The mantra “Afrobeat to the world” continues to soar beyond measurable heights, Joeboy’s and Blaqbonez’s 2021 released albums add to the many testaments of the above statement, i.e mantra as they are both included on Rolling Stone‘s The Best Albums of 2021 So Far.

On the 4th of February released Somewhere Between Beauty and Madness, J.D for Rolling Stone penned: “Whether he’s singing about love and marriage or more ephemeral romance, everything on this uniquely pretty records flows with the warmth, generosity, and beauty of an Al Green valentine.” while for Blaqbonez’s audacious album preaching on gynephilia opposed to intimate attraction and true love, the magazine brand had this to say: “Sex Over Love offers a cohesive collection of hip-hop and Afropop”

2021 continues to produce fine fruits for both artistes, for one both albums of theirs have respectively appeared on different charts, reaching the summit, that is, No. 1, even producing singles that have done the numbers and charted as well.

You can read the full article here.

PrettyboyDO ruggedity, rigidity and resilience relfects on new single – Living in Bondage. Right from the intro, prettyboydo shows he is not ready to bend or bow to any opposition, he says: “My mama wake up every morning, pray to God say: ‘protect my only son’. Me say: ‘ mama don’t pray for me, pray for them’”.

Living in Bondage is prettyboydo’s way of saying no matter what his thrown his way in form of opposition and persecution, he will never wave the white flag.

“Mom I’m at war / Say a prayer cause I’m in war” he reveals on the first track before complementing it on the chorus with the statement, “Bondage Bondage / Say me living in bondage / Here tomorrow’s not promised / ‘Cause me living in bondage”.

PrettyboyDO highlights some circumstances leading to him Living in Bondage, they include gang activities or insecurities and backward mentality of people he is surrounded by but in spite of all that, he sings on how focused he is on the paper chase and how he will not allow their poor reasoning affect him.

Listen to Living in Bondage; the track’s production is handled by Trill XO and Tochi Bedford.

One thing Rema is not scared of doing is experimenting with sounds and that he did to the full effect on latest song—Soundgasm—produced by frequent producer collaborator, London.

The guitar strings introduces listeners to the pleasing “Do-oh, do-oh, do-oh, do-oh, do-oh, do-oh, do-oh, do-oh, ah-ah” sung by Rema on the chorus of the song, just in time for the Afrobeat sample to kick in.

If Rema’s aim was to actually secret body fluids before making listeners ears shake like they were being vibrated, then he accomplished that in flying colours as he lays beautiful verses by using different sexual innuendos to connote different sex foreplay and positions; on the second verse he boasts of his ability to please and outperform any girl’s sexual expectations of him, “Shorty got a lot in her bucket list / I give her number one, she need a bucket quick / And when we done, she feel me like a majesty”.

One thing I like about Rema’s sound is his continual experimentation of sound and that again was explored on the bridge of Soundgasm, he goes full-on asmr whispering: “Baby girl your body is my medicine
Sweet baby melanin sweeter than sugarcane / If I hickey, hickey on her neck / Sex like a gangster, one my face, innocent” before going fully uncensored on the next few lines.

From the strings to the conspicuous baseline to the intermediary Afrobeat sample, London worked his magic on the production for Soundgasm. An excellent job from both of them, Rema and London.

Listen to Soundgasm. The music video for Rema’s latest banger currently premieres on Apple Music. It should be up for streaming on YouTube and other platforms anytime from 12 PM WAT today.