A Pulse review of Spinall's 'Top Boy' album

In 'Top Boy' Spinall takes his ability to the world stage in a show of his international ambition.

Although he entered the mainstream scene as a disc jockey, Spinall has always shown that he's more than just a DJ. His ambition is that of a creative with the ability to curate sound in a way that appeals to listeners above and beyond the temporal euphoria disc jockeys can offer.

After making a name for himself in Nigeria, Spinall sets his gaze on the international scene as he aims to follow in the footsteps of other international DJs who also double as producers and reliable hitmakers.

The hitmaking aspect is a stroll in the park for Spinall who has scored an enviable list of popular singles with Afrobeats heavyweights with the most recent being 'Palazzo' with Asake.

The decision to remove the prefixing DJ from his name is a key branding that shows that he's more than just a DJ and which is a common element with other international figures that have threaded the path he aims to walk.

He famously opened for Bruno Mars in Australia in a show that had over 60,000 fans in attendance. Such is the ambitions of Spinall and with 'Top Boy' he aims to position himself as an international creative.

To help achieve his goal, Spinall brought together a list of stars spread across different regions in an effort to deliver a project with an international appeal.

Over the course of 45 minutes, these artists explore different soundscapes that however carry a primary Afrobeats cadence as that's the vehicle that will drive his ascension.

The use of Amapiano as the primary soundscape for the project gives the album a sonic direction that relies mainly on mainstream appeal. 'Bunda', 'Palazzo', 'Give Me Love,' and 'Top Mama' are feel-good party records that will have bodies moving across nightclubs in Africa and beyond.

Even with Amapiano, Spinall aims for diversity. While 'Bunda' and 'Palazzo' deliver the Nigerian Amapiano variant, the Niniola-assisted 'Give Me Love' leans more towards the synths-driven South African variant. 'Top Mama' on the other hand, carries heavy street music elements that run through Eastern and Southern Africa.

Spinall adopts just beyond the mainstream sonic elements as he also gleans from earlier Nigerian sounds to deliver more musicality. He explored Afrobeat in 'Cruise' which delivers a feel-good rhythm and Highlife is combined with Afro-pop in the sensually lustful Adekunle Gold-assisted record 'Cloud 9'. Even in 'Sere' there's a notable Highlife chord.

He explores a blend of Alternative, R&B, and Pop in 'Honest' and 'Bow Down' where he features stars whose music is notable in the Alternative scene. These genre-bending elements extend to Hip Hop where he taps South Africa's Blxckie and Nigeria's Ladipoe for 'Outside'. He also combines Highlife percussion with Afro-pop progression in 'Oshey' where Stefflon Don infuses the Caribbean flavour.

There's an infusion of international sounds in 'Just to Be' where Jess of Vanjess delivers a soothing melody that rested on a blend of Afro-pop and Jazz. And in 'Power,' percussion combines with horns and EDM for a hybrid Amapiano record.

As a body of work, 'Top Boy' delivers a bunch of feel-good music that explores the subject of love, the good life, and desires. They are delivered across a wide sound template that convey a unifying party cadence.

The sonic coherence is achieved by notable Spinall production contributions across almost all the tracks on the album. The music is steered in a direction that will appeal to a variety of listeners while retaining significant Afrobeats themes either through the drums, technique, and language.

For Spinall, 'Top Boy' offers a project that will appeal to his Nigerian and African consumers while also packing the elements that place Afrobeats on the setlist of clubs across Europe and America.

Final Notes

Retaining a sonic theme in an album that features 26 artists across different genres can be challenging. However, Spinall was able to navigate this on 'Top Boy' through the use of Amapiano and other Nigerian sonic elements.

Many of the tracks excel individually and as a body of work, they come together for a thematic and coherent project. The genre-blending across the album allowed Spinall to blur the lines between African music like when Phyno delivered Igbo bars beside Ntosh Gazi's electrifying Swahili vocals.

Overall, 'Top Boy' is an album that offers something to every listener while also highlighting the abilities and ambitions of its curator.

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: 1.6/2

Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.6/2

Production: 1.7/2

Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.5/2

Execution: 1.6/2

Total: 8.0 - Champion