'Afro Series' is a show of Terri's strengths

On May 1, 2020, Nigerian singer and Starboy act, Terri released his debut body of work, the seven-track, 'Afro Series.' To be honest, the EP came at least one year later than it should have. For an artist who had signed to Wizkid's Starboy in February 2018 upon being discovered on Instagram by the superstar, he had built a reputation for himself by September 2018.

His performance on a song like 'Soco' drew people to know what he is about. Throughout 2019, his appearances sparse appearances on songs like 'Kana' for MixNaija Entertainment, 'Non Stop' and 'Bia' his own song, 'Talo Lomo' with GoodGirl LA, 'No Chaser' for Psycho YP and a few other songs. The major problem is that, none of those songs caught fire.

For that reason, the Nigerian mainstream erroneously felt Terri had gone to rest and was not releasing any music. He was releasing music - good music, they were just not cracking the ceiling. On all of the features he had, he was not just decisive, he was the star of the show. It took Peruzzi a special performance on 'Kana' to stand up to Terri.

On 'No Chaser,' he was so impressive. It was then befuddling when sections of the Nigerian media and social media started asking questions, 'Dear Wizkid, where is Starboy Terri?' The boy never left, he was making music - people were not just paying attention. That said, this EP came later than it should have.

Nonetheless, what matters is that the EP is here. It opens up to the introspective afrobeat/galala/afro-pop tune of 'Wake Up.'

On it, Terri is filled with gratitude as he ruminates on his growth from being a regular boy to traveling the globe for shows. The beat feels like a mixture guitar and bass rhythms from Paul Play's Hitsville with Terry G's percussion and 2015 Wizkid-esque Afrobeat-inspired Afro-pop.

The guitar work on the beat for 'My Chest' shares striking similarities to those on 'IDGAF' by Dua Lipa off her self-titled debut album. The difference between the use of those acoustic guitars is that, Terri rides Afro-pop percussion to tell a love story. It is a story of longing in the infatuation-filled early parts of a relationship.

The dancehall guitars on 'Balance' feel cut from the mid-2000s. That saxophone is just so amazing - Terri excels with unique vibes on this beat. His strengths have always been about finding the appropriate vibe to great beats - like Wizkid, it's never been about solid lyrics. Nonetheless, Terri adulates a memorable woman on this project.

He doesn't only adore her, he dreads the idea of losing his place in her heart. 'Ojoro' is the lead single for Afro Series and on it, Sarz shows why he's one of the greatest Nigerian producers ever by merging elements of konto with slight elements of Afro-pop - this is wild! At first, this writer hated this song, but he loves it now.

Again, Terri sings about love, but this time he's on edge. The woman has started moving funny and Terri asks for answers. But while he's seeking answers, he's distracted by her body. 'Ojoro' means 'cheating' in Yoruba. What Terri is basically saying is, 'Baby, don't cheat on me.'

Sadly, Afro Series started losing its vim after 'Ojoro.' The beats got slightly average and the music didn't really hit the heights of the first four songs. 'Doo' again taps into that Galala/Terry G bag for an R&B soul on which Terri makes another declaration of love. Nonetheless, 'Doo' might be Terri's best bit of songwriting on Afro Series so far.

'Ode' is a dope Afrobeat laced with Afro-pop elements. This song is lyrically bland, but the vibes are amazing. Take a bow, Terri - this is spiritual madness. The horns at the end of this beat also earn Tuzi some accolades. 'Kill Man' rounds out the EP to vibes.

Final Thoughts

It's commendable that Terri carried seven tracks all by himself. Each song excels in itself, but the the opening four tracks set to high a bar that it feels like an amazing song like 'Ode' is average. That goes to the track listing - it disrupts the sequence and does this EP a disservice. Those first four songs should never have been placed that way.

Nonetheless, this is still a good EP.

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

Tracklist: 1.0/2

Delivery: 1.3/2

Production: 1.5/2

Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.5/2