you who have been good enough to stick to the end, here’s a news leak of a little something-something I’m tentatively working on. It’s a feature called “TRAQ ANALYSIS” which is a blow-by-blow breakdown of these lyrics, their origins and references. Be on the look-out cos the TRAQ ANALYSIS of these smoking hot lyrics will explode anytime soon on the Spoken Word blog which is currently undergoing a resurrection. Watch out!
…over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting lyrics from M.I.’s HHWA 2009 award-winning Talk About It album (now available oniTunes) which I can’t still get enough of. Sadly I can’t lay hands on his Illegal Music Mixtape so I’m still stuck with the debut album.
I’m still waiting to hear from Bobby Taylor on how to get the sophomore album and I’m seriously hoping Dante can help me out on this one. For now all I can say is watch out for the lyrics to Safe (yes, you heard me right) and several other tracks.
Still speaking of Safe, its music video just dropped and though I’m yet to see it, Lord knows when it’s going to grace TV. The video had been in the works for a while now (the guys at NotJustOK brought the Making to my attention first) and Sturvs.com confirmed the video debut. These online music sources are definitely da BOMB! Thanks a million guys!!!
Plus Mo’ Hits And Ten Ten On another note, my review of Wande Coal’s album is almost done and I’ll put that up once I’ve applied finishing touches. And for dessert, you can check out the Gbenga Salu-directed video to the Mo’ Hits All Stars single Ten-Ten off the M2M album plus I’ve even thrown in the lyrics close to the bottom of this post.
Their two bonus singles on M2M are a sure sign that the Mo’Hits crew are working on a new project and for their sakes I hope it’s better than their previous CV album.
PS: Finally, a question that has been bugging my mind: has anyone noticed the very low profiles that D’Banj and Kelly Hansome have been keeping recently from their respective record labels’ activities? What’s up with that, huh?
Have a swell week!
PEACE!
Track: Ten Ten (Bonus Track from the Album “Mushin2Mo’ Hits”) Artistes: Mo’ Hits All Stars Transcribed by: Naughty Eyes
[Intro - Wande Coal] Every time I see … (echo) you girly Every time I see you girly Mo’ Hits! Don Jazzy again! Every time I see you girly Hey! Don Jazzy again!
[Wande Coal] Every time I see you girl, you dey turn me on If I no fit get you girl, I no go carry on Pass me the paper, pass the crayon Make I put your sexy body in-a there on Girl, you’re one in a million The only one fish in my aquarium Baby girl, don’t you think that I’m very young Age no be nothing but a number Cos I’m-a keep, keep lovin’ you girl Never, no skip, skip lovin’ you girl Don’t wanna be like other guys wey dey take advantage just dey…
[Chorus] Use you play (ten-ten) Everyday (ten-ten) Yesterday (ten-ten) My love no be ten-ten I no be small pickin oh Trust me I no go use you play (ten-ten) Everyday (ten-ten) Yesterday (ten-ten) My love no be ten-ten I no be small pickin oh (x 2)
[Dr. Sid] Every time I see you girl, see you girl You give me everything that I like If it’s wrong to be loving you girl, loving you girl Then I don’t wanna be right, eh Cos you’re my generator when they take light I go dey shout: “Up NEPA!” if you say you’ll be my wife Na you dey bring joy to my life If you offer me a chance you know I no go think am twice Cos the boys dey wish for your loving If it’s me you’re giving your loving I’ll never be that guy who tries to take advantage to dey…
Repeat Chorus
[K-Switch] B-b-bend down! See, what you want girl, albeit it be drop-top And a penthouse just to keep you on top Bangles ‘pon da wrist them look like handcuff Me money pile up from here to Bangkok (Ladies!) you a fi need the man that strong like Hancock By your side, at your back and even on top Girl you look nice and your style is so top (And me can’t shout) but me money can talk When we walk, by your side me chest me pump up When you go down on me, me always jump up Salvatore, Ferragamo, Gucci, Louis Vuitton That’s why me a fi sing this song
Repeat Chorus
(D’Prince is here!)
