When one of the country’s top pop culture
critics calls you out in such an unabashed
manner, it must cause one to chafe a little;
Osagie Alonge aka “ Osagz” posed ‘the question’
to Chocolate City head honcho, Jude Abaga,
AKA M.I. on the nation’s top podcast last
week. CKay Yo, the 19 year old from Croc City,
found his viability as an artist front and centre
of social media discussion for a couple of days.
He’s not as wet behind the ear as the question
suggests having already had production credits
on Chocolate City’s posse album and writing
the chorus on one of its standout joints, 3
Mainland Bridge.
Who The F**k Is CKay is the answer. The
mixtape is 6 cuts deeps, which he sings almost
exclusively in pidgin with a smattering of Igbo
and the obligatory Yoruba word interspersed
between typical Nigerian pop lyrics. One might
have feared that having felt the extraordinary
pressure Alonge’s question placed on him,
propelled by a bruised ego, he’d rush out a
subpar project. On the contrary, this self-
written, composed and largely self-produced
(Tempoe co-produced two joints) tape serves
as a worthy introduction. He probably
wanted the release differently, on his own
schedule but the iron was hot and deserved to
be struck. A minor downside, Who The…. has no
umbrella theme, the tape itself doesn’t answer
‘the question’ literally. It is more of a chest
thumping ‘how dare you doubt me’ exercise but
given the circumstances of its release, that can
be forgiven.
For a rushed to release project, it holds its own.
Some of the tape’s highlights are I’m Single
(Alleluya) – A dope, up-tempo number. Its call
and response chorus make it social media
compliant, club and radio ready. Then there’s
African Woman. This joint is a delight,
production wise especially – leaning on a mid-
tempo dancehall bass with a sampling of Fela’s
‘Lady’ which he makes work beautifully.
‘The question’ as opposed to being seen as an
insult should instead be viewed as a challenge.
Does CKay do enough on this mixtape to shut
mouths? As a producer, the tape gives an
insight into just how talented he is – the last
3/4 songs, particularly African Woman, belie his
age. He’s 19 years old, in the middle of a shift
happening in Nigerian music but he can’t avoid
the age old quandary of trying to do what radio
wants hence the misstep that is Winner . He
should leave this sound alone, it’s passé and
detracts from his obvious talent. He features a
bonafide member of the new wave, Bella Alubo,
on Chinekeme co-produced by Tempoe. If the
confidence he delivers his lyrics with comes
through visually, this might be a winner but one
suspects he’s only testing the waters. He’s got
the requisite skills to make it all work should he
want to give the wave a proper try. He looks
good, is quad lingual and young enough that he
can avoid boxing himself in.
He’s shown a hint of what he’s capable of and
it behoves him to avoid predictability – the field
is too packed to sound just like everyone else
and it is not quite obvious if he’s a ‘good
vocalist’ – He’s clearly adequate and none of
the songs on the tape require more than which
he delivered but it’d be interesting to see him
leave his vocal comfort zone sometime in the
future.
Interest in his craft is at an all-time high right
now and it is ultimately up to him to ensure
“the question” is never asked again. This tape
is a good starting point.
Top joints – I’m Single , African Woman,
Chinekeme .
