EDEM MASS PRODUCTION ALBUM REVIEW

                                       Mass Production                    Album review

                                                           By: Julius Kweku Doh

So I got the album entitled Mass Production by Edem and the album art had him sitting in a couch with dark shades on. The first thing that came to mind was the album art of Lil Wayne’s Rebirth. Aside the guitar lying on the laps of Lil Wayne on the said album art, both album arts have the same concept. I took a listen to the album and realized that, n

Mass Production album art

ot only does the album art share resemblance with that of Lil Wayne’s Rebirth, but Edem took an experiment with various genres just as Wayne did on The Rebirth.

Prior to the final album release, we heard the single Ghetto Arise which had Edem taking an experiment with the Reggae genre, something we never saw him do on his first album. So if you do not agree with me that the album is an experimental one after listening to it, then you should ask yourself why a hip-life act like Edem will go all Bob Marley by doing reggae, crooning like an RNB man, and even doing Rock and Roll.

In the first place, I must commend Edem for his ability to juggle between rapping, singing and doing the Jamaican thing. It is a mark of a true craftsman and based on these qualities, he is able to do the experiment to near perfection. I say near perfection because the reggae he did couldn’t be better than that of Rocky Dawuni, neither was the Rock and Roll experiment close to the smooth sailings of Elvis Presley, however, he does it so well that he could pass for a reggae act or a rock and roll act or any other genre he experimented with.

We know reggae songs to be the kind of songs that present the plight of those in the Ghettos and the underprivileged. Edem does this well with Ghetto Arise, the second song on the album which is produced by Red Eye of the hip-life group 2Toff. Most of you will be familiar with the song and will agree with me when I say it is very inspirational and encouraging for any youth in the Ghettos who is trying hard to make life a better one. Stand for the truth, believe in yourself and work hard are the messages Edem carries across with this song.

The experiment continues on the E.L produced Wetin Dey as Edem becomes a Rock and Roll man. He describes a love situation where he shows the most of love to his partner but the partner does not reciprocate his love. The song appears twice on the album with the second one featuring rapper Gemini. I must state clearly that I have not been fan of Gemini and on this cut; he does not give me reason to be as he does his usual tongue twisting thing where you cannot tell exactly what he is saying.

I must say however that, as much as Edem experiments with various genres, he stays true to his roots as a rapper. Most of the cuts on the album have rap cutting through as much as possible. Whether it was the lyrical fist fight with fellow rapper Tinny on The Legacy, or proving his lyrical capabilities on Medekuku, Edem combines a mix of metaphors and similes with flawless punch lines to claim his spot as one of the best Hip-lifers of the new school. His ability to deliver packed bars is displayed on Too Much as well as Kate featuring Joey B.

One thing I will always speak against in the Hip-life industry is beat making and production. As much as Edem proves himself as a true craftsman with his lyricism, I must say the production does not complement his efforts. Whether it was E.L trying to change the instrumentation of Eminem’s We Made You, or Lil Shaker flipping Ace Hood’s Cashflow, a little kid could even tell where those beats were lifted from. I must commend Hammer of the Last Two however, and I must not justify that as we all know how the good old Hammer has tasted and still tastes. Red Eye also does a clever job on Ghetto Arise with his beautiful reggae vibrations. Genius Selection’s abilities is once again proven as he weaves the beautiful horns to the party anthem Over Again, I must say it is one of my favorite on the album.

All in all, I think Edem is beyond just a rapper. He faultlessly proves his other strengths as a good singer and a master of the Jamaican Lingua thing. So if you want a modern day experiment by a hip-life act, throw a few Cedis on Edem’s album Mass Production and you will not skip a track.

Twitter: @Jkwekudoh                                                                     Facebook: Julius Kweku Doh

R2Bees ODO Song Review

                                       SONG REVIEW

                                        R2Bees – ODO
     
                                          By: Kofi Montana Asuman

 First of all, we need to appreciate the fact that odo by R2Bees is a typical Ghanaian love song. Which was composed with the ordinary Ghanaian in mind, So if you are looking out for the edgy, funky hip-hop style which anchors most of R2Bees’ songs, you might be a little disappointed with Odo.

R2Bees

 However if you have been wondering if Ghanaian music will ever return to the classy hip-life style that characterized the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, this song is your answer.

  

 Odo by R2Bees will easily pass for the best hip-life song most of us have heard in years and as the title suggests, it’s all about love from beginning to end. 

The plot tells us the story of a young man who is trying to use his rhythmic lyricism to woo a hard lady into loving him.

 Thus he admits in the first line of the song that he is in love with her and urges her to love him now. Deducting from the plot, it is easy to assume that the song is either based on, or influenced by a true life event.

Odo is your classic hip-life sound complete with natural flow vocals, a rapping interlude and swaggering high-life instrumentals.

Odo is a fun and concept oriented song, whose lively production work makes it instantly likeable.

mugees

Muggees does an adequate job of singing smooth but very energetic vocals that never depart from his ragga/dancehall style. He sings so well that until Paedae’s rap verse a listener might not realize its R2Bees. The song never departs from its hip-life decorum, thus the high-life beat welcomes Paedae’s rap verse harmoniously.

R2Bees use this song to prove to their fans and even their critics, how they have matured since they first hit the hip-life scene with ‘yawa Girl’.

The production work is by Killbeats and he actually proves why his Tema folks always say he is the best. In short this is a side of Killbeats I have never experienced before. From the kicks to the horns, I think Killbeats is way ahead of his generation of producers.

On the low, I don’t know if you have noticed but I personally think Mugees sounded too much like Okuraseni Samuel. And as a personal fan of paedae I think he is now a matured rapper and should try composing some more complex rhyme schemes.

Paedae

paedae

Conclusively, I think R2Bees have worked and fought hard to be where they are today and I know it is far too early to predict a final outcome but expect Odo to compete with the other songs on the airwaves. 

Even though this is a style that I have never heard R2Bees do before, I think it is classy and each time I listen to the song, it certainly sounds like a whole lot of fun.

R2Bees is unarguably one of the hottest groups hip-life has ever seen. Considering what they have done for the industry so far, I strongly believe that they are yet to reach their peak.

Twitter: @KofiMontana         Facebook: Kofi Montana Asuman