[D’Prince] What’s D’Prince got to do just to get with you Don’t necessarily mean I wanna sleep with you I’m in need of a Princess and I think it’s you Hmm… hmm… hmm… hmm… hmm… hmm… hmm… I don’t need to ask my friends what they think of you I see my future wife when I look at you See I love you from your head to your Jimmy Choo’s I’ma kiss you even if you’ve got the flu See I’ve got what it takes to make your life easy You know what it is, the Prince of ephizzie Never gonna see me flirting on TV, believe me I’m not deceiving I’m never gonna… Never gonna…
Hollywood, Ko… True Love, Ni… (in mixed English) This is Naughty Eyes reporting live from the Hollywood Hills in California… OK, let me cut out the crap. I am really in Lagos (I’m loving this entertainment capital of Naija sha. With a well-positioned TV antenna, a generator and a gossipy neighbourhood, who really needs cable TV?) So why did I start off with the California bit? Well, I saw an edition of Kenny and Dayo’s Primetime Africa show on TV recently where the (aging) presenters decided to showcase the video of Kelly Hansome’s True Love. Contrary to certain opinions, me and Kelly Bros no get wahala. Na Keke and D-1 dey vex me this time. According to the duo, the said video was shot quote, in the Hollywood Hills in California and features the beautiful Nollywood actress, Stephanie Okereke, unquote. Na so I just balance well-well hoping to see my ex-fantasy babe play love with KH on TV. Instead Keke and D-1 just fall my hand seriously.
Guys! C’mon!! Since when did shooting a video somewhere in Enugu or wherever and adding external video clips showing aerial views of Hollywood equals to shooting the music video in Hollywood? Even me wey never go Film school sef sabi the editing trick them use for the video. Stop playing with our intelligence abeg! To even spoil matters more, the much-touted Stephanie Okereke’s appearance consists of inserted footage from one of her recent movies, not that she featured in the music video per se! Nothing actually concerns her and Kelly Hansome in that video. Ironically I’m really feeling Kelly Hansome on that track but to further add sand-sand to the garri, some people are accusing Kelly Boy of borrowing heavily from two of Tuface Idibia’s tracks: True Love and If Love Is A Crime. And annoyingly, KH never seems to be able to do a song without resisting the mention of Control Numbers in the lyrics. To the Primetime “twins”, I did say this before: If your artiste doesn’t have enough money to shoot in the United States or UK or them no gree grant una visa, kindly try the cheaper South Africa option (you can ask Bigiano). This “Cut and Paste” no be am oh so you guys abeg, kindly drop the pretences and just let us enjoy good music videos, OK?
MI + HIPHOP = MUSIC No, this isn’t Complex Algebra 101. It’s just an addition to the small but growing roll-call of A-list celeb Naija bloggers. That’s right! MI a.k.a. Jude Abaga launched his blog a while back and it really looks promising with the 411 on his interviews, magazine covers, future shows and album launches. MI’s foray into blogging is yet another acknowledgement of the fact that entertainers nowadays need to connect with their fans one-on-one and not just be content with album launches, shows and Radio and magazine interviews. Here’s hoping that he has the momentum to keep up with his blogging even after his miishiphop.com website is launched which he says will come fully on-stream anytime soon. Speaking of his albums, expect as many lyrics to his Talk About It album as you want (better yet, request any of them and I’ll put it up for you) and a review of Illegal Music once I can lay my hands on it. You can click on the link above to scope the blog out or check out our new “Groupie Love Section” blogroll on the right.
NotJustOK The definition of “NotJustOK” on their blog says it all and these guys sure are nothing close to the ordinary. Co-run by Mola G and Ovie O. a.k.a. *O.O*, this Typepad-hosted blog (as far as I can tell) showcases the newest joints from artistes mostly of Nigerian origin and it’s not just about the songs either because you even get to see album covers, artistes’ wallpapers and photos and watch the latest videos as soon as they drop! How these guys get their stuff hot off the press and manage to update everyday really beats my imagination and on the strength of this alone they deserved to have won at the NBAs if it had a purely music blog category. Methinks they ought to run a cable channel of their own or something! They also have a Facebook presence too so if you’re an FB fan, you can chill out with these guys there. One trial will surely convince you and after that you’ll never settle for anything that’s JustOK…
Something To Add To Your Dictionary It’s official! I’m bored… Here are the latest entries in the Blogville Dictionary of Online Ninglish (pirated copy)
Definition: 1. to subject to nemesmerism 2. nemesmerism - to give exclusive mention to a blog, blogger, media, event or extra fly website on the Media Nemesis blog
Application: If I grant exclusive mention to you in a post, then consider yourself nemesmerized!
2. LMYO (or any other such derivations): Main Entry: LMYO Function: verb Inflected Form: ROTFLMYO; ROTFLMYOPIMP Derived From: Woomie’s comments [Origin: Qube (I think…)] Date: 2009
Definition: 1. L(aughing) M(y) Y(ansh) O(ff) Application: (Commenting after reading this hilarious post) ROTFLMYOPIMPKTFWTFME
Ok parry people, it’s time to go. In the words of a certain Ure’s estranged husband, “I sign out now!” as I go looking for something more serious to blog about.
