THE CUTS: EP 01 Vol. 3
KO-JO CUE: THE WAVE
CUE is back again! This time round, with another street banging tune that will surely make waves (pun intended). After releasing the bouncy, crowd pulling, good-old boom-bap laced Wole (which sampled Lauryn Hills’ “Lost One’), the BBnZ artiste returns with “Waves” after months of quietness.
Ko-Jo Cue, on this Retro produced bouncy trap beat, is heard talking about success, jealousy and hard work. Interspersing English with Twi, Cue didn’t mince words about the fakeness in the music industry: ‘they only love you when you’re on top/they only love you when your song drops’. He continues: ‘some people never wanna see you hot’. Cue in that same verse point out how some artistes are all happy to record demos with you but hate on your success, literary ending the verse on : what’s a demo when you are a master (double entendre?)
Ko-Jo Cue seems to hit a notch higher with each single he releases. His stellar songwriting (stole my style and I made a new one), his chest thumping confidence and measured tones despite an obvious boast is clever- a trick endearing him to new fans and bolstering his support among his fans.
I don’t know when Ko-Jo Cue is going to drop an album but judging by the series of singles he has been dropping lately, all who love good rap and lyricism should brace up for an album soon. ‘Don’t compare me to new niggas chale/ they see new niggas pop up every day and niggas wanna compare me to them… when they gon’ I’ll still be here’, that voice at the beginning of the song told us.
https://soundcloud.com/ko-jo/the-wave-prod-by-retro
DARKO VIBES – TOMORROW
Ga music can actually ride smoothly on highlife instrumentals, quite ironic, but it can. Darko Vibes did exactly that with this banger! With relatable lyrics, Darko Vibes talks about how he needs his partner by him through the hard times. As a token of his appreciation, he’d get her expensive things to soothe her pain: “Here’s a tissue for your tears oh baby/ We nor go finish like this I promise you/ Ma hĕ tsorne ma hã bo(I’d buy a car for you) / Stick with me”.
Darko doesn’t want the woman he loves to give up on him, especially through his current struggle: “Baakã emasei shikome po/ Ejaak3 pinmor n33 eny33 d)) / Things go change/ E ma dear kaanami gbomor kpong“. Eventually, he’s never going to leave her when he gets his breakthrough, especially since she’s been by him throughout, adding: If yawa gb33 me today/ Wey i nor tell you my mind then i fool/ if i no make tomorrow/wey you no know my mind then abi fool’. He believes their union is just right! After all, it has been blessed by his mom, so why give up on this now?: “We nor reach this far make you come and give up on me now, Jee after ni.
MIKEMILLZON’EM FEAT AKAN – KAE
Producer MikeMillzOn’Em recruits Akan for his gloomy mid-tempo record “Kae” (Remember) reminding us all the need to be grateful. Akan assures himself of a bright future that awaits and reminds himself not to forget the struggles that will contribute to this success. He raps his way to the chorus where he repeats passionately “Kae o Kae o Kae o”; the need to appreciate the darkness when light reaches us: ‘fact that a smile has broken on ones face doesn’t mean the gloom is hidden forever’
MikeMillzOn’Em came in with bouncy drum patterns on gloomy trap melodies with accompanying horns to help establish essence of remaining grateful to every helping hand you meet on your journey of life, a message which should resonate with everyone. Akan, one of the young rappers with a tongue full of wits, matched the well-spaced drums with lyrics that resonate with the listener: ‘if your truth is more than your lies/ examine the lies of your past’. I’ll graciously welcome a joint project between these two masters-one of the beat and the other of lyricism.
HONDRED PERCENT – RONNING
Think the Sugar Hill Gang and their spoken rap with just a piano melody. That’s the path poet and rapper, Hondred (pronounced 100) Percent chose for his latest outing ‘Ronning’; the first single off his April scheduled EP release. Ronning is a slang word for ‘wooing’ (a female) and here, Hondred did not mince words.
He went in with 100% confidence- his words are sweet: “lady my natural flavor is distinction” and his confidence and swag resplendent: “you need diamonds? /I’ll supply you daily cos I’m NWJ- Nigga with Jewelry”. Hondred Percent need not beg for her number despite handing his over. He deciphered hers based on her physical appearance. Ronning is one you must listen.
