Fola Sheva is a man of many tales on "When The World Turns Story"

Story of my life.

"You only live one time, you stay fresh, I keep it Tom Tom..." He declares on 'Story of my life', a lush meandering record, which has the emotive Maka pouring her spirit into it. It's both a statement of intent, and a declaration of ambition. The same line of thought carry through into 'Welcome to my show', only with more paranoia thrown in.

Folarin Ayeni known as Sheva or Folasheva began his music at an early age. first covering popular songs with the piano on Youtube, he grew into radio and music production, before floating his indie label, Mavrik Music, together with a few of his talented colleagues. He is no longer a part of the group.

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Alternative Hip-Hop.

Sheva’s describes his music as “Alternative Hip-Hop” which is a fusion of everything but with that constant Hip-Hop feel to it”. From catchy hooks, quirky verses and deep lyrics, one can only imagine the sound Sheva will bring to the industry in the nearest future. A huge example is his work on 'Better know', where swashbuckling flows are paired with ominous African chanting, polarizing the effect on the listener.

Collaborations

The collaborations are used to devastating effect too. Michstraaw shows up with a lover-boy R&B assist on the romantic 'Breathe', while Rubunu comes in with the dembow bounce on 'Round and round'. But the crown of it all lies in Sheva's conscious themes. When he makes music bigger than himself he comes truly alive. 'Clarity', which hosts the second coming of Maka carries through like a self-help speech, which finds a way to avoid the preachiness that ruins records of this structure. Elsewhere, James Mavrik, supplies energy on 'Let me know'.

Unique Tone.

Occasionally, "When The World Turns Story" grows monotonous, but it does maintain the energy and willingness to offer something more than just entertainment. There’s something undeniably unique about the tone of Sheva's journey — precise yet effortless — and his rap skills are great. It’s early days, of course, but this is an excellent first effort from one of Lagos’s brightest young talents.

Written by Kayode Olumide.

Kayode Olumide is a young aspiring writer with a gift for the arts. He is a Man Utd fan, loves dogs, and appreciates good music.