XOXO (whatever that means…)
PS: Special shout outs to Olowo (for giving me the 411 to the M.I. blog via her “Followers” section) and to SSD (for the NotJustOK connection through her “Nigeria vs. The African Continent” music series). It’s remarkable the ways we run into some very magnificent blogs through other bloggers, don’t you think?
PPS: (Ever expanding) list of bloggers who previously had no idea what “PS” means: Afrobabe and Buttercup… At least they were gracious enough to admit it! By the way, Afrobabe’s terrorist post cracked me up like mad especially her efforts at dodging MI5. Who would have thought that behind all that sexiness lay a natural comedienne!
PPPS: I going to give 5 million Pounds sterling (Biafran) to whosoever can tell me the meaning of ROTFLMYOPIMPKTFWTFME. And yes, LG, you may use a Lifeline…
Album Review Artiste: M.I. Album: Talk About It (64 mins 23 secs) Producers: Audu Maikori (Executive Producer), Jude “MI” Abaga, Jesse “Jesse Jagz” Abaga, Kraft Label:Chocolate City Music Released: December 2008 Reviewed: 20th December 2008
The Intro: December 16th, 2008. Location: Ile-Ife, Osun State. These weren’t exactly the friendliest of times to be walking around a town that had experienced multiple bank robberies barely 24 hours ago. To make matters worse, this writer had on an all-black attire and carried a knapsack. Several policemen looked at him suspiciously as he trudged the streets asking questions. The Mission? To get a copy of the recently released Talk About It CD.
Those happened to be the circumstances under which I went looking for M.I. a.k.a. Jude Abaga’s over-hyped and highly anticipated album. Unfortunately, it almost turned out to be a Mission Impossible most likely because Osun State had absolutely no part in the album anticipation whatsoever. After walking up and down Ife I could only find one stained copy of the album and you can trust my Ibo cronies! The guy, banking on my desperation and tiredness, sold it for me for N150 instead of the regular 100 bucks! (The CD is now readily available in almost every part of the country).
The cover design aside (which by the way, was unimpressive probably because I’d seen a very artsy pre-release version); in popped the CD as I awaited Naija’s self-proclaimed lyrical messiah to take me to the Afro/Hip-Hop promised land. One quick spin and I must say I was fairly disappointed at first.
Ok, hold up! Before you M.I. fans tear me apart, hear me out. For one, Talk About It is an 18-tracker album made up of 13 full tracks and 5 skits inclusive of Thank You’s. FIVE skits! Hmmm… That number of intervals in a CD can - if not well handled - turn into a distraction rather than an interesting diversion.
The first, An Outrageous Intro Starring The President can be roughly termed pre-election Arnold Schwarzenegger meets post-election Yar’ Adua. Some people might find the commando-President dialogue amusing but it does step a bit too close to overkill (no pun intended). A slight correction too…Did the album drop on the December 1 launch date or September 1 as the Intro says?
After that comes Anoti, MI’s lyrical proclamation featuring Gabriel on the Yoruba-influenced hook. It’s obvious that Anoti, which some say contains lyrics from Feel E - another MI track - has a hook meant to appeal to South-Western listeners whose followership can actually make or break an album (some other artistes like Timaya on the other hand didn’t include Yoruba on their sold-out debut albums). One good point: I like the “Anoti, Anoti” chant in the song even without knowing its meaning.
MI also commands ALL the respect I can give him here especially towards the end of each verse when he spits out his attributes Twista-style. His soft-spoken lyrical flow makes this Mister Incredible, Most Immaculate Mic Inspector, MC Interrogator, Music Innovator, Mankind Illustrator knock me out flat with his rapid fire yet ice-cold wordplay.
The L Boogie skit that comes next is unnecessary except that it probably ushers in the beat for Track 4, Short Black Guy. (And meanwhile, who really is L Boogie? A Nigerian male Lauryn Hill?) SBG which is rendered in a mellow, almost whisper-mode still delivers the cold style MI has successfully made his.
Pype, notorious on Sasha’s Strong Thing single teams up with the son of the Evangelist on Teaser, a song with a lively beat. Another favourite of mine, my only beef with Teaser stems from the fact that the instrumentals and Pype’s patois delivery sometimes overlap MI’s rap lines making them difficult for me at least to grasp. A very small price to pay for a great song though.
Talk About It which happens to be the title track of the CD is basically MI’s crusade against The System. Featuring Leony, repeated syllables at the end of the bars, a silly-sounding yet delightful hook and a very professional bangin’ instrumental, this song achieves its aim as a title track as Jude “talks about it”, critically drawing our attention to the current corrupt nature of things. As Jude himself says, we dey feel you, guy!
