TERRIFIC ALL ROUND DISPLAY: A REVIEW OF MEEK MILL'S WINS AND LOSSES ALBUM

Meek Mill's Meekend Music 2 EP dropped a day after Tunechi's In Tune We Trust and though Tune's Mula Gang was by miles the dopest song of both 4 track  EPs (Wayne only laid a verse mind you), Meek had the better mixtape with 3 good songs out of 4 in Organized Chaos,Save Me and Young Nigga Dreams as against only one solid for Wayne in Mula Gang and a 'well,well' track in Loyalty.

Meek rightly earned our anticipation for the Wins and Losses album and when it dropped, it blew to bits.Not that Meek had been a bad rapper prior,its more down to the sheer quality of this work.
We witnessed a huge Meek step up in Dreams Worth More Than Money where he worked on his weaknesses and utilized his strengths to become a better all round Mc.In Wins and Losses,he sounds accustomed to being just that and even goes on to try his hands at new things.Yea,Meek sings now.
He opens the album with the title track,Wins and Losses and like it suggests,Meek has elevated from a dreamer to being thick in the mix.He chops it down in thumping Meek fashion.."Wins and losses come with being bosses....Top of the food chain,head of commission,we breaking niggas without permission".You should get the memo.
He sounds far more comfortable speaking from deep and on Price and Heavy Heart,we see a Meek speaking introspectively to captivating effect about the challenges being him and not only the long ride to where he's at like old Meek would.
1942 Flows is a lot like both songs albeit a bit more edgy.He has being on a lyrical ascent since DWMTM and he puts that to good use as he tells you a gripping tale with a strong message for his haters.He renders what is perhaps the best singing performance of 'grown' Meek on the hook and he drops some lines on his ex-Nicki Minaj as well..."Ain't doing no interviews,i'm busy,nigga we litty/So when you see me out don't ask me about no Nicki/F**k i look like telling my business on Wendy/Niggas gossip like Queens,we was serving fiends".He jumps on Jigga's Momma Loves Me Instrumental alongside The Dream for YBA (Young Black America), an arresting walk through the tribulations of the young black american.A single off this LP and it played a huge part in the anxious wait for Meek.Epic stuff.
He takes grieving to new heights on We Ball where he reminisces on Lil Snupe and his other lost soldiers by doing it major for them.He solicits Young Thug for this great tune and Thugga did get his 'sober' on real nice.Further proof of Meek's comfort in the growth zone is packed in Never Lose which is one of the best songs of the album.Meek gets on beast mode delivery and his guest,Lihtz Kamraz supplies him a bomb of a hook.Meek reminds you he is one of the very few rappers in the game with a distinctive style and it happens to be one that places less emphasis on lyrics and he makes you very appreciative of him for going through the trouble of dropping enough catchy lines.Watch out for Lihtz Kamraz.Cut out for really huge things.
Meek drops some really tight bars on Issues and matches it with some great singing.Save Me off Meekend Music 2 already gave a hint as to a more versatile Meek and it felt great to see him sync the new and old aspects to his game on this song.
And talking about old Meek, he reassures you he still speaks up tempo just as fluently as anyone in the game.He recruits Quavo for Ball Player and he puts his talents to stupendous use.Hard to stay put when this comes on.
Lil Uzi Vert joins him for the trappy Fuck That Check Up where Meek struts major with a classy hook to match.Glow Up completes the roll call of 'built for speakers' songs that make you want to bribe a DJ before clubbing on a Friday night.
He brings his street soldier status to the fore on the hard-hitting Connect The Dots where he features Yo Gotti and Rick Ross.It oozes a mind-blowing grittiness with all Mcs firing on all cylinders.Gotti has been killing major features lately and he follows up his outstanding verse on DJ Khaled's That Range Rover Came With Steps with another one here.Hows this for an opener-"Lets talk about the trap,lets talk about the streets/You looked up to Jordan,we looked up to Meech"?.
Meek softens up that mode for Made It From Nothing and boy,does Teyana Taylor pull those chords?.Ross was again on hand to help make this beautiful tune.
'For the ladies' may have hit a rough patch in Whatever You Need feat Chris Brown and Ty Dolla $ which certainly doesn't measure up to his previous Breezy collabo, All I Wanna Do but he makes up for that in the amazing Fall Thru where he flaunts his singing in breath-taking fashion and even ups the ante to baby making level on Open with Verse Simmonds.

