Illbliss makes his most personal project yet on "Illy Bomaye"

jonathan

August 1, 2017 2:35 PM

At 9-tracks and 27 minutes, this is the closest you can get to Illbliss's heart.

Front cover art of "Illy Bomaye"

“Don't want to miss a thing, from your first yawn, to your first smile, first cry, your first chuckle”

Fatherhood brings perspective, far more than words can capture. And Illbliss makes it art with the opener of this project ‘Daddyluvsu’. It’s a personal opening to what is a surprise project, one that Illbliss sneaks into the music space. It almost feels like the “Illy Bomaye” is a side project, with the rapper’s focus occupied by events closer to home. His first daughter recently came into the world, turning his life around.

It’s the fifth studio album for Illbliss, one of Nigeria’s most respected rappers. It’s comes a year after the fourth – “Illygati:7057”. Illbliss is still in form, touching on his preferred topics of hustle, money, braggadocio and materialism.

But his personal situation has changed. Gratitude for the arrival of his daughter and more is captured on ‘God of wonders’, a single enhanced by Praiz’s faith-based melody. But it’s a smokescreen, the main course of the meal is more inwards.

“They say I like to big myself up a lot, but I’ve been through a lot…” he muses on ‘Iteriba’. There’s some truth in that. Illbliss has been a part of the industry for a long time. Starting out as a member of defunct group Da Thorobreds, he has moved from creator of records to businessman, label executive and more. It is this weight and perspective that drives his art now. ‘Be yourself’ is a sermon on ‘keeping it real’, while "Illy Bomaye" is a drawn out, reflective, motivational speech.

But classic Illbliss is found in ‘Buba’. The money is flowing, the champagne is ubiquitous, and the swagger never leaves the house. (“Feel like a trillionaire…used to be a billionaire, now I’m a trillionaire.”) If you ever run out of monikers to express his greatness, then he offers you a new one – ‘Illy-Banger’ – which you fully experience over heavy Trap production by Kezyklef ‘Fireworks’. ‘Ball in the net’ suspiciously sounds too familiar. You can be forgiven for thinking you have heard it before. And although he keeps trying his hands at romance, Illbliss struggles with it.

“Illy Bomaye” feels personal, an invitation into his mind-space. It’s a sharp contrast to the supreme turn up of “Illygati: 7057” where party tunes tell the full story. But at 9-tracks and 27 minutes, this is the closest you can get to his heart.

jonathan