But the real attention-grabber is the diss track, Safe. Apart from the subtle and sometimes open lyrical bashing he gives certain MC’s by borrowing, incorporating and working their lines into his lyrics, even the hook of this song can be interpreted as a subtle diss. Just hide the album cover and ask anyone around listening to guess who featured on the hook and 9 times out of 10, you’ll get the answer “Tuface”. Wrong! Djinee’s impersonation of Tuface in the hook and adlibs seems as if to rub in the fact that Tuface’s freelance style doesn’t quite require talent.
The skit before track 9 (Blaze) tagged Random Guy Buying Blaze From Dodgy Guy is avoidable still and its novelty wears off quickly. Enough said. Blaze itself features MI, his brother Jesse Jagz (another very good lyricist), Ice Prince and the female rapper, Blaise. The rap lines are way tight as usual but putting Blaise’s line towards the end with the tempo slowed down weakens the strength of her delivery and makes her inclusion unfortunately, look like an afterthought. Throwing her smack dab in the middle of the lyrical battle would have enforced her standing as a rapper equal with her male contemporaries instead of the condescending effect achieved by her seemingly slowed-down lines.
On Area, MI features his 9th guest artiste, YQ. This song, despite its fine points, does sound “commercial” - a CD track filler. Fast Money, Fast Cars which comes next chronicles the life of a high-class street-walker and features a complex beat courtesy of Kraft (Mode 9’s sidekick?) and yet another Yoruba-influenced hook by Wizkid. MI’s message in the lyrics comes across very clearly even through the forest of name-dropping. As he says towards the end, “Ashawo na ashawo no matter what you drive / You can spend your life to get money / But you can’t spend money to buy life”. Of all the songs in this CD, this one hits home hardest.
A Short Discussion On The Situation of Things By Two Yoruba Women is exactly that. The title of this skit apart from being the longest says it all actually. This by far is the best skit and despite the fact that the entire conversation is carried out in Yoruba, one still gets the sense of what is being said. Moreover, it works very well as an Intro to Money, MI’s reflections on his growing-up experiences and his efforts to make that stash. The million dollar rhetorical question asked in the simple hook is a question everyone asks almost every day: Where money dey go?
My undisputed fav song in the entire album is Forever, a love track complete with smooth, silky blends of Hip-hop and R&B vocals with an engaging drum-centric instrumental. I could write a whole review of this song alone but I won’t. It’s my BEST, period!
After that comes the predictable religious tribute Jehovah though there’s nothing typical about this starting from the beautiful recitation of Psalm 23 in the beginning, MI’s flow and the Eben and Lindsey chorus. Jehovah apart from the sincerity and depth in the message still goes to show that religious isn’t necessarily synonymous with dull. MI would mos’ def succeed as a Gospel-rap artiste if he fully toed that line.
Depth and sincerity are also evident in Hustle, a clarion call of sorts to all hustlers to “run for us, run” and even though it means getting that H-1 visa, he still urges them to eventually return because “if you don’t come back, what good have you done?” The only thing wrong with this song is its position in the playlist as it seems a bit misplaced (to my musical ear) sitting just after Jehovah. I can’t really tell what it is but the continuity effect in the CD gets lost here somehow. Well, if you have a problem with that, just use your shuffle button.
Then the Thank You’s and Ova Ish… I don’t know about you but I always let this play to the end like as if it was a full track of its own. The instrumental to “Jehovah” and the way MI takes time out to thank everybody (well, almost) while still introducing two more of his future musical projects does it for me. Novel. The way I listen to it continuously, you’d think I was expecting him to thank me on the track!
And finally, Crowd Mentality. Most people use this track as a pointer to who MI is. When I heard MI was releasing a CD, I actually said, “Oh, isn’t he that guy who sang “Crowd Mentality”? What can I say about this track that hasn’t been said already? If you’re still unsure, you can even check out the dopest lyrics ever here. If Hip-hop was a national anthem, this track is definitely one of its stanzas. I would still buy the CD even if this was the only song on it.
As an aside, it’s quite interesting the descriptive way M.I. captions his skits but my media player/MP3 converter didn’t find the lengthy full-sentence filenames funny. Never since Mya’s If You Died I Wouldn’t Cry (‘Cos I Never Loved You Anyway) have I seen song titles this long. Had to re-name one of them, “A Short Discussion” before my converter would have anything to do with it...
After the hour-plus experience that is Talk About It, is this album really worth talking to people about? I’ve got just one thing to say: What kind of question is that anyway?
