Oxlade properly broke into the mainstream in 2019. He was one of the most interesting acts at the time, and everyone was eager to hear more from the ‘next best vocalist since Wande Coal.’
His debut EP Oxygene was a success and the hit single, Away registered him in the hearts of Nigerians permanently. Everyone wanted more.
2021 saw Oxlade drop his second Extended Play, one that was met with mixed reactions from the public. What I consider to be Oxlade’s best expression of himself on a body of work, Eclipse provided what looked like the evolution of his sound. His synergy with the producer unearthed sides of him not yet seen by the public. Everyone wanted more, still.
OFA, his debut album, was finally given to the world on Friday 20th September 2024 and something is wrong. Oxlade’s project suffers from a wide range of issues, with the most dominant one being the timing of the project’s release. One would expect that in a year where everyone seems to be serious with the quality of music, they are putting out, Ox would pay attention to that and focus on releasing the album with enough substance and at the right time. Many music critics share the opinion that Oxlade chose the wrong time to release his debut album.
The album seems to be curated to have a very African theme, or at least that’s what it looks like. From the sound selection to the chants and interludes, the choice of collaborations, art direction and even the title, Oxlade seems to be very intentional in stamping his identity as Oxlade from Africa. However, the direction of the project does not come off as it was intended to. The track listing and storytelling feel off, as we have a heartbreak song coming right after he defines himself on the first two songs on the project.
Though God’s time is the best, OFA feels incredibly late. It comes two years after Oxlade had his shot at global operations with KULOSA. Understanding how patient he was in waiting for this moment, many expected him to seize it with both hands and tie his debut to this opportunity, as the world will definitely want to draw closer to the source.
It boiled down to the big question of how he builds up on the KULOSA moment and turns it into something bigger than it already was. Unfortunately, his album was not able to leverage on that and build off the momentum of KULOSA. It had to stand on it’s own and speak for itself.
The dilemma between sticking to the African theme and being a popstar looked like a big problem for the artist. He sounded torn between two worlds, sounding like the next Afrobeats popstar or the leader of African music. He chose to collaborate with ‘African superstars’. Old artists in the game that are tilted more towards the ‘African music legend’ type of brand than the typical Afrobeats popstars, or even his peers. He chose to sacrifice relevance in choosing his collaborations, opting to go for older and not so relevant anymore names in the African music space. Once again, the direction of the project creates more problems for the project.
OFA, made available to the public on the 20th of September, comes a little bit too late, and does not connect upon arrival. He adopts a Pan-Africanist motive on the first track, D PTSD Interlude where Bobi Wine puts a highlight on on Oxlade’s status as a cultural star, recounting his experience and trauma from the 2020 ENDSARS protest during which his long term friend and manager Ojahbee was arrested and tortured by corrupt policemen.
It follows up with Oxlade bragging on the second track, then being Intoxicated on the third one The album retains a familiar glimpse of the romantic side of Oxlade, but focuses more on the part of the superstar who wants to tell the public he is HIM.
The album’s quality is heavily summarized by the fact that the mostly enjoyable songs are old releases. There’s been no fresh song that came with the album that has started making conversations or building a momentum. The majority of the conversations around the album are either about the fact that he put six songs released in the past on the album or that the biggest songs on it are the old ones or that he sounds very different from the Oxlade we know.
Oxladed had his global moment in KULOSA ad sat on it for too long. His album comes a bit too late, and it does not look like it has enough to stand on it’s own. The project fails to communicate an original direction, and looks to be struggling on arrival. In an era when the young generation are putting out some of the best music on the continent for the world to consume, one can easily term this album as lazy from Oxlade.
This writer knows it is not a lazy album. It is very obvious the amount of time Oxlade spent on the album. The question is whether the time spent was channeled in the right direction. The album feels rushed, and it’s ironic considering we waited six years for this moment. At different points in his career, we experienced a better Oxlade, a more honest one, a sweeter version.
The album is without a coherent pattern of self expression. The choice to take the Pan African route sacrifices his expressions as a global popstar and thus affects the entirety of the album. From the track selection to the listing, recording and re recording of songs on the project to the execution of the album, many things are out of place. However, the presence of KULOSA and five other pre released songs allow Oxlade lay claim to the fact that his album has 410 million streams and is the second most streamed album of 2024.
Oxlade’s album does not do justice to his intentions. Things might change, but right now it feels like an album that will go as it came. The mistakes are very evident to any eye, and one can only hope that he comes back from this with a bigger bang. Till that time comes, we will make do with what’s available. We will wait.
