Is Boj Afrobeats Most Underappreciated Loverboy?

Recently, I found myself scouring through Boj’s discography, and one fact struck me: he’s an artist who knows how to convey the complexities of romantic emotions. Often, we have considered the subject of love to straddle the swoony feelings of adoration, desirability, and commitment.

A musician is largely considered a true romantic when they can conjure infectious melodies to declare an overwhelming romantic desire.

However, should this be the only determinant of a true loverboy? Shouldn’t there be some nuance that captures the spectrum of emotional complexities as opposed to just the helpless declaration of “I love you” and “I want you” over sensual, slow-burning production?

It’s this ability to be different things that love can be that makes BOJ one of Afrobeats' most underappreciated loverboys.

Perhaps the reason he’s not considered a true romantic is that his gritty baritone, bad-boy edge, and cool-as-a-cucumber persona are a far cry from the stereotypical loverboy looks. However, it’s this dynamism that makes romantic chameleon a man whose music captures the nuances of love, and his catalogue holds sufficient proof of this depth.

In the spirit of the month of love, this week’s Throwback Thursday is an examination of BOJ’s mastery of the subject of romance and why he might be one of Afrobeats' most underrated true romantics.

Surely, a true romantic must understand what it means to be irrevocably in love, and BOJ is quite skilled in conveying this feeling with the delicateness it requires. In his catalogue, he has swoony love songs like ‘Tungba’ and ‘Mogbe’ featuring Tiwa Savage, where his Fuji-inflected R&B melodies declare the doom he risks should he fall out of love.

How about when he needs to fight for love and pour his heart out to an unyielding lover? Boj doesn’t hold back. “You’re messing with my emotions,” he pleads in ‘Emotions’ off his album ‘Gbagada Express’. And when he needs to reassure his lover, he’s not parsimonious with words as he declares his readiness to fight for their love on ‘Unconsciously,’ featuring Victony.

A hopeless lover, but be honest, and Boj knows this. On the acoustic production of ‘Therapy Session,’ he’s the honest lover who admits that he’s unfit to give anyone the love they deserve.  

Perhaps, some people see and appreciate this lover boy side after all. This might explain why ID Cabasa recruited him alongside Joeboy and Fireboy, who are Afrobeats posterboys for true romantics for the reimagination of Styl Plus' classic ‘Olufunmi’.

A lover must be a seducer when necessary, and Boj is a sweet talker who likes to sing his way into the beds of beautiful women. He knows when to deploy the roll out the spicy lyrics and mold whisper his gritty melodies to make his women warm in the right places.

On ‘After Hours,’ he whispers his melodies next to the ethereal vocals of Anais Cardoit to create a sensually cinematic picture. He promises a love that comes with a good time on ‘Rora’ and flows wickedly with the intentions to sweet-talk a damsel to lower her guard on 'Gbemide' (both songs with his partner in crime, Ajebutter22). He gets sexually explicit on the dancehall bounce of ‘Monica’ featuring Blaqbonez, where his words will leave the ladies biting their lips.

A true lover must be skilled in complimenting his partner with flowery words that make their heads spin, force involuntary smiles, and inspire spicy imaginations. Boj delivers a masterclass on this with ‘2 Bad’.

READ MORE: ‘Duplicity’ Is the Album That Lets BOJ Be Every Version of Himself

Movies, social media, and everyday reality have shown us that women sometimes like a man with bad boy edge. You know the type their mother warned them about, and they somehow can’t resist? Yes, Boj is sometimes that guy, and he doesn’t shy from it.

In ‘Too Many Women,’ with Ajebutter22 and Falz, he admits to being an occasional playboy with classy melodies that attract more women rather than scare them away. In his classic record ‘Omo Pastor,’ he plays the villain who steers the Preacher’s Kid (played by Seyi Shay) away from the teaching of the gospel and into the desires of the flesh.

BOJ’s ability to move between these different roles entitles him to a place as one of Afrobeats' finest lover boys. His music does not flatten the experience of love into a single story. Instead, he honours its complexity by showing us the hopeless romantic, the Playboy, the hypeman, and the seducer. A true romantic.  

READ MORE: 5 Nigerian Artists Quietly Making the Best Love Songs Right Now