Album Review: Llona’s Homeless is His Shelter Against Life’s Chaos
The Nigerian act is unafraid to show his vulnerabilities and share his story.
In the vibrant Nigerian music industry, artists spend years hoping for a hit song, angling for a spot in the mainstream. Many eventually find that song that catapults their careers to new, high levels, and many more don’t. Years ago, Michael Ajuma Attah went by the stage name TooClassiq, scoring a viral moment with the “Okay” and a feature with Lyta. “We dropped the song, and it took off but then, the song left me behind,” he told WeTalkSound. After years stuck in limbo, Attah rebranded into Llona—pronounced as “loner”—and in 2022, he debuted his single, “Nobody.” As Llona, Attah dug into his emotions and his life experiences in Abuja and Kaduna. His 2023 single “HBP” would gain traction and a feature from Bella Shmurda, drawing listeners to his brand of true-life evocations.
As the title of his debut album exhibits, Llona’s Homeless embraces forlornness, situating itself in the gap where millions of Nigerians reside and face pressing issues from unemployment to food scarcity to insecurity to mental health. “I’ve seen people fallin’ on my way up/Sometimes I lost it but I stayed tough (When I'm)/Runnin’ and runnin’ like a stray dog/Death is the only thing that saves us,” he sings on “Still Scared.” Llona is unafraid to show his vulnerabilities and share his story, finding strength in communing with listeners. On “Can’t Breathe,” Llona shows us his mind’s inner workings and observations on happenings around him. “Oh men, I can’t breathe/Tell my nigga say I can’t eat/And I no fit enter this road ‘cause of bandit/Understand me/Before you quick contraband me,” he sings.
On previously released tracks, “Comforter,” “Another Day,” and “Cold War,” Llona pushes the lens closer to himself. On “Comforter,” Llona reveals that marijuana offers him a soft landing whenever the pressures of life hit him. “Call my mama say her pikin don suffer/Only my dealer be my comforter,” he sings. “Another day” is the anthem of the everyday Nigerian pushing through hardships with the belief that their breakthrough is not far away. On “Cold War” with FAVE, Llona acknowledges the wrongs he has suffered, and he and FAVE insist they only have themselves, with her singing, “Man, I heard them say they don’t believe/Shoulda learned quicker/I’m my own believer.”
Llona’s Homeless is a new addition to the sad-boys subgenre of Nigerian music. It is a close companion to Omah Lay’s stellar 2022 debut album, Boy Alone, in the way it’s heavily personal and heartfelt. On “Forgive Me,” Llona is at his lowest as he seeks forgiveness from family, friends and his music. On Homeless, Llona gives his music a personal touch; it’s one of the endearing qualities of the album. Throughout the project, he drops clues as to how crucial his success with his music is. “No real friends when I was not all like this/Chase music when nothing dey for my jeans,” he sings on “Cold War”; on “Another Day,” he intones, “Jah na only you wey dey understand me/Say na only music I no get plan B.”
While the soundscape of Homeless is measured and restrained, with mellow drums and haunting reverbs, Llona and the producers keep the album interesting. A spoken word performance—sprinkled across the project—begins “Commander” with Wizard Chan, which bounces with Hip/Hop and R&B undertones. “Stranger” has an 80s/90s-influenced tone with its shimmering synths. “Rollercoaster” is a genre-fluid track produced by Che and Tuzi, where Llona ruminates about the tides of life. On Homeless, Llona and the music producers give the album a clear focus, thematically and sonically, ensuring nothing stands out incorrectly.
When Llona pushes his attention to a love interest on “Gangsta Love Letter,” the admissions of romance are still tainted with the roughness of his life on the streets. It’s as though he’s saying that with happenings in the country, both the easy and challenging moments can hardly be separated. Llona is a firm advocate of therapy as a means to deal with mental health issues; here, Homeless is his therapy, a home for both him and the listeners to strip away the pretence and stare deep at the face of difficulties, and in turn, find pockets of momentary yet satisfying peace.
Go HERE to stream Homeless.
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