DIPP – The Future Is Now [Album Review]

By Ayomide Tayo

Good things happen to those who wait. It’s been a long and tough journey for DIPP since he introduced himself with Dangerous feat M.I in 2007. While M.I has blown into a superstar he has had to wait for his time. 4 years after, the pop singer releases his solid debut Future Is Now.

As the title implies, the LP is made up of tracks that buck the trend. His style of pop is a sharp contrast from the songs that clutter our airwaves. Pop Off Selecta, Which Is The Way and Kosorombe featuring Da Grin already show that DIPP will thread his own path rather than bow to the conventional ways of producing music. Future Is Now boasts of grand production mainly from Sossick and E-Kelly who help DIPP construct pop ditties of stadium status.

The set starts with the Fly Away produced by E-Kelly. With E-Kelly’s colourful work on the keyboard, Fly Away is pure escapism embedded in an MP3 file. E-Kelly’s solid production also shines on Follow Me Go where he sings about your girlfriend wanting to follow him home after the show.

DIPP likes to dance and on this album you better have your dancing shoes. Good Girls feat YQ is the grooviest song on the collection. With YQ setting up the rhythm of the song, E-Kelly (once again) and DIPP’s flow, Good Girls is the best song on the album. The only thing better than it is Good Girls remix featuring Muna, Blaise and Kel. On Fire The Club featuring Maytronomy and Aku, he relies on Sossick’s David Guetta’s style of production to set your speakers on fire.

It’s not all dance in this journey to the future. DIPP makes necessary detours along the way. Which Is The Way is a strong conscious song about the ills in the world and encouraging you not to lose hope. On the romantic side of things DIPP composes a love ballad titled I Do which shows another side of the pop singer. With some of his songs flying over the kedu-kedu listening public, I Do caters to this demographic. Far from sloppy it is a moving wedding song that highlights this singer’s versatility.

In the love department he excels also. His duet with Waje on Jezebel is right up there. Waje’s performance is faultless. The reworked Jeje starts off with a Krump beat then delves into an R and B beat which he uses for serenading. If Jeje is the foreplay the Rock Ya Body with Yemi Alade is the real deal. The song produced by E-Kelly doesn’t hide its attempt at making panties drop. Playing this track a couple of times will make a woman all hot and bothered.

The future is not all bright; there are a few dark clouds in the sky. The male version of Good Girls featuring Maytronomy, Beazy, Ill Bliss and Mode 9 doesn’t come off as smooth as the female version. Snow In Africa feels a bit awkward with its South African vibe and Pop Off Selecta feels too grand, epic and complex to grasp.

He might not have a wide range vocally but he uses what he has to great effect. The general consensus is that he is a better dancer than a singer but this album will make you think twice.

At the end of the journey, DIPP successfully brings the future into today’s contemporary scene. The album boldly goes to a place where most Nigerian artistes are afraid to venture into. It is bold, daring and challenging. If you unplug your minds from the matrix you will see the future DIPP is talking or rather singing about.

Rating – 3.5/5.