REJOINDER TO MARK ISOCHUKWU: IF YOU THINK CDQ IS WRONG THEN YOU HAVE A BIG PROBLEM

Dear Mark Isochukwu

It was with much disgust that i read your article chastising indigenous rap star,CDQ for the way he reacted to Big Brother Naija housemate,Ifu's claims that she gave her school fees and hand out money to him.I hesitated before writing you this letter because i kept wondering if a presumably sane and adult nigerian deeming sleeping with a 17 year old an offence in this country was worth any time but i chose to because people like you are the problem with our system.Not the young talented nigerians who have defied all odds to become breadwinners of their families or the ones still holding it down for where they come from irrespective of the heights they've attained.It is people like you that would jump at Sen.Dino Melaye for threatening to beat up Sen.Remi Tinubu and paint her a victim even after it was alleged she called him a 'dog' and a 'thug' first.People who would choose sides from a myopic stand point and whip up 'righteous' views for even smaller minds to cue into.

Ifunnaya depicted CDQ as an ingrate and a gold digger.But no,CDQ was wrong to clear the air by saying she was just a one night stand.He shouldn't have worried about the PR damage it would do to his brand and no,he was wrong to get angry when some publicity and vote seeking BBN housemate choses to drag his name in the mud while bettering her lot.

I honestly don't know what law in this country classifies a 17 year old as a legal 'minus' but i know one that avails the defence of provocation.

The 'woke' nigerians you talked about are going at her because she is a disgrace to their generation.That a lady would name-drop a celebrity to 'shine' or curry votes while oblivious of the fact that she was painting herself a willing 'maga' doesn't sit too well with them.

Mr Isochukwu,i am a proud nigerian who would rather be nowhere else.If we made CDQ a celebrity,it is because he makes good music.If we hate Ifu,it is because we believe no lady well trained by her parents would go on live tv to tell the world she was using money they gave her for school on a man.

I honestly don't understand how you can hate a man for speaking the truth.She says she gave him money and he says she was a one night stand.What would you rather he say instead of that?.A one night sit?.C'mon.

Look well abeg.

THE PLAY DON'T CARE WHO MAKES IT EP: 2CHAINZ IS BACK TO BEING 2CHAINZ

The South changed the face of hip hop not only in America but the whole wide world.We witnessed a radical shift from hard beats to catchy ones and dope lyrics to sing alongs.2chainz reps for a rare breed of talents that have successfully cheated that trend.He boasts a lyrical prowess just about as sound as anyone in the game and that stands out his southern recipe.He captures it when he says "Souf..i spell south with an f".

As critically acclaimed as his last album,Pretty Girls Like Trap Music was, it was hard to feel a laid back 2chainz.He appeared stuck on some semi-purist vibe and that bored a lot of his fans.

The Play Don't Care Who Make It EP is a heart felt apology.The wittiest rapper in the game is back in his real elements and that means the full whole total package-Infectious groove and extraordinary lyricism.

Hear him go off on Land of the Freaks-"Yea,i'm a misfit,dipshit,fish sticks,6 whips,times 2,i'm cold,swine flu,must i remind u?"...Car came with everything except a butler/she pidgeon-toed in 'em Christians/Don't f**k with goofy n***as,thats disney".Flow was on steroids.

The trappy Ok B***h reiterates the infectious nature of his sound and on Proud,he recruits the help of YG and Offset to tell the mama-son story from a rarely seen perspective.."Me and mama used to trap out the same house/Used to eat and go to sleep on the same couch/Me and mama got busted at the same time/Went to court and told the judge the damn same lies".

His mad love for the south side of Atlanta where he came up has never been a secret and he chops it real slow and deep on the journey to where he's at on the masterful Lamborghini Truck (Atlanta Shit).He's too tall to fit in a regular lambo but he will when they make the truck.And cop one for everyone in Atlanta as well.

This EP deserves to be remembered as more than just the first 5 star project of 2018 and whats more?.2chainz deserves to die a legend.

ALBUM REVIEW:MI WROTE THE MANUAL AND HE UPDATES IT WITH RENDEZVOUS

The bars may not hit as hard as when other dudes were 'scared to come close coz he was homophobic' but what certainly isn't in doubt is the fact that Jude 'MI' Abaga has grown as an MC and Rendezvous is his most balanced work yet.It may not have as many stand out jams as any of his previous albums but unlike them,there is very little disparity between the great songs and the decent ones contained therein.Its an endless treat from start to finish.

The album transcends just rap,its an expo of a brilliant musical mind.MI makes collaborations work for him better than any one in the game and on Rendezvous he features artistes on every song.The depth and quality of the album is largely attributable to those artistes.

Nonso Amadi was born to sing on Playlist.Can't possibly see anyone laying it down as well as he did and you feel mere thoughts of Terry Apala drove MI into making Jiggy.Madtonic's chorus was the icing on the love story titled Sunrise.

