Album Review: Olamide retains seat on the throne with 'Street OT'

By ‘Dayo Showemimo

Album – ‘Street OT’

Artiste – Olamide

Record Label – YBNL

Featured Artistes: Pasuma, Lil Kesh, Viktoh, Don Jazzy, Chinko Ekun, Phyno, Reminisce, B-banks, Pepenazi and Chuka.

Producers: Pheelz, Young John and B Banks

Year – 2014

As an indigenous language rapper with an appreciable level of commercial success, dropping 4 good albums in 4 years is no mean feat. Whoever does it (and does it well) deserves resounding applause.

With the release of Street OT, Olamide has proven beyond all reasonable doubts that his success in the music industry is no fluke. Dropping the 4th album in four years obviously requires an appreciable level of hard work, consistency, dedication and self-confidence, qualities that Olamide seems to possess in abundance.

Born Olamide Adedeji, the rapper dropped his 4th studio album on Friday, November 14, 2014 and the 21-track album features artistes like Pasuma, Lil Kesh, Viktoh, Don Jazzy, Chinko Ekun, Phyno, Reminisce, B-banks, Pepenazi and Chuka.

The Album #Street OT’

When you buy an album tilted Street OT (Street Orientation by an indigenous language rapper, you are definitely not expecting to hear a Kendrick Lamar kind of flow. A rapper once said: ‘Kendrick Lamar raps in English to English people who understands his flow and culture.’ So it’s safe to say Olamide retains his indigenous rap style and he sure delivered lyrically and otherwise.

Four Albums in Four years

Olamide was born on March 15, 1989, which means he’s just 25 years old. He began his career as a studio rat at ID Cabasa’s Coded Tunes studio. On record, his first ever released song was a Dagrin tribute song in which he featured AB Crazy. After that, he released ‘Eni Duro’ in August 2010 and boom….. He hit it just like that. Since then, it’s been a tale of remarkable success all the way. His debut album, Rapsodi was released in 2011. In 2012, he dropped YBNL (Yahoo Boy No Laptop) and by 2013, he released Baddest Guy Ever Liveth before his latest offering titled Street OT.

Pheelz, Mr Producer

Contrary to gists flying around that Olamide has parted ways with his teenage producer Pheelz (Phillip Moses), the gist is Pheelz produced 15 tracks from a total of 21 tracks in the album while other producers on the album are B Banks and Young John. Pheelz was born in Lagos on June 5, 1994, he’s just 20 years old but has produced monster hit songs like ‘Durosoke,’ ‘First Of All,’ ‘Anifowose,’ ‘Eleda Mi’ and others.

Olamide’s rap style

Perhaps the standard way of describing Olamide’s rap style is ‘indigenous language rap’ but as a critic and fan, it’s difficult to call him just a rapper, because within the rap genre, Olamide does everything – he raps, tongue twists, he rhymes very well, and goes in  hard when he decides to go local, he basically does everything in the book of rap and more. He makes the art of rapping and making music look too easy.

Are the curses a little too much?

Apart from the great quality of the album, something else that stands out from Street OT are a string of curses and abusive words. Olamide went hard, (maybe too hard) on this album and it becomes a little scary when you listen to an album with repeated curses directed to no one in particular.

1999

1999 is the 13 track on the album. This particular track stands out in many ways, first because it’s a true life story that narrates how Olamide almost lost his father to an armed robbery attack when robbers invaded their house back in 1999. His dad was shot by the robbers but only managed to survive, and according to Olamide, the incident provided the building blocks of his determination to hustle hard and become a man. 1999 is a slow and melodic tune that goes deep into one’s spirit with every word.  This track would easily pass as the sanest song on the album

Conclusion

Olamide might not have come into the game with a visible business plan but he’s stayed true and loyal to his chosen genre, he’s loved by the street. And as a he business man, he began investing in young talents as a back-up plan. In 2014, he signed two Bariga-born artistes Lil Kesh and Victor who have both made reasonable impact in just a period of 9 months since they joined YBNL.

Olamide loves the street and the street reciprocates the gesture, and with the release of his 4th studio album, he takes a step further towards attaining the iconic status in the Nigerian music industry.

Rating: 3.5/5