Album - UY SCUTI
Mood - Funky, Relaxed, Chill, Sexual
Genre - Pop, Reggae, Afropop, RnB, Dancehall, Caribbean
Songwriters - Olamide, Jaywillz, Fave, Layydoe, Phyno
Runtime - 28 minutes
Tracks - 10
Producers - P.Prime , Ezkeezondbeat
Label - YBNL/Empire
Features - Jaywillz, LayyDoe, Fireboy, Fave, Phyno
Release date: 18th June, 2021

UY SCUTI IS OLAMIDE’S Eleventh studio album and a follow up to his 2020 critically acclaimed album ‘CARPE DIEM’. The album is named after one of the biggest stars in the universe and metaphorically represents a continuation in the new artistic direction of Olamide, one of Africa’s biggest music stars.

1) Need For Speed - On New for Speed, Olamide offers us one of the best album intros we have witnessed in his career run. With a smooth beat delivered by P.prime and Ezkeezondbeat coupled with scintillating fireboy background vocals, Olamide narrates his experience on the streets of Lagos as a hustler. He realises that there is no time and he has to beat the traffic to chase the bag while reminiscing on the relatable story of the rich supposedly oppressing the poor (cars splashing water on passers-by) when he was young. No one is to blame as everybody is just focused on getting their hustle up. The track is a hustler’s anthem persuading listeners to get up and chase their goals regardless of their background and limitations. Lyrics is top notch as Olamide sings ‘hustle got me high, steady grinding for the doe, destination far, time is flying no be small’, trying to chase my dreams, Lagos traffic makes it slow’.

2) Jailer – Olamide employs the services of a Kizz Daniel reminiscient vocalist by name Jaywillz. On the feel-good track that merges the features of Afrobeats and Caribbean music, Jaywillz delivers an excellent hook pleading with the beautiful lady who has placed him in a love jail never to release him. Olamide oozes through the track with funky rhymes further emphasizing the prison warder powers this young lady who is the subject of the track possesses. A good track with solid production from Ezkeez.

3) Rock - Another fantastic track produced by the producer Eskeez. This is one of the tracks released as a single before the album. Nigerian ladies especially love the track as Olamide sings ‘ma lo fe broke nixxx, fight for your life (don’t marry a broke man, fight for your life). Olamide admonishes the ladies to marinate in good music and enjoy themselves as he wants them to rock and chill. This track is one for the exclusively rich folks, sipping a glass of wine and dancing salsa on a yacht in Dubai. The new Olamide is evidently seen on the track delivering witty and enjoyable lines as he sings ‘girl i just want make we rock, like ice water, mio mo bo se gbe body’.

4) Julie - The Julie track is pure Caribbean vibes. Olamide continues on the love theme which is predominant on the album. On this track, Olamide sings about a mystery lady named Julie and the love she shows him. Julie is an outstanding track and a potential monster hit. Solid production by the usual suspect Ezkeez and Olamide did justice to the melody.

5) Rough Up feat Layydoe - Just like his 999 Ep, Olamde is using Uy Scuti to market new rising stars. a feat that is very commendable. On this joint, he features singer, LAYYDOE. This is pure dancehall music, a genre which we are very surprise to see Olamide shine. Olamide is using UY SCUTI to prove a point and so far, he is proving it well. Olamide credits the inspiration of this track to a 90’s dancehall playlist he discovered on a road trip and Layddoe puts up perhaps the most impressive guest verse and hook on the album with a dancehall vibe not witnessed in the Nigerian music scene since the Cynthia Morgan era.

6) Want featuring Fave – Olamide the lover boy continues on his mesmerizing run. He delivers most of his lines in English on this track as he sings about his wants for the pretty lady he desires. Fave sings of wanting a little of her lover’s love, touch and special nature. This track is one for the romance playlist and sex playlist definitely as Olamide says ‘picture me grabbing your booty, mwah mwah, I hope you write back’. Ouuh !!!

7) Pon Pon featuring Fave – Pon pon sees Olamide and fave ride through the hook seamlessly. Another baby making music for activities under the sheet as olamide promises the lady he would do her what Big Sean does jhene aiko. The pon pon resonates with a rhythmic whining of the waist and is a potential hit from the album if well promoted. Olamide needs a video for this song asap. A proper banger. Fave is impressive with her features on the album and ezkeez is showing that his productions are refined and classy.

8 ) Cup of Tea - One word, HIT. This has the potential to be a mega mega hit. Olamide gives us a bit of his old self as he promises to protect the lady of his dreams because the lady remains his priority and his cup of tea. While it is mid-tempo like majority of the album, Olamide delivers Naija influenced melodies and the lingual he is known for on the track as he sings ‘sho sho sho’ (a Yoruba lingua for cover). This track can be a proper club hit.

9) Somebody featuring Phyno - Olamide talks about loving somebody that will make him need nobody and choosing the same girl over and over again despite the different girls he encounters on his sojourn across the world. Phyno delivers in English language majorly as he sings about giving his lady the best treatment. Mixed feelings about this track as the duo have put up much more better performances in the past.

10) So much More - Perhaps the most conscious track on the album, Olamide dedicates this to the women folk and assures them that they are more than enough. He effortlessly bounces on the reggae beat telling the ladies to wipe their tears and cry no more. This track is classic and Olamide does justice by delivering thoughtful and well written lyrics. A perfect ending to the album.

CONCLUSION

It is clear that the album is targeted towards penetrating the international market especially the Caribbean as Olamide flexes his versatility on music genres mainly accepted by the international market. Unlike his previous projects, UY SCUTI contains majorly mid-tempo – slow tempo songs as Olamide switches between RnB, Afropop, Dancehall, Reggae and Afrobeats, all while maintaining a calm demeanour and delivery, a trait which is a clear deviation from the Olamide of the streets in albums like BGEL and YBNL. Olamide also delivers the lyrics of the album in 80% English language, a move which is very good and highly welcomed to eliminate the erroneous perception by some quarters that he is a local rapper that can only put out a successful album in Yoruba language.

The album is cohesive in light of the theme as olamide focuses on the concepts of love, hustle and appraisal of the women folks while ensuring the themes are reflected on the album tracks with a calm, relaxed and chilled mood inherent. The length of the album is also to be noted as this is olamide’s shortest album in terms of runtime at only 28 minutes and 10 tracks.

Olamide has set out to prove some points with this album. This shows he is at a space in his successful career where he can relax and create his own rules while comfortably experimenting new sounds. Another point is to show that his versatility as an artiste should never be doubted as he easily switches between genres and effortlessly commands the use of English language on the album.

The short run time is also very calculated as he definitely wants to make more money as regards streaming especially when the repeat value of the tracks is high, a move which will definitely play out well looking at the quality of the songs on the album. Olamide proves that the choice of the album title is not a fluke. The album indeed lived up to its name in terms of excellent and refreshing music production, above average lyrical content, cohesiveness, track arrangement, guest features, mixing and mastering, artistic direction and versatility. Worthy of note is the guest features which is very impressive as Olamide aims to uplift the rising stars and put them out on a proper platform. The producer that produced the entire album, Ezkeezondbeat, is also relatively new and it must be said that he did an exceedingly wonderful job with the music production on the album especially as such beats were crafted for an artiste like olamide who is quite new to the genre of music explored on the album.

On a final note, UY SCUTI is the beginning of Olamide Global domination and international ascension and at this stage in his over 10 years music career, it is what he truly deserves.

Album rating : 9/10

Written by iamsynord

Magdivah:
I'm interested, magdivah@gmail.com. thanks

Workch:
really? Interesting

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SeyiAyorinde:
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