As usual, New Music Friday came with a lot of bangers from top mainstream artists and underground acts trying to break into the scene.
Acts like Davido, Tiwa Savage, Young Jonn, Crayon, Mr Eazi and Phyno put out fresh music for fans to consume and enjoy.
Here’s a review of songs that dropped on Friday, and what we score them.
Davido, YG Marley – Awuke
Davido has been in the news for his everlasting beef with Wizkid, and they are finally responding to it by dropping music. Awuke has been heavily anticipated by fans of both artists, and it finally arrived on Friday.
The record starts with a very colourful tone, with guitars accompanying the melodies laid down by the producer. Davido opens the floor with “I must tell my mommy for you”, and the rest of the song is easily predictable.
The song follows through with a bouncy vibe, till the bridge where he combines lamba with production to deliver what sounds like a part of the song curated to fit the TikTok wave. YG follows with one of the laziest performances we’ve seen from foreign artists on Afrobeats in a while.
The synergy between both artists is seriously lacking, and at no point do they feel connected. The highlight of the song is “Your body na fire gan, you body na chairman I loyal gan”, and it’s obvious in the promotion of the record.
TikTok celebrities have taken that part of the record and amplified it on the platform in what looks like an attempt to have an ‘Unavailable’ moment again.
In summary, the record falls short of expectations musically. It sounds like a bop that’d stay in the market till January due to the period it was released and the superstar level of artists carrying the record, but it doesn’t feel like more than that. Coming off a spectacular sonic direction on Timeless, Awuke feels like a step back into the past for Davido.
Song Rating: Average
Delivery – 1
Production – 1
Satisfaction – 1.2
Songwriting – 1
Execution Of Release – 0.8
Total – 5/10
Fido & Tiwa Savage – Awolowo Remix
Fido’s Awolowo turned out to be one of the biggest singles of the year. Many claimed that the song did not need a remix, but many also did not understand the purpose of remixes.
Sometimes it’s to penetrate a new demographic or audience, sometimes it’s for a co-sign moment and to uplift your superstar status. Other times, it’s for the beauty of the song.
Awolowo is already familiar to the ears of the listeners, so it would be hard for a remix to justify its existence to listeners. After the chorus, Tiwa steps in and brings a new vibe to the song. She’s calm and collected and sounds like she’s confident in what she’s saying.
The song is evidently Fido’s world, but she does a good enough job of finding herself in it. While I think the original version would continue to outperform the remix, it’s a good musical composition. It certainly is giving Fido more female listeners, and it’s on him to convert them into fans.
Song Rating: GoodDelivery – 1.7
Production – 1.6
Satisfaction – 1.3
Songwriting – 1.5
Execution Of Release – 1
Total – 7.1/10
Shallipopi & Olamide – Order
Shallipopi has had enough to make him stay relevant, but his 2024 is struggling compared to his 2023. His last nationwide hit was Cast, and Order threatens to recreate that.
The first thing to stand out on this record is the heavy Rema influence. From the beat to Shallipopi’s delivery, the composition sounds like something that didn’t make the Final Cut for Rema’s sophomore album.
The record also sounds like Shallipopi is chasing a hit. You can hear the “I’m making a hit song” phase in the feeling that comes with the song. It’s common for artists trying to stay at the top and whether it’s a good thing or a bad one is inconsequential to me.
His delivery has improved, and the choice of Olamide as the featured artist is genius. One thing is certain, ‘Benin Boys’ definitely left something in Shallipopi’s creative mind. Order promises to be a potential nightlife banger, and one can only wait to see if it lives up to its expectations.
The sample of Obapluto at the end is also genius and interesting.
Song Rating: Potential Banger
Delivery – 1.7
Production – 1.6
Satisfaction – 1.5
Songwriting – 1.5
Execution Of Release – 1
Total – 7.3/10
Crayon & Young Jonn – You
Crayon and Young Jonn combine to deliver a catchy song, but it still feels unfinished. ‘You’ sounds like someone in the studio caught a melody that ended up as the chorus, and everyone tried to build a verse around that.
While the hook of the song is incredibly strong and promises to sink into the ears of listeners easily if promoted properly, the rest of the song is very passive and easily skippable. You might just end up as one of the collaborations to drop between big artists in 2024, nothing more.
A waste of a potential love story.
Song Rating: Above average
Delivery – 1.5
Production – 1.4
Satisfaction – 1.6
Songwriting – 1.3
Execution Of Release – 1
Total – 6.3/10
Timiie & Taves – Tell me
I personally believe this was the best song to drop on Friday, and it further proves my point that the best music in the genre comes from the underground acts. Timiie has had a very decent year and Tell Me is one of the lead singles on his forthcoming EP.
Taves has been on a spectacular feature run and extends it on this record. Melodically, it’s eargasm.
Timiie’s brand is built on melodies and he shows why again. The opening line “How I go lose faith inside Njideekah, Ocean spirit maami don lost me put for water” sounds like African poetry, and there’s more about the record I could go on about.
Song Rating: Banger
Delivery – 1.9
Production – 1.7
Satisfaction – 1.8
Songwriting – 2
Execution Of Release – 1.6
Total – 9/10
