Idowest's 'Ritmo Mafia' EP is made for the clubs

With Hip Hop domestication enjoying a commercial and sonic reinvigoration, Idowest, who is one of Nigeria's finest indigenous rappers, returns with a new EP where he taps into the lyricism, flow scheme, and technique that made him a co-originator of the Shaku Shaku era of Street music.

On 'Ritmo Mafia,' Idowest combines his Hip Hop credentials with party-starting Afrobeats and his Yoruba sonic derivations drenched in street-driven lyricism and phonology for a project made for the clubs.

'Ritmo Mafia' combines both Hip Hop, Afrobeats, and Amapiano, has Idowest says nothing new but offers music that packs a compelling street presence.

Even when he samples, Idowest approaches it from some personal and social-cultural perspective all tailored to achieve relatability and commercial appeal. In the opening hardcore Hip Hop record 'Masha Allah', Idowest embraces elements of his faith as he samples a viral TikTok sound from an Islamic scholar with the record carrying chords familiar to Arab music. The production which borrows from the compelling 808s of Grime and Drill is perfectly complemeted by a tough-talking and chest-thumping Idowest who like a made man in the Cosa Nostra demands his due while asking not to be dared.

The sampling on 'Forbidden City' captures Nigeria's socio-economic difficulties on a record that blends Afrobeats with speaker-rattling Amapiano log drums as Idowest taps into flow scheme and technique that made him a co-originator of the Shaku Shaku era of Street music.

While Idowest could have opted for some social commentary he instead elected to combine street slang for a party-starting record meant to solely gratify.

With Ampiano still being the dominant sonic theme in Afrobeats, Idowest relies on it to deliver records that combine pop culture lines and street slang to create music that can capture and possibly retain the attention of listeners.

On 'Cartel', he breathlessly flows on the Amapiano beat as he interpolates ODUMODUBLVCK's infamous lines in Shallipopi's 'Cast'. He samples the famous "You look like Metro too much" line while alluding to Wizkid gifting 20 million naira to the Hypeman G.O.E on a track driven by pop culture references and street slang. While the delivery was smooth, Idowest doesn't say anything different from the familiar subjects he favours. He talks about maga paying, the pussies at his disposal, the bottles he's popping while hailing his boys in Malaysia. The record, however, seems tailored for the club with Idowest dropping quotables that are a hypeman's dream and the production packing party-starting properties that while not danceable are attention-grabbing.

Idowest samples melodies that offer the ambiance of a Western occultic procession while also deploying incantations in the aptly titled 'Devils Amapiano' which like the preceding records relies on the production as opposed to the lyricism.

The 'Ritmo Mafia' EP packs an Amapiano production which seems tailored for commercial and party starting effects. Idowest doesn't say anything new as he spends a good part of the album regurgitating similar themes. He doesn't offer the hard-hitting bars, introspective lyrics, or brutal take on the establishment as one might expect from a rap album driven by Mafia philosophy. The strongest Mafia present on the album is the delivery aided by his baritones and street-shaped phonology.

While the Amapiano arrangement offered some gratification with tracks like 'Cartel', 'Forbidden City', and 'Devil's Amapiano,' the closing two tracks had hazy productions that made them scatterbrained.

Idowest is one of Nigeria's finest rappers whose music adds diversity to Nigerian Hip Hop. However, 'Ritmo Mafia' EP seems like a project driven by a desire for commerciality with a heavy reliance on Amapiano-driven production. One does not need to be a purist to find that a lot was sacrificed from a Hip Hop perspective.

While listeners cannot fault Idowest's decision to make club bangers, it's fair to demand that an artist with his talent explore some depth and balance while at it.

Idowest is one of those rappers with a lot to say. Perhaps when he's up for it, he can take a break from making club bangers and make the mafia-themed hip-hop project consumers know he can make.

Pulse Rating: /10

Album Sequencing: 1.3/2

Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.2/2

Production: 1.4/2

Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.3/2

Execution: 1.3/2

Total: 6.5