When the album was released in 2008, the duo of Tick Lips and Lenny had tasted the best of two worlds: this minute they were hopeless young lads, tuck in the heart of notorious port Harcourt settlements, faced with banditry, violence and a bleak future; next minute, they win a talent hunt, get a record deal and were on their way to musical stardom.
So it was only natural that they try to tell the story of their lives on an album. That’s exactly what stood them apart from other R&B/pop groups of their days.
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On ‘Press On Part 2’, the boys tackle issues as serious as slavery, freedom, and peace to the regular themes of love, romance and heartbreak.
Thanks to their label Grafton records, they had an advantage most acts their level would have given an arm and a leg for: opportunities to record in the UK (where they topped the charts, and collaborated with a couple of DJs) and impressive collaborations with MOBO winning rapper/DJ Phoebe One and Black Uhuru star Junior Reid.
They held their own, aside both acts (on ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I’m free’ respectively), showing a high dose of talent and confidence – two things that came in handy when the international doors began to open.
By this time, they already had a Channel O award (for Best R&B act Africa West), and an upcoming UK release of their album, plus a great love from critics at home and abroad. The only thing left was to see how indispensable the fans would find them in the following years.
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