M.I Abaga- JUDAH 1 LISTEN REVIEW

M.I Abaga needs no introduction. For over a decade, the short black boy — man — has been the poster guy for hip-hop in Nigeria, building a towering legacy as one of the greatest rappers Nigeria and Africa has ever seen. With his longevity in tow, M.I is still playing at an elite level and pushing his musical boundaries. In 2018, he came out swinging with two full-length projects — the collab-packed, party-themed Rendezvous and the more insular, meditative and introspective Yxng Dxnzl — hitting the mark on both occasions.

‘Judah’, his newest multi-track work, is another opportunity to solidify a legacy that’s always under scrutiny, and recently came under the heaviest attack of his career, via his major beef with Vector. The EP was meant for release during the thick of the beef, but its latter release and now elongated tracklist is probably a sign that M.I has more to say, which is one of his biggest selling points as a rapper. The prospect of a new M.I project is always intriguing, so without much ado, let’s hear all the maestro has to say on ‘Judah’.

In usual 1-listen fashion, there shall be no skips, pauses, rewinds or fast-forwards. Everything from here is my reaction to the music, in real time. Let’s get it.

“The Parable”

Listening to this about 40hrs after release, so much for being a ‘big fan’ of rap music in Nigeria. This child’s voice is soothing and ominous in equal parts. That’s a nice plot twist.

“The Lion”

The coin drop — I have a theory for that, and I know I’m right. This build-up has me more than intrigued. M.I’s singing voice reminds me of a conversation about Nigerian artists with ASMR-worthy voices, and he’s one of them. There’s a mix of weariness and vigour in M.I’s raps so far. That Lord of the Flies bar, sheesh. This sparse production definitely matches the “king of the jungle” motif here. Being at the top is very lonely, especially when those you came in with aren’t with you. This second verse is mint so far. My mans switched up the energy to war ready, this is the definition of “we move”. I’m guessing that’s Ruby’s voice, immaculate.

“The Trinity” feat. AQ

M and Q! Long time coming. Ooooh, I love this bounce. “I got a lot of haters, lot of foes, but I’m the one that they owe the most.” Okay, let’s go. Fam, M stopped caring about Afropop-infused rap and the technique is pristine and gleaming. The legendary Osagz’s “Gaddemit” is coming to my head. I can tell this is going to be my favourite. Jayy came through with this beat. Q! C’mon! I’m not in love with this flow, but man, these are some bars. Brooooooo, that Pharisees scheme! AQ is probably the best villain Nigerian rap has ever heard. This is like peeling off a person’s nails while laughing maniacally. M tagging in. Brooooooooo! This is like molten magma erupting in my ears. Broooooo! “If I ain’t want you to shine, you’d be gone, banished” is a premium bar about power. I think M’s addressing someone, and I might just know who it is. Running this back in a bit.

“The Blood”

M picks the best samples. “If it’s war time, then I’m ready for my blood” is a heavy statement. Loyalty is definitely a big thing for M.I. Ok, here we go. “Identify him and then indemnify him” is a bar. Oh, shoot. Someone didn’t show up for M even after knowing a storm was coming. Wait, is this about Jesse? I think so. Loose and Q are definitely like brothers to M, you can tell. All of this has been weighing on his mind, there’s pain lodged in every lyric. M.I says Sun Tzu didn’t have everything in his classic manual, bold claim and I get it. By the way, this beat has a muted gorgeousness to it. This is an interesting way closeout.

“The Commandment” feat. Buckyraw

What is this rippling sample? Fucking love it. “Never fuck with any fuckboys” LOL. Sissss! Can you hear this bounce?! “Thou shall not fucketh with any fuckboys” LOOOOLLL. This flow is stunning, like I’m in proper awe. M.I is giving fuckboy lessons, thank you, Sensei. This song reminds me of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge’s “H.A.N”. He’s even breaking down the rules for this commandment. Fighting with your closest friend to root out fake friends is interesting. This is the single, guys. This hook will go off. Is that Buckyraw? Sounds very much like Cassper Nyovest. Oh, he’s Liberian. Man, he’s rapping with some fire in his belly. Crazy!

“The Sacrifice” feat. Nawe

The beats on this tape have been ear tingling. Loving someone more than you love yourself is a waste of time, to be honest. “If you love someone, let them go”. Hear that, kids? Ogbeni, she’s going to sleeping on man’s chest, she’ll be fine. You’re the one with the heartache. I like the theme of this song, but it’s not as captivating as it should be. Letting someone go is not that hard if you’ve been let go a few times. Someone’s singing M.I’s praises, and deservedly so in my opinion. He’s not without flaws, but he’s done enough to get his flowers.

“The Tribe” feat. Alpha Ojini

Soft keys drowned under rains is how you know this will be fire. DOZ tag, my druggg! I don’t want to hear M.I saying he’s going dumb for something, but I understand his sentiments here. We’re getting six more M.I albums? Oh, I’m down. The best fans are the ones that know artists have the leeway to disappear, so M.I has some premium fans. This is a nice way to appreciate them. Did Alpha just wake from a long nap? Psyche! He’s awake. Haha, Alpha is letting the Stan jump out of him. The “Vendetta” situation was big for this man, and he’s ran with it ever since. You can tell he was rapping this verse with a wide smile on his face. This is beautiful. By the way, M gave Alpha a great verse on “PDA”. Someone’s wishing M.I Happy Birthday. Judah is clearly a victory lap project, and I fuck with that even though we’re getting six more albums from him.

“The Warrior” feat. Kauna

Ending with this single is a great way to close this project. Kauna’s has a radiant voice, the type that pierces your soul with its light. “I came from nothing, forcing my way into the discussion” is a bar that always sticks out when I hear this song. M.I has been through a lot of shit, and he’s always won even if he stumbles. That’s rousing. “The Warrior” is the type of song you want to hear after a long, hard day, it won’t necessarily recharge you but it will make you feel like you can always do better even when your best is not enough. Inspirational M.I isn’t the best M.I, but it’s high up there.

Judah 1-listen review final thoughts.

If Yxng Dxnzl gave us an introspective M.I, Judah gives us M.I Abaga at his most emotional. While the rapper’s last album was a surgical look at self-worth, where he exposes his flaws as way of bringing much-needed perspective, his latest offering is M.I owning up to everything he is, and more. It’s as if he realized that everyone has a perception of who you are, and all you can do is accept that you’re the good guy in someone’s eyes or you’re the bad guy in another pair.

Like the great philosopher, Benny The Butcher, once said: “My reputation precedes me, I owe them rumours”. Across seven songs, M.I plays the villain, the victim, the provocateur, the conqueror and the ever grateful one, fulfilling all the reputations people have of him. The emotional part of it is that he doesn’t sugarcoat any of it. When he’s being villainous (“The Trinity”), he’s doing it gleefully; when he shows his hurt, his pain his palpable; and when he’s being appreciative (“The Tribe”), he does it with an endearing edge.

From an artistic standpoint, the best thing about Judah is that M.I seemingly still has a lot to offer. Even though he’s shed his pop-related ambitions for the elder statesman role, it’s only reinforced how much he values the development of his craft. He’s hitting new pockets, the flows are attention grabbing and more experimental, and the lyricism finds the balance between being technically tight and accessible. In as much as Judah is a celebration of how far M.I has come and everything he is at the moment, it’s also an implicit toast to the rapper’s future. May it be green and continue to be as incredible as it’s ever been.

By Dennis for UrbanCentral, [Tweets @dennisadepeter]

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