Basically,Wins and Losses is an album you could bump from start to finish without skipping a single track.Meek has come of age and he deserves respect.A whole lot of it.

GOOD COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER: A REVIEW OF WIZKID'S SFTOS EP

Who releases a 12 track EP in 2017?.A Nigerian musician.Wizkid to be precise and perhaps this was what Seyi Shay meant by 'Electronic Package'.(lol).

But on a real,its just another pointer to the fact that this incredibly talented young man needs to understand the 'biz' in showbiz better than he already does.There couldn't be a better illustration than letting 4 songs and a video leak with an RCA/Sony Music deal to protect.

Without a doubt,Wizkid is Nigeria's largest ever music export and Sounds From The Other Side (SFTOS) is the only bonafide afro-international release by a Nigerian artiste.

But in the end, it all boils down to the quality of the music.Walk with me.

1.SWEET LOVE

If the goal was to score big at the onset, then Starboy did just that.He weaves his singing prowess round heavy Fela and Bob Marley influences to make a great afro-beat song.On his day,when he rides the tempo perfectly all the way to the chorus,Wiz can make you sing along to just about anything.

Theres a slight let off at the end however, when he refuses to stop at Fela's original Shakara lyrics but goes on to distort it with a scream and some out-of-tune words of his own.Nonetheless this song speaks impressively of Wizkid's ability to soar in the International market on his own terms.Afro-beat with some Marley says a lot.

2.COME CLOSER (feat Drake)

This would have been the most anticipated song of the EP or a perfect 'days before' single if a leak hadn't necessitated an early official release.Upping the ante doesn't come any better than Dreezy on a track.

To the topic, this would have been a much better song if Wizkid had gotten his verses right.The beat and hook suggest Wiz had Drake in mind all through the cooking process but when Drake comes on, he reminds just how much he puts into songs like this to make them work and Starboy needs to learn a thing or 2 from that.The first verse which isn't as horrible as the second highlights just how key delivery is.There were a few catchy lines that would have sounded better with the right modus.An average ragga verse and a way-out-of mark second help Wiz put a great beat and infectious chorus to awful waste.A singing Wiz on the second verse would have helped switched things up for the better.

3.NAUGHTY RIDE (feat Major Lazer)

Is it just me or is there anybody else who couldn't seem to find Major Lazer any where on this track?.Trust me i tried real hard.

Well, its a quite decent effort where Wiz tries to match his real elements with the need to sound global in awesome style.A throwback to the Wiz that could rap,sing and chant a single line all day and still have you love the song to bits.

But Starboy is making Sony type music for an international market and it would help if he tones down on our 'accepted' repetitive singing pattern.The really nice 'ride naughty ride' chorus starts to give off a shallow and lazy feel when you hear him say it more than thrice.

4.AFRICAN BAD GYAL (feat Chris Brown)

Sarz is a producer i have a lot of respect for but the beat for this song was to put it in the mildest terms, too much of everything.The only point where it doesn't gurgle up the great vibe Wiz was on is at the start of the chorus where he obliges you a little window to enjoy something at least before he reverts back to status quo in time for Wiz to say "Feelin ur dancing" and shout him out for a badly done job.

And for the record, Chris Brown murdered Wizkid on an afro-pop song.Ain't that something?

5.DADDY YO (feat Efya)

Contrary to what the big labels may lecture african artistes on altering their sounds to fit into the international market, no one necessarily has to go reggae or calypso.The Latin Americans penetrated the global music scene on their own terms with reggaeton in a manner that intrigues me to no end and i was thrilled to see Wiz put its elements to awesome effect on Daddy Yo.That all too familiar drum on kick mode and a 'Latin' Efya on the chorus captivates you from the jump.

I'll still say Wiz neglected a key element to making reggaeton work; the 'Punch' factor.This song really needed that and if ever he chooses to tow this path again, i hope his voice won't sound too soft.A great effort nonetheless.Speaks volumes of Starboy's artistry.

6.ONE FOR ME (feat Ty Dolla $)

Starboy steps up his lyrical game a notch and keeps his delivery 'disciplined' to keep you enthralled from the mumble at the start to his very last words.You get a K.O at the bridge with the 'In my life' lines.From a Nigerian perspective,its pretty much one of those very rare occasions when you look forward to an artiste's verses more than you do his chorus and from a global market perspective, i would say the Ty dolla $ hook sounded a bit too slow and 'choirish' to hand the song a little more ordinary feel than it deserves.

