Album Review: Phyno Gets Too Comfortable on Something to Live For
The Nigerian rapper and singer returns with his fourth studio album filled with afro-pop, highlife and hip-hop numbers.
Phyno has come a long way since his 2014 debut album No Guts No Glory, which launched his career as a flawless Igbo rapper and producer. On subsequent projects, such as 2016’s The PlayMaker and 2019’s Deal with It, he showcased his singing talent and scored hits like “Connect” and the Olamide-assisted “Fada Fada.” Through it all, he strengthened his label Penthauze with new-school acts like Cheque, Nuno Zigi and Rhatti. By all parameters, Phyno has amassed success.
On his newest 16-track LP Something to Live For, Phyno shows he is not ready to take his foot off the pedal. He is an artiste who, even though he chases the high of successful singles, never forgets to compile a body of work for his fans. However, on this project, a sense that Phyno, sadly, hasn’t found any creative challenge to conquer creeps in.
He starts the project “Chizoba,” which features the highlife band The Cavemen. On the piano chords-backed song, Phyno passionately raps about the challenges he faced in the early days of his career and how he has made a success of himself. The Cavemen. give colour to the song with their joyful ululations. On the TYMG-produced “Stacks,” Phyno boasts about the numerous bundles of money at his disposal.
Nigerian singer Peruzzi makes an appearance on the dancehall-influenced “Belong To You” as he and Phyno promise loyalty to their love interests. Phyno’s friend and longtime collaborator Olamide joins him on the pop number “Do You Wrong,” wherein they serenade their lovers with words of affection. On “Paracetamol” and “Love Me Right,” which features Nigerian singer and 2017 The Voice Nigeria finalist J'Dess, Phyno puts his lover boy side on display.
Nigerian singer Jay Teazer is efficient on the afro-pop number “No Love” as he sings about a woman who doesn’t want love but wants a good time. Canadian singer Anjulie merges with Phyno on “Ain’t Nobody” to create a sex-filled pop number. “Ain’t nobody taste like me/Curse like me/Kiss like me,” she sings.
“Sometimes I want all the love/Sometimes I wan dey alone/But I just want peace of mind,” Phyno sings on the Rexxie-produced “All the Smoke.” On “Ghetto,” he ruminates on the importance of hard work and striving to escape poverty. He extends an invitation to American rapper D Smoke on “I Do This.” On the banging hip-hop beat, both artistes share their reasons why they strive to be successful in their careers—one of them being the urge to provide a better livelihood for their family. On the highlife number “Winner,” Phyno is thankful to God as he celebrates his successes.
Amapiano comes to the fore on “Onye Nwa” as Phyno delivers witty, street-smart lines. “Ikepentecost,” which features Nigerian singer Flavour, shares similarities with Flavour’s “Doings” and “Levels”: it is up-tempo highlife music made for big occasions and produced by Nigerian music producer Masterkraft. On “Bia,” Phyno offers gratitude to God and calls down blessings from the heavens.
Music producer Flengy works magic on the trap-influenced “Gold Medal,” which features up-and-coming Nigerian rapper BEEPEE and Ghanaian rapper Pappy Kojo. He sweetens the bass-heavy beat with flute melodies. BEEPEE and Pappy Kojo bring their A-game with verses rich with punch lines and suaveness as they boast of their rapper lifestyles.
There are no bad songs on Something to Live For. But there are a small number of exceptional songs. Most of the songs feel like iterations of Phyno’s previous works. On the project, his industriousness, which rightfully deserves applause, would have benefited a great deal from the creative spark that would have breathed freshness to his artistry.
Go HERE to stream Something to Live For.
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