'Review of "Crown of Clay" by Vector X MI and Pheelz the Producer'

 

Written By Nsikak Ekikor.

"Crown of Clay" is a catchy synthesis of a song, narrative and poetic oeuvre which reaffirms the dignity, identity and supremacy of the black race. On its sub-thematic bearing, the song explores the breach of gender dichotomies in contemporary African societies. 

On a wider analysis, the smash joint draws its content from two outstanding sources. In the first instance, the literary assertions of the first Generation poets of Negritude cannon of Leopold Sedar Senghor and David Diop influence the Pan-African undertone of the song. 

Secondly, the song shares similar philosophical bearing with KvngKila and Mr. Hood's hardcore jam "The Chant", a song which shows the artistes' lyrical predilections and dexterous penmanship yet exploring the duo's (KiLa and Mr. Hood's) glorification of Africa and its underlying beauties.

"Crown of Clay" is a mid-tempo rap collaboration which spins through an impressive duration of four minutes and seconds with the trio deploying recommendable efforts in ensuring that every bar counts and contributes towards the identification of the song's subject matter.

However, the predominant theme in the song is the acknowledgement of Africa as the originator of Hip-Hop culture during the period of their enslavement in the Caribbean Island and the riverain areas of America.

Writers like Langston Hughes, Alex Harley, et al have earlier established this submission by tracing gangster rap of Tupac Shakur and his predecessor to the early work songs of African slaves in Cocoa and Sugarcane plantations. This consciousness is aptly captured in MI's introductory verse and the 16th and 21th line of his main verse. Vector's 9th, 12th and 18th line also highlight this subject matter.

The octave which serves as MI's introductory verse has an end-rhyme pattern of aa, aa, aa, aa rhyme scheme that is not peculiar to any stylistic tradition of the Western world. The rhyme pattern reflects the random couplet of mainstream African folk songs where all the syllables the final words in each of the line have sameness in sound. This artistic makeup of MI is suggestive of his experimentation of mainstream African oral poetry rendition. In the intro, the following words although of dissimilar manner of articulation, virtually sound alike. One can easily perceive the relative rhyme correspondence in these words:

             day/       a-way/

             pray/      pray/

             pain/      pain/

             clay/      clay/

This intro:           

"My father told me when I was around the day

He took me to the river sat me down to pray

Right there in the water to the sound of pain

From the mud he fashioned me a crown of clay

It's no one can ever take this sound away

Took me to the water sat me down to pray

And right there by the river to the sound of pain

From (form) the mud he fashioned.....,

has two varying semantic imports (meanings). Firstly, it traces the history of Hip-Hop to the Garden of Eden on the 6th day of creation story where God "My father" who after creating man from the mud/dust of the earth, bestowed on the African man (Adam) "a crown"/ gift/talent which "no one can ever take it (this sound) away. This standpoint is highly controversial because it does not only recognise Africa as the originator of Hip-Hop but also portray the first man (Adam) as an African who is probably narrating his encounter with God after creation. The relationship between Adam and MI is their first sonship. Adam was the first man whom God created, MI on the other hand is Africa number 1 rapper and you by extension, the first born of his parents.

Similarly, the third, fourth and fifth line of the intro attribute the birth and rise of Hip-Hop to the weary blues and work songs of the tortured slaves. 'The sound of pain" symbolises the weary and moody nature of the work songs which were often sung amidst tears and tiredness.

For MI, Hip-Hop is deeply rooted in African soil though this historical fact has been constantly challenged by white supremacists here represented by Mungo Park who claims to have discovered both the flow of River Niger and the the hidden flows of Hip-Hop. The lines:    

"Our traditions and our names them all

are holy sounds,/

The wealth that's in our continent was stolen up/

portray the Americans' claim over the origin of Hip-hop. MI on those lines, narrates how  they (the Americans) ravaged and hijacked the glory of the black (Hip-hop). He ends the verse by saying that he/other rappers of African extraction have emerged as Hip-hop giants and thus:

"They (the white) can't control me now". This line explains the drastic emancipation of African mind from the shackles of white supremacists, a consciousness Vector tha Viper reflected on in 2020 Henessy Cypher through the line: 

"Shebi Naija na English glory?/

The slave master forced the English on me/

Vector from the 10th to the last line of his verse represent this subject matter effectively. The lines read:

  "I'm African and blessed/

   I hold it down even when I 

   face distress/

   The kind of punches wey  

    fit make ur face depress/,

explicate the physical and artistic gallantry of the black man. He portrays the black man in the bars as a resilient figure who can survive anything/anywhere in the world, that is why he "holds it down even when he faces distress. 

The uniqueness, vitality and toxic nature of African hardcore rap is highlighted in the 12th line where Vector metaphorically describes it as:

 "Punches (rap) wey fit make

 your face depress/ that is, rap that can leads to one's depression. 

However, Vector's lyrical militancy as highlighted above was probably the reason why JAY Z refused to  accept his rap battle some years back and the barrack boy proudly said in the 18th line : 

   "I think them (white) 

    scared of me". 

 

In conclusion, the joint transcends every notion of average delivery. Accessing it using parameters like storytelling, lyricism, creativity, punchlines, energy, voice, delivery and cadence, the song can not get below 95% overall grading.

Listen to Crown Of Clay Here: Vector, MI — Crown Of Clay (feat. Pheelz)