“I promise this time #YxngDxnzl” – Those were the words of M.I Abaga some four months ago (February 7) as he postponed the release of “Yung Denzl” which would have been his fourth album.
The rapper had announced in the third quarter of 2017 that the Yung Denzl album would be released in the last quarter of the year (2017). As if to fuel anticipation, Abaga released the controversial “You Rappers Should Fix Up Your Lives”– a track that challenged the state of Nigerian hip-hop and checked emcees for taking the singing route. The infamous record caused a stir and triggered various meaningful debates amongst rappers and followers of the hip-hop religion.
“This is the perfect roll-out plan”, many whispered in expectation of the Yung Denzl tape. But days passed and nothing was said of the project. Days became weeks and weeks became months and then… the year came to a close with no words from the Chairman.
Why The Album Is Anticipated?
M.I Abaga is a revered emcee that has over the years been assumed king of Nigerian hip-hop as a result of the degree of musical dexterity he has displayed in many years. His last album “The Chairman” was however released (in 2014) to a mixed reaction with many questioning his lyrical prowess. The rapper was mostly criticised for aiming for commercial appeal as a number of songs on the project embodied pop attributes. Although the album reportedly enjoyed a laudable commercial success proven by its ability to have charted for over two years, the impact was mostly digital than physical.
The height of braggadocio displayed on the aforementioned “Fix Up Your Lives” single further spurred the anticipation of hip-hop lovers. The release of that song was followed by an uproar. Tweets after tweets, articles after articles, clips after clips and bars after bars, players in the Nigerian hip-hop community (from rappers to journalists and listeners) dared to question M.I’s credibility and challenged his guts.
The chatter over his inability to deliver on his promise of releasing Yung Denzl continued to cumulate until the rapper broke the ice. “People ask me to rush and just put out music.. I have tried and failed horribly because music is too important to me… this project has taken so long.. but I promise it is worth it”, Abaga spoke via his Instagram page in February. Minutes later, the rapper released a clip where he confirmed that the Yung Denzl album had been rescheduled for a May release with the caption “I promise this time #YxngDxzl”.
Forty-eight hours after this announcement, M.I dropped a surprise project. The 15-track Rendezvous Playlist – an all-feature musical project that found him putting his overall musical proficiency to test. Call “Rendezvous” an applaudable safe landing but it is not what M.I promised – definitely not. He made almost no lyrical stretch as Rendezvous was a library of ear-soothing records that held no metaphorical weight (none from Abaga at least).
The month of May has passed, and M.I has once again failed to deliver on his promise of releasing the Yung Denzl album. Every attempt made by this writer to find out the cause of the delay has proven abortive. Many have tied this inconspicuous delay to lack of confidence on Abaga’s path as it has been gathered that a traditional hip-hop album is most likely to make a lean commercial impact and return on investment. These are valid claims until the rapper proves otherwise.
The Yung Denzl album is still very much anticipated and M.I Abaga’s repeated failure to deliver on this promise puts his integrity in a questionable position. Someone, please tell the Chairman to FIX UP!
#REPLAYTUNES: Questionable Integrity? Again, M.I Abaga Fails To Release The “Yung Denzl” Album.
Reviewed by Unknown
on
07:20
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
07:20
Rating:
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