OIEE, M3NSA And Amaarae Team Up on ‘Still Dey Inside”
M3NSA’s name won’t be lost on anyone who was old enough to remember the late 90s when hiplife took off in Ghana. The rapper, singer, producer was involved in helping entrench hiplife as a genre in Ghana , as an member of the rap group Life Line Family. At the young age of 16/17 years, he was producing songs for Reggie Rockstone.
But for the younger audience, M3NSA is known as one-part of the duo FOKN Bois. Known for their brilliance at dissecting the Ghanaian society through their lyrics -thus exposing the layered hypocrisy, political hoodwinking, classicism and varied injustices, the duo have inspired and emboldened a section of artists to speak truth to power.
If there is a quality that separates M3NSA from the pack, it’s his ability to challenge himself beyond his comfort zone. His art keeps evolving thus inspiring his growth as an artist. This was noticeable in his work with DJ Elo (Irie Mafia) under the “REDRED” imprint, where their brand of music which blended afropop with house music offered a refreshing feel.
Almost two years after releasing S.D.I which featured the amazing nu-soul artist Amaarae, the song has received different treatment from Hungarian producer OIEE who replaced the hip hop feel of the original song with highly electrifying house music chords and synths.
What is palpable on the song is how the musical influences of the three artists shine across “Still Dey Inside”: M3NSA’s hip-hop/rap background is present; Amaarae’s neo-soul/RnB and hip hop vibe could be felt; and OIEE’s long association with the European disco, dance and RnB music scene foams across “Still Dey Inside”.
Amaarae’s luxuriant falsetto delivery elevates the already captivating beat a notch high, setting the template for M3NSA to follow with his missive about schemes those in authority adopt to scam their citizens. Aside the production work, the verse arrangement is also different: on the original record, Amaarae’s verse was the last. Here, she opens the song. M3NSA follows up with his two verses.
“Still Dey Inside” is the first collaborative work between M3NSA and OIEE. Enjoy “Still Dey Inside” as we await the individual releases of M3NSA and Amaarae.
