CDQ makes dance the standard on “Quality” album

Album – QualityArtiste – CDQGuests – Vector, Ice Prince, Banky W, Reminisce, Davido, Cayana, Kenny Black, Gabanabwoy, Olamide, Skales, VJ Adams, MasterkraftProducers – MasterkraftRecord Label – General Records (2016)Duration – 59 Minutes

‘Indomie’ was CDQ’s get-into-the-limelight card; a song featuring Olamide, owned and produced by Masterkraft, the rapper starred heavily in it, and was the center of every promotional activity and performance of the track.

Plenty of appearances, and fans from the ever-accommodating streets, the rapper’s next singles have failed to surpass ‘Indomie’, but he has grown in acceptance. The Wizkid-assisted ‘Nowo e soke’ further put his name on the playlists, and gave him leverage to be more than just a one-hit wonder in the game. Subsequent singles have been dropped to help give him ample penetration.

CDQ is a street rapper. That’s all he is and claims to be. With raps created from underbelly of the Lagos mainland and exported via technology through the mics, the internet, and to the fans. Signed to General Records, the pet project of acclaimed producer Masterkraft, he appears with an album a year almost two years after his stock came on the radar, and relatively thrived.

Let’s get straight to this. “Quality” album is done heavily in thick Yoruba and ghetto slangs. There’s an abundance of adlibs to make the entire project read off like a street-fest, with catcalls, psst, ‘woss’, and ‘oobi’ screamed in the background of whatever track is rolling through.

A producer’s album, CDQ relies heavily on the thumping and often ‘danceable’ beats from Masterkraft, to make this album take on a broad audience, who can connect to the thumping of drums, the stimulation of synths, and the impressive voice to get through any song…on their feet, and dancing through it. Tracks such as ‘Ferrari’, ‘Shanawole’, ‘Salaro’, ‘Nowo E soke’, ‘Talosobe’, ‘FCFS’, ‘Gbemisaya’, ‘Indomie’, and ‘Sun seyin’, are all developed in this pattern. Street-heavy dance tracks, with very little diversity of subject matter, but heavy on the ‘dance’ currency.

For those who escape this template, Banky W brings a refreshing romantic presence on ‘Odikwa Ok’, while ‘Oobi’ and ‘4am’ is as personal as it gets for CDQ. There’s peace and reflective story-telling on the Vector-assisted ‘Abo’, while the dark ‘Olowo’ is a wholesome meal to be savoured.

CDQ’s debut effort is a reflection of his talents; direct, loud, street-influenced, and aimed for instant entertainment and dancing. It’s a win for the rapper.

Rating: 3.5/5

Ratings

1-Dull2-Boring2.5-Average3-Worth Checking Out3.5-Hot4-Smoking Hot4.5-Amazing5-Perfection