7.PICTURE PERFECT

Wizkid blends his singing perfectly into an air-tight instrumental to drive you nuts and hit repeat on what may pretty much be the best song on the EP.His laid back vocal prowess is so out of here and its bound to have you 'feeling the wave' all through.International stuff.

I hope the eggheads at Sony's A&R department have suggested shooting a good video for this song to Wiz.It could just be the catalyst for major global recognition.

8.NOBODY

Its all good till Wiz pulls some really strung-out chords on the 'I will hold you tight' part.He spends more than a whole  minute remedying the grave misdeed only to repeat it again.Yanked a chunky piece of flavour off what is otherwise a very good song. 

9.SEXY

 Sexy is a pretty infectious tune that underscores Wiz's position as the best Fela prototype of his generation.It kicks in that 'good feel' vibe and seems destined to be a DJ favourite.In as much as i must say Spellz set Wiz up nice with a good afro-beat instrumental,we musn't forget how key the heavy use of instruments were to the acceptability of this genre home and abroad.A saxophone just had to fit somewhere in this 3:07 mins track to spicen things up.But it only played in my head.

The lady screaming an unwarranted 'Sexy' at the background was a let-off as well.I'm afraid there may be a day when Starboy's genius may not be able to make up for some shabby aspects of his composition.

10.ALL FOR LOVE (feat Bucie)

He recruits South african singer Bucie for this house music special.While i admire Wiz's balls for striving at versatility by trying out different genres, i can't help but say here he had a great idea that wasn't properly breathed life into.

Its so ridiculously shallow,you feel you can count his whole lyrics on your fingers.He owes Bucie loads for her attempt at giving it a little more life.

11.DIRTY WINE (feat Ty Dolla $)

Ty did come through for Wiz on this one in some style.He complements him on a hook made for the dance floor and Starboy was tight with the verses.

Production could be much better though.There is a sad loss of synergy between the beat at the verses and at the hook.The surge of extra life at the chorus sounds rather too abrupt.

GBESE (feat Trey Songz)

Add the lacklustre display by Wizzy to the awful beat and you have what may very well be the worst song of this project.Who makes a beat like this in 2017 anyway?.Sad.

It totally robs this song a chance of spawning a positive at the very least.I really must shout out Trey Songz for his humility because i would ordinarily think an artiste of his calibre won't be caught dead recording on an instrumental like this.

After all said and done,Wizkid made a good EP that could have been much better.

LUIS ENRIQUE: MOVING ON FROM SUCCESS AT A SAD COST

Luis Enrique won a treble in his first season as Fc Barcelona Coach and in the process, went on to shatter the club record haul of 40 victories in a debut season held by the only other person to have managed such,Josép Guardiola.He had won an impressive 9 out of a possible 13 trophies by the end of his 3 year stint at the club this season but what many may not have noticed is that he left the club in its worst state in years.

Altering Barça's footballing philosophy came at a huge price.Whatever fears that arose from doing so in his first year on the job were wiped out by the epic treble he won but the harsh realities have caught up and there is no running away from them.

Luis Enrique shed some of the close and compact passing for a looser style that allowed for longer passes and swift counter-attacks bolstered in large by the fact that half the job was getting the ball forward to any of the devastating trio of Messi,Neymar or Suarez. Barça no longer enjoyed the uninhibited luxury of closing down opponents in record time which came from having more men in spaces around the ball and keeping passes short.The defensive aspect of their game became more individualized.

Players who perhaps wouldn't have made it on board in the last dispensation were recruited especially in the midfield because they added more physicality and in all of Enrique's 3 years in charge,no player from the club's world acclaimed La Masia academy broke into the first team largely down to the fact that they were accustomed to barça's customary tikitaka style of play.No one says Ivan Rakitic,Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal aren't good players,its just that they don't belong in a club like barça.Only Rakitic would as much as get a fringe role if one must be picked.

There is far more less creativity in the middle and if not for the prolific trio of Messi,Suarez and Neymar who create and bury most of their chances, things would have gotten out of hand.

