Afro-Mutation & 'Get Layd': review

Whilst the rest of the world has spent recent years easing itself into the magic of Afrobeats, some of us who sit in the privilege of being connected to the side of the continent from which it originates from, whether directly or via affiliation, are witnessing something much more interesting- its gradual branch out into multiple sub-genres. The flexibility of the genre is being proven by a surge of millennial artistes (hello to Rema, Fireboy DML and Joeboy) and their ability to fuse the West African sound with its popularised and Western counterparts. This is rather advantageous as artistes are able to gain international appeal whilst staying true to themselves and their roots.

The Alté scene which hails from the colourful and energetic Nigerian city of Lagos is one of many examples; its musical element boasts of acts such as Santi (now referred to as Cruel Santino due to copyright issues) who makes an electric, afro-futuristic sound via a mixture of dancehall, alternative funk and pop whilst still paying homage to his roots through pidgin lyricism. The Ghanaian pop scene predominantly comprises nostalgic sounds of Hip-Life, balancing lyrics of in-depth experiences of love (in Twi) or energetic lively descriptions of ‘enjoyment’ (in Ga) with complex and modern basslines. Collaborations between singer-songwriter King Promise and distinguished producer Killbeatz are great models of this. Unsurprisingly due to its reputable multiculturalism, the city of London which is responsible for most of British ‘Urban’ music also plays a part in what I call 'Afro-mutation'; Afroswing sounds are a love letter to the identity of first generation West Africans, attempting to reflect the duality of who they are into the music they make.

With this in mind, not only has the quality of projects influenced by this genre improved over time but these same projects have more depth to them. It has been exciting witnessing what West African artistes in particular such as Burnaboy with his highly celebrated 'African Giant', have been able to create. The access to better technology and take-over of streaming services has cut off the life-long habit of releasing multiple singles that only receive limited recognition on the international airwaves with no proper way to accumulate money apart from performances. Additionally, the experimentation of this generation of Afrobeats artistes is simply refreshing. One of such is Omah Lay.

(Picture taken by PraiseNiphy- https://www.instagram.com/praiseniphy/)

Fairly new to the music scene, Lay’s story is every bit millennial as it can get- a discovery of just how multifaceted one can be. Rapping as a hobby within a collective quickly transformed into embarking on a journey of music production. The artiste inevitably collided both trades along with singing and song writing, not only launching his solo career by doing so but building a pathway to Afro-fusion stardom. The Apple Music Africa Rising star had a taste of commercial approval in 2019 and is currently enjoying the benefits of releasing a number one album (in his home country).

‘Get Layd’ is a five-piece album which Lay more or less describes as an honest audio-documentation of life changing memories created during his relocation from his home town of Port Harcourt to Lagos. Listeners witness the internal journey of a small-town boy opening up to the fleeting moments of love and city life whilst battling with vices and the emotional responsibility that comes with adult life and human relationships. In summary, it is an Afro-futuristic coming-of-age album.

Lay’s album begins with the melancholic ‘Damn’. The subtly upbeat R'n'B tune with specs of Afropop (a very common combination in Lay’s discography) discusses a lover immune to Lay’s destructive imperfections- much to the singer's surprise, his lover is unphased by his drinking problem, unemployment status and bad decisions. The song’s mellowness is a rather unconventional start to a project with a very obvious Afrobeats influence. In fact, it isn’t until the second song that the party really begins. ‘Lo Lo’ is energetic yet simplistic. It lacks the lyrical complexity of the song prior and is quite repetitive, slightly missing the cue to be cringe but enough to erase the intensity initiated from ‘Damn’. The light-heartedness of the album continues as ‘You’ follows up next; a proclamation of love, spilling of adorableness (for lack of a better word to describe its sweetness) and a modern Hip-life song itching to be used in your standard traditional wedding entrance playlists. Things take a darker turn once again with ‘Bad Influence’. The song was Lay’s initial promo single for the album and he describes it as a ‘freebie song’ used to quench the thirst of his patient fan base. Due to its instant popularity, it was placed on all other streaming sites, allowing more access for people to enjoy his tale of coming down from the high of love. Lay sings about his abuse of multiple vices as a way to run away from the reality of an unsuccessful and consuming relationship. His pipes comprise of sweet mourning in Yoruba and pidgin. ‘Ye Ye Ye’, which is the last song on this clean album is possibly Lay’s most experimental yet. It is young and fresh, mimicking the popular sing-rapping formulae prominent in most of commercial HipHop today whilst still maintaining a Nigerian essence. The choice to make it the sign-out song does make the album feel somewhat incomplete but in a good way; you’re left wondering what else Lay is capable of sounding like.

Afro-mutation is proving to be very promising, as not only does it provide these artistes a stable source of income in comparison to what music offered their predecessors but the possibilities of the sounds that can be created are endless.