Lil Frosh is back, but are we ‘Beyond Infinity’? [Pulse EP Review]

Two years ago, Lil Frosh seemed poised for Nigerian Street-Hop superstardom. Then an infamous accusation later, everything seemed to fade away. Now, he’s on a comeback trail: treading carefully, tiptoeing through the watchful eyes of Nigerian egalitarian warriors.

He was terribly wrong for beating his girlfriend, and he was an adult at the time. But he was still not a full grown man when he committed the offence. The world and the law say he’s a man, but he was still a boy who knew next to nothing. By all means, let him pay for his moment of foolishness, but his life and dreams shouldn’t end for that reason alone. He should get another chance: it’s a risky venture, but he should get another chance.

Today, his contemporaries like Zinoleesky, Mohbad and Jamopyper are rising up the ranks of Nigerian music, while people are scared to even tweet about his music - they're scared of being labelled an accomplice.

But we canvass for a change in an attitude to patriarchy. The world continues to battle the capital punishment for murderers. As much as being dead is sometimes better than being alive for some victims of certain heinous crimes, who have to live with the PTSD, we are better off assuming that his victim is doing better, except evidence presents itself that she isn't.

This, it’s time to give him and his music another chance. If he doesn’t something remotely foolish again, then let him go to hell.

As for his latest EP, Beyond Infinity, Frosh retains his colorful ability to make compelling street-hop music. However, the quality of his slew of pop records is beset by their familiar nature. All the records sound like experimental Mohbad and Zinoleesky records that we’ve heard over the past 16 months.

It also doesn’t help that Frosh sought some beats from Niphkeys. ‘Study Me’ sounds like Mohbad’s ‘Backside.’ ‘Like Dat’ sounds like a reworked ‘Kilofeshe.’ ‘Life of The Party’ sounds like a random Naira Marley record.

For one, it would be in the interest of Niphkeys, Mohbad and Zinoleesky to switch the sound the next time they’re working together.

‘Denge Pose’ is a standout spectacular record, but it’s still cut from that familiar sonic cloth, charted by Zinoleesky and Mohbad over the aforementioned period. It wouldn’t have been a problem if the record was just one of two or three of the same sonic template, on a 7-track EP. But it’s not. More so, it was a single released over six months ago.

The sound is simple: 130 BPM-esque street-hop record, garnished with intermittent Amapiano log drums and snare sessions. When you’re Lil Frosh and you need to get back to reckoning, you need to do something spectacular, not just something good enough because it follows a template that’s led his peers to success.

Right now, he’s like Chris Brown in 2009. Let’s hope this EP is only his Graffiti, and that there’s a Fame and Fortune, lurking somewhere in his not-too-distant future. The problem isn’t just Frosh’s sonics, it’s also in his topical/thematic conversations: he simply isn’t saying much.

For one, he needs a ‘Don’t Judge Me’ type of record, on which he addresses his offenses, takes responsibility and urges people to help him forge ahead. Such is the grand idea that his career needs. False narratives of distant success like ‘Ajepako’ might sound good on a record, but at best, they’re bluster.

Topically, ‘Study Me’ is the closest thing that inflective point, on which he apologizes and pleads with the public to allow him to enjoy some privacy. He also sings that, “Nobody holy pass o/Even if I do you bad, me I no mean am o/Coz nobody is perfect, only God is perfect... If I do you wrong or I do you right, biko accept my apology...”

That’s the type of honesty he needs on this comeback trail. But where’s the tell all interview where he accepts responsibility for what he did? Until he publicly confronts and addresses that moment, it will always be like a weight on his shoulder.

But moments like that were too scarce on his EP. Don’t get me wrong, these songs are not bad, but they are not what he needs in terms of quality, sound or content. This EP is unlikely to do much for him, as regards bringing him back from the brink of obscurity, to endear him towards his desired fan base once again.

Instead of rushing his next move, he needs to pause, strategize and act, not just act on a whim.

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

5.0 - Average