Bella Shmurda rights the wrongs of the horror show that was his debut album.
On this project, one thing is certain: Bella Shmurda is back. The Bella that we all love and the Bella that had the streets on lock is back. Bella Shmurda is immensely talented. He is one of the few artists that have the ability to connect with the regular guy on the streets of Iyana Iba and appeal to the beautiful Nigerian woman that has lived more than half of her adult life in London.
His songwriting is vivid, emotive and sometimes there’s a philosophical twist to it. The boy is really good. So you can imagine the disappointment on this writer’s face after going through 30+ minutes in pain listening to Bella’s debut album Hypertension.
Despite producing the hit record Philo ft Omah lay, the project in its entirety was a pack of mud. A colossal failure critically and commercially. With DND, Bella is righting that wrong. As he confidently sings on the project in the stunning opener 'in charge’, 'Bella ti de, I’m back again’.
He knows he messed up with that album. The album brought doubts about his abilities and he is back to set the record straight and dispel any doubts that might have been creeping in. He sings I’m still in charge, I am their daddy.
He knows who he is, he is the undisputed voice of the streets and no matter who comes and attempts to take his throne, he is still in charge.
There was a need to remind people of who he is and, with the confidence of a gladiator, Bella strikes ruthlessly. Now that he has gotten that off his chest, Bella takes his listeners on a marvelous joyride.
From track two up until track five, it’s a Bella party. From the introspective Ara(gen gen tin) to the swashbuckling NSV featuring the amazing Tiwa Savage and Bankruptcy featuring Pheelz, it’s a party.
Ara is a powerful and joyful record where Bella gives a shoutout to the almighty for unending support. Non-stop vibe features the African bad girl and the record is actually a non-stop vibe.
On DND, Lil kesh takes all the glory with one of his best verses in a really long time. This is prime Kesh. The flow he employs is as energetic as the beat and the confidence in the delivery is reminiscent of the Lil Kesh that dominated the airways in 2016/2017.
Bankruptcy is a hit record by definition. The melody is inviting and the beat is simply brilliant. Pheelz and Bella definitely need to make more music. The dancehall inflected JoJo closes the tape and at this point, the project has reached its zenith. It’s by far the weakest record on the tape. Its nice the worst was saved for last.
One of the primary reasons for the failure of Hypertension was that it lacked the sonic familiarity that made Bella a star. He deviated from the street pop sound that built him a fan base and ended up making music that was not good enough to blow up in foreign markets and was so bad that it could not be accepted here. Not even by his core audience.
He was so focused on appealing to his foreign consumers that he discarded his authenticity in a bid to appeal to that audience. On DND, he goes back to the basics. The songwriting, the delivery, and sonic cohesiveness are back. Everything that was wrong with hypertension has been corrected. And it's brilliant because it shows an artist who is willing to listen to criticism, learn from his mistakes and be better.
Ordinarily there are four hit songs on this EP. Bella needs a hit song to truly solidify his comeback and Bankruptcy might be that song. It has all the markings of a hit record and can become one if the marketing is done correctly. Hopefully it catches fire. We shall see. That said, ladies and gentlemen, Bella Shmurda is back and he is in charge.