If you are into Hip-hop and still haven’t gotten it, then you must have been drinking some cheap stuvvs. So what if this review pointed out a few flaws? If I had to appraise all the fine points of this album, each song would be a whole new post of its own. After this CD, I’m totally convinced I’ll be buying his “Illegal Music” and “One” projects whenever they drop.
Remember that Media player/MP3 converter I talked about earlier? I used it to convert my own copy of this album for my PC, my phone and my media player meaning that no matter where I am, anytime of the day, MI’s tracks keep blasting in my ears. I’ve got lots of music but only one other CD has that distinction.
MI’s got it down cold! This album is dope! This Abaga’s album fully deserves a 9 out of 10. Now go talk about it.
Almost everyone’s feeling M.I. like craze right now but how many people actually knew the brother before he dropped his album? I remember listening to this track for the very first time and feeling “Men! This is the REAL ISH!” The beat, the smooth lyrical flow, the clarity of his rap lines and the deep message in the track, - the fine points of this song are just too numerous to enumerate.
It’s a New Year and what better time for each and every one of us to break free from our self-imposed societal shackles than now?
Before “Talk About It” there was “Crowd Mentality” and before that there was M.I.. Here’s presenting “Crowd Mentality…”
Crowd Mentality - M.I. feat Uche (from the Album “Talk About It”) Transcribed by: Naughty Eyes
[Spoken Intro] Now we’re gonna talk about something serious
Yo! M.I., Yo! Chocolate City, Yo! Rythchus Era
[Rap 1] If you don’t have a mind of your own Don’t be disappointed, this is fine, be a clone Listen to me rhyme, I’m done trying to be mine all alone And to make things connect like a spine to a bone I’ve changed my mind I’d rather be the same as All these fake ass entertainers Make bad music just to rock in arenas Use words like… (no bad language on radio) ‘Cos I tried hard to make the difference Make the kind of music youse can use as reference Everybody else say: let’s dance Who am I to tell them otherwise? That’s a job for Reverends So I’m ready now to join the movement Together press for negative improvement Everybody or not To forever end the search for life
[Hook] So when I say jump (jump) Everybody in the place dance (dance) Everybody in the place move (move) Everybody in the world just scream (scream! scream!!) When I say jump (jump) Everybody in the place dance (dance) Everybody in the place move (move) Everybody in the whole world stop (scream? Huh? Oh-uh?) [Rap 2] If you don’t have a mind for yourself Don’t be disappointed, this is good for your health It’s the road to riches and to diamonds and wealth Redesigned it myself, to all Black people put your mind on your shelf It’s Ok to be poor, be needy Better yet still care for more, be greedy Everybody get mis-educated Be lazy, fat, stupid with your mind sedated No matter how many songs I sing About truth, honesty, it’ll never change a thing I just wanna be rich and famous The world is screaming out: Please entertain us! Yo, the whole world is glass or plastic It’s split like refraction, need action drastic So forgive me I’m a tad sarcastic These venomous lyrics on my lips like chopsticks
[Hook 2] So when I say sit (sit) Everybody in the place stand (stand) Everybody in the place jump (jump) Everybody in the place scream (scream! scream!!) When I say sit (sit) Everybody in the place stand (stand) Everybody in the world just jump (jump) Everybody in the world be yourself (be yourself, be yourself)
Yeah, break it down, break it down, break it down (x3) Here we go!
[Rap 3] So the moral of this song is There are people walking around just like zombies And it’s so strange, how people are afraid of change Afraid of what would happen if we re-arrange So most Black people are just doing what the crowd do Doing what the system say, that we’re allowed to So break free from the crowd mentality And then we can start to build a new reality.
(Now you’ve got to know Said you’ve got to know And you’ve got to know Who you are)
[Hook 3] So come on, everybody in the place fly Everybody in the place dream Everybody in the place be yourself (be yourself, be yourself) When I say shine (shine) Everybody in the place fly (fly) Everybody in the place dream (dream) Everybody in the place be yourself (be yourself, be yourself) When I say sing (sing) Everybody in the place speak (speak) Everybody in the place c’mon shout (shout) Everybody in the place be yourself (be yourself, be yourself) When I say sing (sing) Everybody in the place speak (speak) Everybody in the place shout (shout) Everybody in the place be yourself (be yourself, be yourself)
Be yourself
Yo! Be Black / Beautiful / Strong / Correct / Nice / Good / Right / Tight / Alright / Creative / Native / Real / Have Skills, Stand Tall And be all you can be
(Now you’ve got to know Said you’ve got to know And you’ve got to know Who you are)
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