THE SLEEK BUZZ

  Artby   Goodluck Ataria "People see a marital union as 'being held down', but for me, it’s more like 'stepping up to the plate'...."    " W ho is KiLa ?" desperate for answers, a mother spoke in a quizzical tone for the umpteenth time. I couldn't consider her chivvying pointless nor adjudge it the backwash of her paltry understanding of hip-hop culture, which confers upon a participant free rein for inventiveness and coinage rights. Of course, given her son's passionate devotion to the 'tribe', its mores could have been revealed to her – that coinage is a tradition in the performing arts. Besides, not many artists hang on to a legal name. All the same, mama KiLa was worried, and deservedly so.  On another day laced with the appearance of routineness – a busy backdrop; pungent air due to burning refuse; and strange weather conditions that could make one doubt the legitimacy of a good weather forecast the day before – an event gave f...

  The last time their respective fans united over a cause was on a collaborative project that saw both the experience of Kvng KiLa and the I-need-to-make-a-statement will of Mr. Legend collide. That collision course was the antecedent of one of the hallmarks of collaborations, especially on this side of the creative space. In retrospect, the numerically titled album, 03:02:01, became the launch pad for rapper Mr. Legend's career, who, at the time, was searching creative hideouts for even elementary indications of glorious likelihood in the game. Appropriately, KiLa's backing became that indication: through a series of joint creative manifestations, they both uncover a world of possibilities.  These days, Mr. Legend fetches from the well of creative nerve, one that replaces a former demeanour of timidity and mettle obscurity. He sips from hip-hop's cup with the swagger of an achiever and, with careless abandon, he demonstrates his ability. However, for KiLa 03:02:01 served a...

  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 fo...

  Eddieroll is embracing individuality and success, but not without acknowledging their many faces. From facing difficulty finding his feet in Ghana to moving back to Nigeria to his involvement in the careers of artists of prospects (scoring a string of hits in the process), and from making an unbelievable switch from the behind-the-scenes guy to the artist whose days are now spent coveting fame, Eddieroll's string of activities to artistic dominance could be made into a blockbuster. For most artists, fame is the invaluable currency; for it allows them to gain entrance into territories previously unreached. Fame, as a means of exchange, allows for the acquisition of worthy valuables and, sometimes, it makes way for the acquisition of vanities. So far, however, Eddieroll's motivator is clearly the first point. When Wida You was released in 2017, none was ready for the havoc and the shift in culture it would put in motion. But years on, Eddieroll's fame and his wielding th...

  2020's identity had trouble written all over it; it was the perfect settlement for unimaginable realities. Even for an ultra-optimist, who relishes the protection of great prospects, 2020 proved that man's propensity to shed layers of hope in the face of uncertainties remains fixed.  As we ruminate on the events of the year engrossed in a pandemic, we see our routines and needs either surviving on the back of improvisation and enterprise or facing annihilation for staying traditional. Apparently, the survival of the music industry depended on the choices it made with available options and, thankfully, it chose to survive. As part of their allegiances to the industry's decision, artists the world over, galvanized by resilience and an availability of technology-aided tools of production, released projects. Indeed, in 2020, where the collapse of businesses littered headline news, the entertainment industry maneuvered its way to survival. On home soil, obvious artists at the ...

Add caption "Flow of Self-worth and Self-narrative: A Stylo-linguistic Appraisal of KvngKiLa's " Dark Clouds". By Nsikak Ekikor. Previous reviews on KiLa's musical oeuvre have largely neglected the concept of style and flow while striving to unravel their semantic import. For this critic, the restriction of musical analysis to its subject matter at the expense of style is not recommendable in that it is the effective manipulation of stylistic devices that lift an ordinary verse to its poetic level. Thus, it is unarguably that there is no true Hip-Hop without style and flow. Ipso facto, a thorough assessment of a rapper's song should embrace its propensity to good style and flow. To emphasis the preponderance of good style, an American Hip-Hop critic, Edwards P. in his publication entitled: "How to Rap": Chicago Review Press, opines that:           " It's all about styles, just the way you're getting           your subject across. If peo...

  "Bars and Lyrics of Breakthrough: A Comprehensive Survey of KvngKiLa's 'Broke Rapper". By Nsikak Ekikor.   Just only when I had virtually stampeded into conclusion that " Payday " will remain the sole track off KiLa's discography deserving of panoramic overview, Bio-ibogomo Numomoipre introduced me to "Broke Rapper"! Barely on its initial listening, the gripping bar appeared groovy with its smash tinge of club bangers yet sounded even more appealing than " Payday " albeit KiLa has never dropped a joint below the aesthetics of classical preference. "Broke Rapper" is deserving of a comprehensive survey in that it has the esoteric quality of the engrossing rendition of the fictional Nightingale cited in the Romantic ode of John Keats. Of course you have known that KiLa and EkazBeats artistic intercourse have never resulted in middling creation or surfacing of less titillating sound. Of course you have known that the outcome o...

  Review of KvngKiLa's "Payday".       Entirely beyond the regular fission of free verse and instrumentals which have characterized a huge percentage of rap outputs in the Nigerian Hip Hop community, KiLa's " Payday " is unarguably an incarnation of classy delivery and dulcet cadence. The EkazBeats skillfully produced intriguing single got the Hip Hop ace and Ghost Records hotshot navigating through illuminated bars like maddened flames razing dried thatches off an age-long hut at the peak of Harmattan in the Coast of Upper Guinea.    For every employee, "Payday" is significant as its arrival provides incentives for one's labour. KiLa's "Payday" chronicles his trying time and subsequent arrival to limelight. The smash hit is a tuneful, timeless, fadeless and flawless masterpiece which would not fail to surpass the classical aesthetics of the most unpleasing audience in terms of lyrics, vocals, melody, originality, instrumentals/be...

  History is what we all eventually become. Our paths are only a determiner of what types of values we leave behind for future generations, or the next player. These values tend to become light on the paths of those who seek a prior authority or guidance. History, although often told by others, is more of a personal endeavour — we take part in certain activities because of how we want to be remembered. Likewise, the avoidance of certain activities is simply hinged on our inherent desires to get a pass mark when life begins to score us. In 2020, Nigerian rapper Kvng KiLa may have had the sands of time on his side, and the feeling of assurance of a place in the history books of the Bayelsan entertainment industry. However, immeasurable measures taken are what construct a lifetime of achievements that supersede generations. Therefore, the consolidation of artistic infinity would depend largely on a lot of far-reaching moves. One of these moves? A look at the rear-view mirror.  So...