Majesty Lyn shows promise on debut, 'Four Twenty' [EP Review]

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For the Port Harcourt-bred Majesty Lyn who is as adept at rapping, singing on R&B and ballads as well as serenading thirsty souls with sultry lamba, it's an overdue project. This EP feels at least eight months late. The purpose was never to make Lyn 'blow' from the go but to help her build a momentum, a following and a brand.

Asides the furtively documented talent. Lyn is also a beautiful woman with a brand that will sell itself. For most people - including this writer, Majesty Lyn caught their attention with her impressive verse on 'Memories' from Alternate Ending by The Lost and Found (Paybac and Boogey). The verse was so impressive this writer ranked it in his top 10 Nigerian rap verses of 2019.

Majesty Lyn has amazing breath control, incredible technique, great attitude to carry whatever topic she's discussing on the music and a natural understanding of different genres. For that reason, her flexibility, versatility and adaptability never feels forced or out of place. She could go from singing about love on one song to rapping hard on a trap song without annoying a listener.

'Natural talent' is cliche statement, but Majesty Lyn is one of those deserving of that tag and she's destined for stardom - all things being equal. The next time most people heard her was on Sounds From The Basement Gig - a compilation project by The Zone Agency. The song was titled, 'Nobody.' After that, she featured on Catalyst EP by Harry Carter, Poker by JimohSoundz, Tale of Calm and The Spirited by Dimeji and more.

Aside from that, she has released her on buzz singles like the R&B 'Johnny Bravo' and the afro-pop, 'Another Valentine Song.' She has also featured on songs for acts like Duncan Daniels, Deyon Agoi and more. If Lyn can perform, she would be perfect for a major run this minute. But for now, we shall watch attentively.

Four Twenty opens moody R&B-ballad tune of 'Hold On My Heart.' On it, Lyn makes declarations of love and the magic of sex. She uses expletives, adjusts her mood and the pitch of her voice to suit the topic of love and sex that she's about to address as well as the type of beat. The backing vocals are impressive and so is the delivery - what an opener.

The song is also well-produced with dreamy melodies that play ferry to convey a listener into the sunset of magical R&B. But wait, you like the way I sit on your throat ke? Ah. You people are freaky o. The only problems here are that Lyn is sometimes inaudible and her songwriting could have had better words to project her stories.

'Say So' is a down-tempo afro-pop song to which Lyn finds the appropriate vibe. Her mind is on the music - even when she doesn't make lyrical sense, the music is so good that this writer could say she's Robert Frost on The Road Not Taken. No words can adequately justify this music - the music sells itself. The way she switched styles for that verse three too... God.

'Say So' feels like a love song, but it lacks too much to be lyrically cohesive. While that's said, that weakness doesn't matter because the song is a sonic beauty. Parts of this beat also share lowkey aesthetic similarities with Blaqbonez's 'Haba.'

'You B***hes Can't Cope' is the weakest song on this EP. - it's not a bad song because it shows Lyn's range, it just pales in comparison to the quality of the other three songs on this EP.

A trap song, it sees Lyn ride on braggadocio to craft vindictive and aggressive lines. She oozes confidences as the suspense-themed strings play canvas. This writer hopes this criticism never prevents Lyn from rapping and he also admits that listening to this song blare loud on large speakers in an open-air venue on a Saturday evening could change his mind.

Energetic tunes like this have a way of swaying cynics in those settings. 'You See' is another pop song with impeccable production. That bass riffs on this represent a faster version of the one on 'Sweat' by Sarz and Wurld. That said, the differences in the beats outweigh the shared bass riffs. Interestingly, the song is also an R&B tune.

On it, Lyn shows off her vocal range and that ability to bend beats to her will. For a lo-fi t rap song that comes after a trap song, this song slots right in. This EP is mighty impressive.

Final thoughts

There's not a lot of critique on four songs. However, Lyn and her management can work on her accent at pronouncing certain words. Those things are not pronounced, but they require urgent attention. This girl is close to having a big debut.

Her management should also work on what her name is - a name is a brand. In some circles, she's Lyn. In others, she's Majesty Lyn. In a few ones, she's Lyn Majesty - that dichotomy must be corrected now. It confuses the search of some of her songs - they are disjointedly documented across social platforms. Lyn is a concise name - maybe the Majesty has to go.

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

8.7 - Champion