The Xavi Hernández-Andreś Iniesta partnership was one of the best the game had ever seen and it was always going to be hard to have Iniesta hit those heights with any other player but the players he has hard to work with have proved grossly inadequate.While Rakitic and Turan are better defensively in a way both aren't ,none has come close to the string-pulling genius of Xavi or Iniesta's incredible ability to weave through the opposition and create space for the attacking trio when he isn't looking to give the final pass himself.What happens is barça going forward with an Iniesta that has assumed Xavi's old role and another player behind the pointsman who compared to those before him, is a little too passive to be true.He adds nothing other than grabbing an occasional goal.

By Enrique's final season in charge, Barça had become astonishingly easy to stop as more teams had learnt to exploit the weaknesses of its style.It became much easier to defend against as all its opponents had to worry about were just the movements of MSN and it also became much more easier to attack against with a looser marking style and a porous backline to further compound its problems. Barça has always been vulnerable at the back and ironically, it was Enrique who seemed to have solved that problem in his first year but over time, Gerrard Pique has returned back to his erratic self while Jeremy Mathieu has not replicated the brilliance of his debut season and the little details still give Javier Mascherano away as an 'unnatural' centre-back; positional skills et al.Samuel Umtiti has looked promising but still needs time to mature into the perfect centre-back.He has faltered in very key games notably the one against PSG and none of the aforementioned 3 have proven capable of providing him the right leadership.Something a Carles Puyol would have done quite well.

Barça's transfer policy under Enrique was geared towards ensuring the viability of his style and now that he is no longer there,the club is left with players a lot of fans would want to see go-Paco Alcacer,Arda Turan and Ivan Rakitic(i dare say).

That Marco Verrati is the club's transfer priority to complement Andres Iniesta in the middle tells that the heirachy understand the direction things should take.Verrati is the closest in world football to Xavi in terms of style and it would be great to return back to the good old days.

Allowing Dani Alves leave (he said he wasn't made to feel wanted by the way) without Adriano or Douglas to fall back on has to rank among the most outrageous transfer decisions in world football but Sergi Roberto has stepped up to fill the vacuum in great style.His excellent performances nonetheless, he would better serve the blaugrana in a midfield capacity.The club seems to have jettisoned the idea of signing Nelson Semedo,the benefica right-back and portugese international (whom suits its tikitaka play perfectly well) for Hector Bellerin,the Arsenal defender.That is a good step towards making things right but it is important some changes are effected in the central defence as well.Off loading a reportedly agitated Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu could raise funds to get a quality centre back.

Ernesto Valverde is a quite good coach and i hope he is the man to restore Barça to its rightful place as Europe's best team and ensure the entrenchment of a better playing style if not a full reversal to the old one.No club in the world rivals the effective utilization of players from its lower ranks like Barcelona does and Enrique's disregard for that was a huge low.Valverde must learn from that as well.

Visca El Barça.

NOTHING HAS CHANGED,HOV IS STILL KING: A REVIEW OF JAY-Z'S 4:44 ALBUM

My first guess was the album title had something to do with Jay's birthday (he was born on a December 4th) and that the :44 blank would be filled in later.But it turns out he woke up at 4:44 am to write a song and named the album after that.Well, Jay can get away with just about anything,can't he?.He is the dopest MC to ever grace planet earth and for that reason,a lot of reviews are either going to treat him with too much love or a total lack of it .He is Jay-Z and thats a gift as much as its a curse.
I solemnly swear to say it as i see it.

4:44

He comes clean on cheating on Beyonce and is apologetic for not being the ideal lover on the title track.Jigga's average story-telling sits well on this great soul sample but it definitely won't go down as a Jay-Z classic.Jay-Z knows the manual,if you are going to go soul,then the lyrics must be deep.He got as plain as just telling a story in rhymes sometimes.But of course he is copping to cheating on the queen so its a couple more listens than it deserves.

BAM (feat Damien Marley)

Jigga warns you as soon as he comes on-"F@*K all this pretty Sean Carter shit,Nigga Hov!!".Its the God MC reminding everyone of his status.Damien Marley was always going to kill the hook on a reggae beat but its what Jay does here thats amazing.His lyrical game was off the hinges.Its an OG session complete with a game-kicking edge.The message is simple-"Don't you ever forget,Jigga gat this shit poppin!!".

