In the past couple of months, Naira Marley has managed to inexplicably garner a cult following. Following his 2017 breakout single, “Issa Goal”, an EFCC arrest and a slew of divisive hit songs (“Soapy”, “Pxta”), the rapper has been on a mission to become the new king of the streets, and he may very well be on his way to achieving that.
While he currently commands the fastest-growing followership the Nigerian music industry has seen in recent years, it wasn’t exactly clear how well a body of work would have been received. Naira Marley probably realised that and decided to test the waters first, which resulted in the release of his new EP, Lord of Lamba.
The 6-track project doesn’t even attempt to tackle any weighty themes, but that hardly comes as a surprise. In fact, most of the lyrics lean into the misogyny of his biggest hits — specifically his penchant for slut-shaming. In his defence, however, his problematic nature has always been part of his shtick.
As for the quality of the songs on the EP, they all have the same party-starting energy of the singles that came before them. Sonically, Naira Marley shows no interest in messing with a good thing, as he sticks to his tried-and-tested formula — from his signature delivery to the infectious beats.
Granted, the EP begins to feel a little repetitive at some point — considering the fact that Naira Marley doesn’t show much of his range — but the songs are all interesting enough to hold your attention. “Yanyanyan” is the one song that really manages to stand out, and that’s thanks to Mayorkun’s solid guest work.
While this EP probably won’t break records, win any awards or stand the test of time, it’s enough to confirm that Naira Marley is a hit-maker of epic proportions. So, if you thought he was just a fad destined to be overshadowed by the next shiny new star, we hate to break it to you: Naira Marley is here to stay,
Listen to Lord of Lamba below:
