STREAM: Dagizah - Zero Your Mind EP
Shout-out to Bankulli as well, whose A&R prowess came up trumps on this project, even as a songwriter.
Music critics are cynics, it’s how we stay clear-eyed to judge things for what they are. But once in a while, a music critic can do nothing but take his hat off for pristine talent with layers of well-minted talent and an expansive sonic palette. Today, that artist is Bankulli-endorsed Dagizah.
It’s funny because he’s fresh but he has been working. The recent graduate has been impressing across industry circles and now he’s crowned it with Zero Your Mind, a sonically expansive six-track EP, on which he is a basket of influences and similarities to popular acts without being an exact replica of any of them.
For this, he is like Qdot - as pristine as possible, but without the deep rooted influences from Yoruba Folk music. On ‘Ja Fun Mi,’ he jumps on a Wizkid-esque beat to project himself as a contemporary Afro-pop artist that came after the 2010 generation with subtle similarities to Bella Shmurda and Barry Jhay for how he uses his voice albeit with less auto-tune.
On ‘Somebody,’ he is like 9ice and Qdot’s lovechild with his astute lyrical depth and picture-esque projections. On ‘Joromi,’ he is like Zinoleesky. By this time, you might be tempted to pigeonhole him into that ‘street artist’ description due to his style, but you are in for a surprise.
On ‘Presidential’ and ‘2XO,’ he switches the tables on Drill and Trap with Terry Apala hints.
Word on the street is that Dagizah used to be a rapper, which makes some of his flow schemes, techniques and pockets unsurprising. I mean, who delivers a Drill record like ‘Presidential’ with the ability to deliver a vote of gratitude like Yinka Ayefele - pun intended.
As noted earlier, his lyrical depth must not be overlooked, he is capable of beautiful lines. As he prays to his maker on ‘Ja Fun Mi,’ he sings that, “Koto aye is not a splinter cell…”
In English, that means, “A pit of torment is not a splinter cell…”
He is also bold enough to tell his own story, as he did on ‘2X0.’
Shout-out to Bankulli as well, whose A&R prowess came up trumps on this project, even as a songwriter. More importantly, the production on this EP is beautiful. The guitar chords which form the basis of ‘Somebody’ and trumpets on ‘Presidential.’
In the meantime, enjoy 'Who Goes There' below;
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
Album Sequencing: 1.8/2
Themes and Delivery: 1.5/2
Production: 1.7/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.6/2
Execution: 1.5/2
Total:
8.1 - Champion
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