Striking,is the fact that MI has grown without really changing much.There is nothing unusual in the structure of this body of work side by side with his previous albums.Identical versatile template,only a much more rounded artiste with yet unmatched artistic brilliance.Its not about a catchy beat or chorus and its not necessarily about tight punchlines and metaphors,MI just makes good music.The buzzing Lekki track best exemplifies that.He puts the distinctive talents of Falz and Ajebutter22 to great use on the viby cut and MI make a dancehall song?.Oh yea,he can.Can't get enough of Yung L 'Mr Marley' slamming home his alley-oop on The Crew.

Not a few people thought You Rappers Should Fix Up Your Lives self-aggrandizing and hypocritical considering that even if MI was the best nigerian rapper alive (if you take out Wale and Nas of course.lol),he hadn't had his game on A for a while.The conventional rap songs on Rendezvous were bound to get a bit more scrutiny than normal.

His lines on On Code were below par and he gets slayed hands down by Aka but he hits commendably hard on Soup featuring Casper Nyovest..."I get commas after commas like i never finish my sentences".

MI talked about our rappers getting slayed by SA rappers on #YRSFUYL and its ironic how they do the deed right at his doorsteps on his invite.

You are not alone.Everyone was eager to listen to On Code and Soup when they first saw the tracklist.Popping was going to take a natural route but it turned out without a doubt,the best out and out rap joint of the album.Mr Incredible was on beast mode.His delivery was sick and special kudos must go to Ghost of Show Dem Camp for his steel-packed verse.Odunsi was just as sublime on the chorus as he was on Lekki.

MI wrote the hip-hop manual and he updates it with Rendezvous.No,this man need not 'sing just to get popular',a million ways to make a rap album,choose one.

O ye rappers,bow down!!.

YCEE AND BELLA'S LATE NIGHT VIBRATIONS EP WAS BARELY AVERAGE

Ycee scored a huge hit with Juice and whether or not 'rappers need to fix up their lives and stop singing to get popular',it was what it was; a huge hit.It made sense to make a late night EP especially when his label just signed a talented singer.Just as long as he didn't make a mess of it.

Sadly,the Late Night Vibrations EP fell short of expectations.It was a decent singer and a make shift one sounding nothing out of the ordinary over 6 tracks.I'll pay serious attention to whoever pops up with stories of how he wrote Juice.This work had me feeling Ycee can't have that much juice.

A look at the songs...

WETIN

Bella cues herself to sing deep on a light instrumental but sonority has never been a strong point of hers.Its a loose effort and though Ycee tries to save the day,he can't do much as the song revolves majorly around her.

EMPATHY

They did spark up some chemistry on Empathy.Obviously Ycee can sing when he puts in the right work and he kills the adlibs when Bella gets on the hook.However her verse yanks a huge chunk off whatever catchiness the song had going for it.

TROPICAL FRUIT JUICE

Nigerian artistes really need to understand that they are making a joint EP or album doesn't necessarily mean they must make every track together.

Bella rode the late night wave perfectly and was making magic up until Ycee crashed it.His vocals had no place here.Its a good song that could have been much better.Bella has my thumbs ups here.

ALL NIGHT

They try to switch things up to mid tempo but if anything it sounds pale the most part.Bella goes dancehall and leaves the other part sounding just awful.

BE THERE

The singing on both ends was good and it was a quite decent effort that lacked some cutting edge.Its good enough to keep you in it the whole hog but not enough to go out of your way to listen again.

TONIGHT

Ycee puts in just the right intensity and whips up a decent attempt at catchiness on the hook.Bella's verse was more what his was on Tropical Fruit Juice and her best input was the background vocals on the chorus.This should have stayed Ycee all through. 

AB MAHMOUD: A CASE OF THE BLIND LEADING THE LEARNED

AB Mahmoud SAN has been the most controversial NBA President in recent memory.When some corrupt judges were clamped down upon by the DSS,he called for their immediate release and even went ahead to threaten that there would be 'consequences' if they weren't.The question back then was why he was willing to drag the name of the bar in the mud for just a handful of persons primarily responsible for the rot in our judicial system.It was most embarrassing for lawyers having to answer questions on whether the DSS broke any law in the arrest of the judges.The layman like almost everyone of us knew they didn't so what was Mahmoud's problem?.

A law school student billed to be called to bar at the International Conference Centre,Abuja recently refused to take off her hijab in line with the guidelines laid down by the authorities in what internet trolls dubbed the 'girls not hot' situation.

In response,Mahmoud tweeted a photo of his daughter being called to the New York bar wearing a hijab and said the controversy on hijab was needless and also that the 'NBA' will encourage tolerance and diversity.

A lot of people may have jumped to his defence on this occasion but he is expected to know what they may not and that is that even if the constitutionality or otherwise of the use of hijab for muslim women is raised,what must first be addressed is whether Islam recognizes English or Common law as it is loosely referred to.It doesn't.And as such,the issue of hijab from a religious perspective in this context is faulty.

