EP Review: 'Lagos In July' by Vader and tGM

When he won it, Tersoo Abagu said, “Ibadan has finally got a worthy torchbearer, in Vader.” Amongst his fans is M.I. Abaga who recently called him “family.” Dolapo Amusat is tGM. He is the founder of WeTalkSound, the largest online music community in Nigeria.

During the week, he is a Data Scientist with Bolt (formerly Taxify). On same days, he puts on the cloak of a rapper and carries bars into melodies. But that has not stopped him from emulating the braggadocio of the quintessential rapper.

On ‘Jide’s Poster,’ the opener to this 4-track EP titled, Lagos In July, he rapped, “So it’s good for you rappers that I don’t rap full time, If I did then you wouldn’t have fans...”

A year ago, he released some tracks on his SoundCloud page and some of them were made with Vader. It seems both acts who collaborate for this EP find creative solace and camaraderie in each other.

On the one hand, Vader is the talented rapper who keeps stalling on releasing a full-length project for whatever reason that this writer is too livid to understand.

On the other hand, tGM has a full-time job like the rest of us and still finds time for rap. They need each other, they’re comfortable working with each other and more importantly, they complement each other. Together, they tell personal stories and use humour to cement this match made in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

Growing up in Ibadan and both rappers moved to Lagos. With two songs on the EP, they try to create a picture of their experiences in Lagos and much they have had to adapt since their respective moves.

With the two other songs, they tell personal stories of who they are and they launch a socio-political critique. With each song on the EP, they use landmarks, popular figures and sentimental topics in Lagos and what these things mean to tell their stories.

‘Jide’s Posters’ seems to be a metaphor for Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s popular posters during election season and the notoriety they gained. The song is a humorous combination of deft flows, a good beat and humour.

With humour around, "I will rather drink from the testicle of an octopus,” it seems Vader continues his onslaught on Blaqbonez. The ‘onslaught’ started with his diss track, 'Improper Fracture.' The song is good, but with the different ideas it houses, there’s no unifying factor.

‘Under Bridge’ represents that tendency for anywhere called ‘under bridge’ in Lagos to cause you unexpected trouble or heartache. ‘Under Bridge’ is an introspective song on a very retro-esque, 90’s Nigerian sound and style.

Vader told the story of potential love turned deception. tGM’s flows are brilliant as he talks about leaving Ibadan for a job that disappointed him in Lagos. This track has a unifying factor - Ikeja Under Bridge, a place filled with all kinds of characters who can do things that will leave you with major sadness. This could be a fan favourite.

‘Lekki Water’ piques on the visible dirty lagoon around Victoria Island and Lekki. ‘Lekki Water’ is symbolism for Lagos. The rappers creatively use this as a metaphor for how every youth hustling in Lagos still works hard and dreams big despite how hard, crooked, cruel and frustrating Lagos life can be.Vader and tGM deliver personal stories that tie into the struggle.

The chorus goes, “Cause Lekki water brown like Guinness, but we still dey baff, we dey drink, we dey handle business. When you tell me about your great life, do I sound kinda jealous? nah I'm not. Now I'm begging Lord, please could you find a way to quiet these demons…”

‘Yaba Left’ is a mainstream culture term in Lagos for a psychiatric hospital. The song is used to describe the state of perpetual madness the modern world and Nigerian find themselves. To them, the modern world and Nigeria are pale representations of ‘Yaba Left.’ The song is a socio-political critique.

Vader takes aim at gender wars, religion, spirituality, Senator Elisha Abbo, crime, hypocrisy, wokeness and bullying on social media, education and clout-chasing. For his part, tGM takes a swipe at bad governance and what it occasions on Nigeria.

This might be the best song on Lagos in July EP.

Final thoughts

Asides ‘Jide’s Posters,’ every other song is easily understandable and easily digestible from symbolism to usage. The balance of relatable topics with good beats is commendable. However, most people might require more than one listen to truly appreciate this project.

There is also the problem of how some people might struggle to tie the symbolism of Lagos mainstream culture with how Vader and tGM use them and what they use them for. That said, it’s a really good listen that is commendably executed.

Lagos In July is good, and these rappers should be proud of what they created, but it’s too short for any true emotions to be formed.

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

Score:

7/10 - Victory