CAUGHT IN THEIR EYES (feat Frank Ocean)

Here he stays true to his era with Frank Ocean adding just the right dose of 2017 to blow you away.Thumbs up to the production skills of No ID who sets up the right scenery for Jay to get introspective and speak his thoughts.Its really perfect for an epic Jay-spilling mood and he doesn't disappoint.Asides going hard at Prince's estate for disrespecting his legacy and choosing to see 'Green' over 'Purple',he drops some really tight bars on how he is too skooled to be fooled by fake emotions..."Your eyes speak the truth even when everything else lies.May pretend that we kin but the vibes don't fly".However theres a little let-off at the end,things get a bit too choky with a speech extract and a bridge before it.The speech maybe,but the bridge?.No.

FAMILY FEUD

He describes this song as a lamentation of the problems bedevilling the culture in these times like new rappers beefing with old ones and how hiphop is one big family.Having seen that before i listened to the album,i couldn't wait to see how he'll pull it off.I take a line off Uncle Murda on the Remy-Nicki beef in his 2016 Rap-Up-"Rap is a sport,thats what they 'pos to do!!!!".
Listen and you realize Jay finds it really hard sticking to the theme.Sounds torn between preaching the good message and stuntin on 'em all.He tells you-"theres no such thing as an ugly billionaire,am cute" before he says-"whats better than one billionaire? 2".Its gives off a more 'bully in a tux' vibe than it does family.But the quality of the song makes you forgive him for that.Jigga's lines were top-notch and the voice on the background (which sounds like Beyonce to me by the way) was a great touch.She compliments him in style on what may just be the fanciest brief 'choruses' ever-"Whats better than one billionaire?.2".

KILL JAY-Z

One of my best songs of this album.Its ocean floor when Jay dives right and here its him accepting his imperfections in some style.He grips you from the first line with his seamless story-telling and makes you hit replay before he is even half way.And yea, 'Ye caught a few shots on the way as well.The "$20M to get on stage for 20mins" line cleared all doubts as to that.

LEGACY

This is probably the least favourite song of this album.The extraordinarily plain lyrics on a slow instrumental combine to give a rather gloomy effort that would best pass for a bedtime song.Jay is talking about surmounting challenges to build a legacy but he didn't pull that off making songs like this.Thats for sure.

MARCY ME

"Marcy raised me,whether right or wrong,streets gave me all i write in these songs".Thats off Blueprint(Momma loves me).Its no secret he has mad love for Brooklyn's Marcy housing projects where he was raised and he puts that nostalgia to good use like he always does.This is a Hov Masterpiece."Streets is my artery,vein of my existence,am the Gotham city heartbeat".Thats a line for the archives.He walks you through with a delivery so sleek,you're dying to hear whats next.Hov is king,please tell somebody!!.

MOONLIGHT

He references the 2017 Oscar gaffe where lala land got the nod before it turns out Moonlight actually won.Goes really hard at the new school for sounding and acting the same.Jigga has some of the best 'put you in your place' lyrics the game has ever seen and he adds some more to the collection in this wonderfully made track.He sucks you in,switches tempos in great style and takes you on a whole 'nother high.It has probably the best chorus of the album.

SMILE (feat Gloria Carter)

NoID sets up Jigga real nice to wax inspirational and he does just that.The humming at the background was a midas touch.And as you must all know by now, Jay-Z let us know his momma was gay.She drops a really strong message at the end-Freedom.

THE STORY OF OJ

Hov kicks "A million dollars worth of game for $9.99" on this subtle tune.While i think its a really good song,it got a bit too shallow at times especially when he isn't rapping..it gets even more glaring when he goes "Light nigga dark nigga".The sick flow made up for that though.The annihilation of the 'new' culture is complete here-"Y'all out here still taking advances,me and my niggaz out here taking real chances.You on the gram holding money to your ear but theres a disconnect,we don't call that money over here".Thats something for the archives right there.

How do you know when an album is good?.When you find it hard picking your best song.I'm torn between MARCY ME,KILL JAY-Z,BAM and MOONLIGHT.Jigga made a great album.
He raises quite a lot of dust and for an MC who doesn't need any controversy to go platinum,it leads to suggestions Hov is in a really dark place.Copping to infidelity is one thing but going public about his mother's gay status is on a whole 'nother level.Maybe not 'Ye, Future or any of the MCs that may have been dissed on this album but a lot of rappers are going to be taking shots at the King and he just added his mama to their war chest.
However,whatever doubts that were raised by his last album were put to rest here.Jay still got it.He drops quite a handful of memorable bars for the Jay-Z collection and remains without a doubt,the dopest lyricist the game has ever seen.In a nutshell,nothing has changed,Hov is still King.