EP Review: Moelogo and His Super Team Shine on ITheEP
The British-Nigerian singer offers social commentary and party vibes.
Moelogo has been around for a long time. Born in Ondo State, he moved to Lagos with his grandmother as a child. In 2001, he moved to London and, at 14, discovered a love for singing in his school music class. He had his breakthrough in 2013 with the club-friendly “Pangolo.” In 2016, he was nominated in the Best African Act category at MOBO Awards. He has collaborated with UK artistes Giggs and MoStack and African artistes Davido, Sarkodie and Adekunle Gold, and written songs for numerous artistes. Through the years, Moelogo has fashioned his music into a blend of R&B, hip-hop, jazz, trap and afrobeats.
Last year, Moelogo released two EPs ME and Myself. “I Wonder,” a track off ME, won Best Alternative Song at the 2020 Headies. The 11-track ITheEP, Moelogo’s latest project, is the final installment in the series. In Journey To ITheEP, a documentary about the project, Moelogo revealed that the recording of the EP was divided between Lagos and London. This cross-cultural merge is made clearer by the large presence of Nigerian artistes and (as well as British) producers that populate the project.
ITheEP starts with the introspective “Things Fall Apart.” Against the background of solemn guitar strings, Moelogo sings of the need for self-care; he mentions how fruitless giving to a world that only takes and never reciprocates is. “Always willing to help/When I’m lost they don’t find me/No penny in my well/I’m tired as well/The strong need love I swear,” he sings.
On “Wahala,” Moelogo and Apala disciple Qdot preach about ignoring naysayers and focusing on one’s work and winning. This message is reiterated on the afro-pop number “Who Talk,” which features Adekunle Gold and Aristokrat Records’ new signee Ria Sean. “No be everybody go like you/This na reality o my guy/No be everybody go feel you,” Adekunle Gold sings. Here, Ria Sean’s angelic voice floats over the instrumentals, evoking a hypnotic atmosphere.
“Jaiye,” which features Bella Shmurda, is a jam. Over a marriage of drums, percussion, saxophone and Fiokee’s guitar strumming, Moelogo and Bella Shmurda sing about avoiding stress and enjoying life. On the The Cavemen.-featuring “Stay Easy,” the energy from “Jaiye” is muted but the zest for life remains. A steady blast of the trumpet joins the drums and percussion. “Me I like to jolly/Fela for body/Drink pami/Put smoke for body/I no dey for bad energy ra ra o,” Moelogo sings.
Aside from life, Moelogo knows how to love women. He and Jamaican singer Krishane teamed up on the dancehall track “Fontainebleau.” They sing and entertain their lovers at the famous Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The sensual energy flows into “Goody Goody,” which features rapper-producer Alpha Ojini. The latter cleverly references the popular Nigerian candy Goody-Goody when he raps, “Goody goody the way your chocolate body wrapped in red.” That lovemaking session spills into “One Time,” which features Reekado Banks.
Throughout the record, there is a feeling that Moelogo does not trust easily and is protective of his space. On “Care About Me,” he and Big Brother Naija Season 5 winner/rapper Laycon inform the deceitful people around them that they are aware of their two-facedness. On “You Sef,” Moelogo and L.A.X. promise to reciprocate the energy that their enemies bring to them.
The closer “Boju Boju” does the opposite of “Things Fall Apart”: it fixes its gaze outwards. Moelogo narrates the predicament of the common Nigerian in the hands of the Nigerian government. “Government killing you before iku to de o/You promise people change but efun lo gbe o/Even the robin hoods dem no cover us, na who we go trust?” he sings.
When asked in Journey To ITheEP what rounding off the project meant to him, Moelogo expressed his excitement. “I feel like I have been running all my life. I’ve been through so much madness in the industry,” he said. “I made it…I crossed the line regardless; I didn’t fall, I didn’t allow anything to pull me down or stop me from doing what I love.”
Surely, ITheEP is Moelogo’s victory lap.
Go HERE to stream ITheEP.