A Pulse review of Mohbad's EP 'Blessed'

After a bitter public split with Marlian Record under whose management he rocketed to fame, Mohbad had to rebuild the rubbles of his career and set forth on his own to reconnect with the listeners he had previously dazzled with an array of hit songs.

Mohbad efforts to find his voice after the infamous split from his former imprint has culminated in the release of two singles 'Ask About Me' where he reiterated his place in the scheme of things and 'Pariwo' with close associate Bella Shmurda where he reminded listeners of his hitmaking credentials.

Having found his voice, Mohbad puts out his sophomore EP 'Blessed' which captures his resilience, gratitude, and positive mindset as he forges into the future.

The underlining theme of the 'Blessed' is a celebration of triumph and a show of gratitude that comes together to make it a quintessential street gospel created to uplift, inspire, and delight listeners.

Mohbad is an artist with different influences which he fuses with music to create a pathway that reminds listeners of different stars. From 9ice to Naira Marley down to Gospel and Fuji influences, Mohbad fuses elements that capture different facets of the street.

Mohbad creates his EP from a reflective position where he leans into his religious roots to pull himself out of a dark hole and he celebrates his emergence from this career-trying experience by crafting a Street gospel.

He expresses his gratitude to a higher power in 'Beast & Peace' where he flows leisurely and reiterated this mindset in 'Sabi' where he effortlessly molds and celebrates his triumph while returning all glory to God.

In the Swing bounce 'Blessing', he crafts a gospel record as he reveals turning to God in his trying times while encouraging others of the enduring grace that saved.

As with Street gospel, celebrating is an essential part of expressing gratitude for success, and often time, they indulge in this with unabashed showmanship. And it's from this mindset that 'Account Balance' is created to celebrate his success as a hitmaker. His street influences shines in the Zlatan-assisted Street-Hop record as he deploys Fuji melodic sequence while interpolating street famous line from Olamide and alludes to widely famous Yoruba movie characters (Sunday Dagboru & Kos Trobul) both acted by the famous Odunade Adekola.

Even when he delivers AfoPop in the love record 'Omo Mi' Mohbad deploys a Fuji flow scheme while smartly interpolating lines from Saheed Osupa. And in 'Pio Pio,' he delivers a quintessential street-tailored record that infuses appropriate lingo sprinkled with sexual innuendos and technique that reminds listeners of his connection to the street.

Mohbad has cause to be grateful and celebrate after emerging from a deeply dark period in his musical career and personal life, and 'Blessed' captures this mindset.

Mohbad has forged ahead even in misfortune and as Anne Frank beautifully puts it, the Street-pop star has discovered more happiness and regained his balance. And now a happy person, Mohbad is helping spread light through street gospel so others can find happiness.

The project achieves artistic identity through tracks that carry Mohbad's street identity irrespective of genre. Topically, the underlining theme of Street gospel connects with a wide listener base whose reality it documents.

Mohbad has risen like a phoenix from the ashes and while he's yet to hit score a major hit, each track suggests the moment is not far away.

Ratings: /10

• 0-1.9: Flop

• 2.0-3.9: Near fall

• 4.0-5.9: Average

• 6.0-7.9: Victory

• 8.0-10: Champion

Pulse Rating: /10

Album Sequencing: 1.6/2

Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.5/2

Production: 1.6/2

Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.6/2