A lot of rappers claim not to give a fuck. They snarl and posture, wanting, even needing us to believe that they’re tough. They bark and they’re brash in hopes of us buying into their image. We play along if the music is fire, turning a blind eye to that quivering lip when they snarl or ignoring the shakiness in that bark. We hear these rappers and even if we don’t believe them, it’s alright. Blaqbonez is not one of those rappers.
The young Nigerian rapper recently released ‘Bad Boy Blaq Re-Up’ a supplementary album to his 2018 album ‘Bad Boy Blaq’. Featuring remixes to several songs on ‘Bad Boy Blaq’ and 4 new songs, the re-up is a perfect treat for his rapidly growing fanbase. ‘Bad Boy Blaq’ was a declaration of Blaqbonez’ status as one of the leaders in the new school of Nigerian rap. At their darkest, Blaq’s songs are grimy and claustrophobic. The beats are dark with a deft bounce, hitting like a clean uppercut to the jaw. On ‘Denied’ he spits “I’m so ahead of my time, 2018 held me back” with an iciness to his tone that screams disdain for anyone that would doubt him. When he says he cannot be denied, you know he’s not fucking around.
Even though he has the ability to make menacing bangers almost effortlessly, Blaqbonez is a versatile artist, displaying the range of his musicality throughout ‘Bad Boy Blaq’. ‘Mamiwota’ is a vibrant homage to Fela, with Blaq confidently spitting bars about his efforts to win the affection of a woman that’s caught his eye. It’s the kind of song that’s perfect for a drunk summer evening, when everything ceases to exist but the dancefloor. Blaq switches through sounds and styles with ease, able to make a sultry ode to gaining consent before sex on one song, followed by a steely posse cut including a graphic depiction of sex with a rival’s girlfriend. Even though we’re presented with multiple versions of Blaq, each one comes across as authentic in it’s own right. There’s no room to question him because musically speaking, he contains multitudes.
The re-up shows that Blaq’s trajectory is going to continue moving upwards quickly in 2019. On intro ‘No Longer Stupid’, he’s in a reflective mood, looking back on his rise, understanding that he’s in a position to do something special. The remixes of songs like ‘Denied’ and ‘Play’ puts Blaq on songs with other new school rappers like Dremo, YCEE, and Psycho YP. It’s great to see all this talent together as they bring the best out of each other showing that the future of rap in Nigeria is in good hands. ‘Nikes’ is a serious standout track, with PrettyBoyDO and Blaq linking up and displaying serious chemistry. PrettyBoyDO drops what might be the best verse of his young career while Blaq raps with his trademark cool, the thumping production unable to faze either of them. The re-up is able to revisit and enhance some of Blaq’s earlier work while including songs that touch upon the different aspects of his sounds, making it great for old fans and newcomers alike.
“Let’s have that conversation”. These are the first words Blaq utters on ‘Bxtch’, the outro to the re-up. He’s ready to call out all the people that doubted and disrespected him while he was trying to make it. That is the kind of confidence that comes from knowing that you’re one of the top rappers in your country. It’s the kind of confidence that comes from putting the hours in, when nobody was looking, when you couldn’t get anyone to listen to your songs. Blaqbonez is having a moment and he knows it. Check his social media and you can see that he’s deservedly enjoying it. A new generation of musicians is coming to the forefront in Nigeria and when it comes to rap, Blaq would put himself against anyone for the crown. I would too. Let’s have that conversation.
