'Peace of Mind' showcases Endia's strengths [Album Review]
Sometimes, it’s also good to see what the ocean offers. This album screams for something outside Chopstix for variety.
J-Town is Jos, Plateau State. It is one of Nigeria’s prime creative hubs. Its pulse is creativity of different types and art is its expression. The average J-Town kid is artistically-inclined in some way.
Nigerian Hip-Hop has been blessed with a ludicrous amount of acts from J-Town. In the late 2000s, a wave brought Northern brethren MI Abaga, Jesse Jagz, Jeremiah Gyang, Ruby Gyang to Lagos. They succeeded and another wave brought Kahli Abdu, Chopstix, Charlie Xtreme, Yung L and Endia to Lagos.
Yung L and Endia were subtly earmarked as the stars and faces of that generation. Yung L announced himself with tunes like ‘Fever’ and ‘SOS,’ but ultimately slowed down to the dismay of this writer. Sadly, that dismay was nothing compared to that which he felt from Endia, the guy he first saw on Reminisce’s ‘Government.’
Although he had a peripheral role on that song, he had the best verse - yes, better than Reminisce. In patois, he adopted a Chopper style of rap and brought the heat with cadences and style. But since then he has only slowed down and petered out. Once in a while, he comes back with singles and they’re good, but he never lasts long enough to make an impact.
In November 2019, he announced his album, Peace of Mind and this writer was excited. The album was never going to be anything but good and this writer had no doubts. Endia’s talent will never be in doubt, the questions have only been around his consistency and dedication. Well, those questions exist no more.
The album is everything this writer expected it to be; good production, deft stylistic flexibility to suit different types of beats, good songwriting, impressive cadences and bangers. At 14 tracks, it also looks concise with songs beautifully pegged at a maximum of three minutes to suit our new streaming reality.
In fact, a lot of the songs are in and around two minutes. However, due to Peace of Mind being mostly produced by Chopstix, it developed a tendency to sound monotonous as the album progressed - the listeners' enthusiasm will likely fade out as the album progresses. The songs are still not bad, but they stopped supremely appealing.
Here is why;
‘Hype’ is a worthy album opener in its trap essence. To some, the song might be a cliche album opener as Endia gets introspective, but that’s not important. What’s important is that the song is impressive. On it, Endia talks about his almajiri beginnings, his mother and journey. He also recognizes the talent and subtly admits his underachievement.
‘Medication’ is a dancehall song with a Ghanaian commercial essence. On it, Endia is drunk on lust and a girl’s derriere. He likens sex with her to medication. ‘Vibe’ is the third single off Peace of Mind and it’s flames upon flames. The opening three tracks underline Endia’s well-documented versatility. The man can go on anything and kill it.
‘Panty’ is a 2016 dancehall song with an R&B essence. As the title implies, it’s a diary of sex - a invitation to treat by Endia to a woman. From there, the momentum drops. ‘Oma’ is a good afrobeat song, but it fails to match the heights of the opening three songs.
‘Fancy’ is reggae fusion/R&B song. It’s growing on people because it fits into the current, subtle and subconscious Nigerian obsession with R&B songs. ‘Peace of Mind’ is the title track and with it, Endia discusses personality and mental health issues. Like any man, he discusses doubts and the need to have peace in oneself.
The short song is so good, but it would have been better as an opening track. In the spirit of the album so far, ‘All My Blessings’ and ‘Champion’ are not sonically pleasing. ‘Dem Daddy’ is good, but it lacks the vim of the opening tracks. It could also have been anything else after track four. Thus, it's a filler.
‘Tender’ features Moelogo and it arrests the slump. A dancehall song, it’s another love song. ‘Omo Ologo’ continues the resurgence with R&B essence from the mid-2000’s. It’s also a vindictive song directed at Endia’s doubters and his rise.
‘Yawa’ is a socio-political critique of bad governance on afrobeat - without the ‘s.’ As good as the song, it feels topically strange to the entire spirit of this album. ‘Oboche’ should simple have been cut.
Final thoughts
Endia could have done with expanding his producer reach. Chopstix is great and Endia definitely chose him based on trust and creative synergy, but sometimes, creative synergy can promote comfort. Sometimes, it’s also good to see what the ocean offers. This album screams for something outside Chopstix for variety.
However, it’s still not a bad album.
Ratings: /10
• 0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fall
• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion
Pulse Rating: /10
Tracklist/Tracklisting: 1.2/2
Content and Themes: 1.2/2
Production: 1.3/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.2/2
Execution: 1.1/2
Total:
6.0 - Victory
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