ALBUM REVIEW

M.I who is known to have recorded over fifty songs has TALK ABOUT IT as his debut album. The album was released in October, 2008 and was reported to have moved thirty thousand units in thirty minutes! With its simple but beautifully designed cover, the album boasts of thirteen songs and five skits-a total of eighteen tracks.
1. Outrageous Intro 7. Safe 13. Money
2. Anoti 8. Skit 14. Forever
3. L. Boogie Intro 9. Blaze 15. Jehovah
4. Short Black Boy 10. Area 16. Hustle
5. Teaser 11. Fast Money Fast Cars 17. Thank You (Skit)
6. Talk About It 12. Skit 18. Crowd Mentality

Vocal Assistances: Gabriel, Pype, Leony, Djinee, Jesse Jags, Ice Prince, Blaise, Y.Q, Wizkid, Eben, Lindsey, Uche.
The album kick starts with Anoti, a high tempo song with a Yoruba hook. Here, M.I introduces himself and gives out the various meanings of M.I. Dude has got a lot of aliases! “…Mr. Incredible…Mic Innovator…MC Interrogator…”
M.I comes strong in Short Black Boy, my favorite! With a low tempo beat, M.I defines his persona and describes the reception of his style by the ladies. With punchlines like “… he wrote the crowd mentality, reality, equality and no formality could silence his originality…”, Short Black Boy is a must listen to.
Listening to Teaser puts one in a Jamaican dance hall. With General Pype, the song definitely beats expectation.
M.I turns an activist on the track Talk About It. He hits hard on corruption and abuse of public funds.
And here comes the ‘7th wonder’ of the album-Safe. Eighty percent of the success of this album owes it to this explosive, lyrical, conceptual and intelligent piece of music. On a funny hook delivered by Djinee, M.I rhymes with the titles of so many contemporary Nigerian hits and delivers like never before.
Blaze-an ode to marijuana relates the ‘highness’ of puffing cancer sticks to rap. With vocal assistance from hiphop heads like Jesse Jags (M.I’s younger brother), Ice Prince and Blaise, the lyrical strength of this song is better weighed than described.
M.I endorses himself in the industry on Area. With lines like “…I’m not saying I’m the best but I’m asking who’s better?...”
“…they used to say I would never conquer V.I but now I’m the king of the south like T.I…”, everyone needs to recognize M.I is here to stay.
Fast Money Fast Cars and Money examines the direct variation between wealth and human relationships.
The album concludes with Hustle and Crowd Mentality. Two inspirational and thought provoking tracks preaching hardwork, selfworth and originality.
A sixty-four minute smooth journey through an intelligent, low-tempoed and tightly packaged piece of plastic, filled with smooth lyricism, strong messages and moral upliftment.
The only downside of this album happens to be the generally clumsy beats though I think dude made it that way to suit his smooth style of rap.
Even though the album is basically Hip hop, the message no doubt passes across all ages, fans of all genres and practitioners of all endeavours.
TALK ABOUT IT is highly recommended, good value for money.
Editor’s Rating: 4/5
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Next Month Review: LIFE & TIMES OF KILLS 2 by IKECHUKWU.
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Peace!