The young lady in question impliedly consented to the stipulated terms of the Council of Legal Education by attending the law school.The call to bar conditions weren't issued to students at the entrance of the ICC,they knew all along and like the all too familiar legal maxim goes-Volunti non fit injuria (that to which a man consents cannot be considered an injury).If anything,Mahmoud was encouraging the violation of the most important criteria for call,the 'fit and proper' rule.There couldn't be a more illustrative instance than a total disregard for set down rules.

I had resigned myself to fate and like most of my colleagues,was eagerly looking forward to the end of the few months he had left in office when i read his speech at the formal hand over ceremony by the outgoing Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr.Olanrewaju Onadeko to his successor, Prof.Isa Hayatu last Friday.

He didn't call for a reduction in law school fees neither did he call for a neutral final arbitrer in law school disciplinary cases as the case of the expelled Kayode Bello had necessitated.

Mahmoud,speaking in his official capacity as President of the NBA and Acting Chairman of the Council of Legal Education,bemoaned the quality of lawyers in active practice today and preposterously advocated for a minimum qualification of a Second class Upper (2.1) for all intending law school students.I had had enough and no,i wasn't going to let that slide.

He represents me and each time he says 'the NBA' while making a statement,he is presumably speaking for me regardless of whether or not he has the backing of even his fellow executives which i seriously doubt was sought and obtained in the aforementioned cases.It just doesn't make sense at all.

How can he decry the quality of lawyers being churned out and neglect to blame the schools for the quality of education they obtained?.Like my elementary school teachers would say-'garbage in,garbage out'.Regardless of his/her class of degree,a graduate is an embodiment of all he is taught and if he delivers 'garbage' then that is exactly what he learnt.A 2.1 is attained just by obtaining good grades but it doesn't automatically translate to the fact that he was taught well.A man of Mr Mahmoud's stature should already know that.

Even if his yardstick is adopted for admission into law school (which i totally can't imagine happening),we must note that it is next to impossible to find a law faculty in this country that graduates up to 10 second class upper students from an average 250 students.If we send less than a 100 students to law school,lawyers would gradually go into extinction.Perhaps his proposal is part of a grand scheme to turn the legal profession into an 'exclusive' one because that is the only reasonable summation when one ties this with the lackadaisical attitude of the NBA towards the exorbitant law school fees.A more fruitful end goal if we must pursue one.

A lot of us worry for the profession we so much love and cherish when we appear in court with lawyers who can't string together 2 decent sentences in english.Just days ago,i appeared before a Chief Magistrate who had to be told the procedure for a trial-within-trial.We share the learned silk's concern but his way out isn't the way out.

The right thing to do is to use his seat as acting chairman of the council of legal education to set up a committee comprising the best hands for the vetting of existing and incoming law lecturers.Making it mandatory for all law faculties in the country to notify and submit the names of intended lecturers for a final screening and ratification sounds much better a proposal.Emphasis should be placed on revamping the faculties that graduate half-baked products.That is where our priorities should lie.

A.B Mahmoud SAN hasn't led the bar well.

BURNA BOY IS A WORLD CLASS ARTISTE AND THE OUTSIDE ALBUM EMPHASIZES THAT

Davido and Wizkid are the biggest musical exports we can boast of but without an iota of doubt ladies and gentlemen,the most 'international' of them all is the Don Gorgon himself,Burna boy.He calls what he does afro-fusion,i call it magic.The man is simply in a world of his own and the message the Outside album contains is simple-the time is now.If indeed we will conquer the world then we need to get moving and this man did move in some style.

The mind-blowing Heaven's Gate and the exhilaratingly jinglic Streets Of Africa are global market quality.We were bound to see the many sides of Burna boy on here and he gives us just that in 3D.

Ye, track 7 on the album best highlights his effortless versatility.He flips his strong Fela influence (his dad,Benson Idonije was the late music legend's manager) into an awesome 2018 afro-beat track.Don't think anyone would deem Wizkid the best Fela exemplar after listening to this song.

Burna is pop,ragga,dancehall,R&B,afrobeat and the amazing part of it all is that he could be all that on one song.We couldn't have done more justice than allowing him pick a genre for himself.

He tells you his inspiring Port-Harcourt story in ragga on the mesmerizing Where I'm From just as well as he does in pop on City Vibration.No matter what style,he stays catchy all through.

Burna introduced himself to the world with one of the best pop songs ever made here in the uncommon Like to party and though such songs are made once in a life time,nature is kind enough to throw up ones like Giddem that pop up exuding a distinct air of exceptionality.Ko ni baje is stooping to regular pop level and slaying it real bad.He just won't sound ordinary even when he tries.

Sekkle Down too.A fabulous dancehall cut that further highlights protean artistry.He isn't forcing anything,its all there deep within.

As accustomed as his fans may have been to expecting anything from Don Gorgon over the years,the ability to murder a slow slong has to catch off guard.If the effect of Devil In California will wear off with time,that of the magical Calm Down definitely won't.

Simply put,Burna boy is a world class artiste and the Outside album emphasizes that.