This is one of those lyrical battles that got me thinking aloud. Like how do these guys put the lyrics all together? How do they feel when they are being rapped at? How do they organize and put them all together?
For me, I couldn't figure who murdered who. Watch this Lyrical War and tell me who killed who. Feel free to comment!
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Thursday 26 February 2015
UPDATE: REVIEW OF KO-JO CUE’S “THE SHINING” MIXTAPE By Joseph “Aqweci” Ofori.
It was a usual busy Monday when the PunchLine King, Ko-Jo
Cue dropped his latest mixtape “The Shining”. Both old and new fans of the
latest BBnZ signee had been impatiently waiting on this tape. From his first
ever project, “NATHAN”, Linford “Ko-Jo Cue” Amankwaa has been keeping fans in
suspense of The Shining. Now that it’s finally here I take the stage to delve
into the music, song after song.
As the title may sound, most people, including me thought
Ko-Jo would’ve played rough by compiling commercial songs to widen his fan base
in enabling him to blow up easily. Conversely, he held on to his words on
“Retrospect”(a song that he released in 2010 as part of his early projects) by
giving us a classic hip hop project full of storytelling, relatable concepts,
motivation, inspiration, and as you’d expect great metaphors and punchlines.
The mixtape has 15 classic songs on it, so not to beat about the bush so the
game doesn’t escape let’s head straight to the individual tracks.
01.
A Ghetto Story (Prod. By Alberto)
‘Success Story’ opened the curtain on ‘Before We Shine 2’,
this time around we hear a story of the ghetto. In life, not so many people are
raised from rich homes. Most of us are born and raised in deprived vicinities,
then we find a way to make it. Whether rich or poor, the point is making it in
the end. You remember when your mum told you not to play with rich kids cos you
can’t relate to them? Yup! Ko-Jo bluntly talks about it. The struggle to get a
silver spoon in your mouth when you weren’t born with one is what a ghetto
story portrays… Lines like “Kwaku
me nim original oh, na ne boɔ” and “yɛnni teee but ohia nka yɛn vibe nhyɛ” are
unheard voices of the ghetto. The message is that even if you’re a ghetto kid
there’s a way to can make it so force and focus, and you’ll be a success story.
02. Champion (Prod. By Bedi)
The
conception that one shouldn’t blow his own horns is kind of lame to me, cos people
won’t do it, and even if they do, usually they still hate on you. Ko-Jo brags
on this piece with all confidence claiming his throne as the champion. When the
punchline king gets into his element, you know it’s all about bars!! “Moves
dope like the sopranos, me ntee wo bass”… “Before he spit it, he go start
cough. Sick with it, the boy is gifted and he dey rap (wrap) ruff”… “I be’s clever,
chaow flows cos sea never, dries, ain’t nobody heard or seen better”. These
lines are deeper than you see them fam. Does Ko-Jo need a dying king to crown
him the champion? Well, I’m sure this king will leave the throne behind in
running for his life. LOL.
03. Kudi (Prod. By DJ Abui)
A man with
money(kudi) in his pocket is a happy one. People get money both legally and
illegally, cos it keeps the world moving. Riding on a bouncy beat by DJ Abui,
Ko-Jo raps about how the masses grind for and cherish money. This song is a
powerful tune that can move a crowd anytime of the day… the hook, “ka wo kudi”,
is something we’re already familiar with, and the lyrics sum up every aspect of
the money topic. In fact, I tip off this track to be a massive hit!
04. Esi Araba (Ft. M3nsa) (Prod. By
Senyo Cue)
When God
created Adam, he realised it’s not good for a man to be alone, hence he made a
woman for him. This song perfectly describes the love men have for their
fiancées. M3nsa lay a silky fante hook on Senyo’s classical instrumental. Senyo
actually surprised me with this highlife jazzy beat. Ko-Jo carefully puts sweet
words together in a fine tone in this conversation with his love, Esi Araba. We
don’t usually hear such earthly, local and sweet love songs.
05. Airmail (Interlude) (Prod. By Yung
Fly)
Not to hide
anything, this is undoubtedly one of my favorites on the tape. Being a story
most Ghanaian youth can relate to, Ko-Jo writes a letter to his friend Trebla
who is in London, telling him how hard he is fending here in Ghana. He also
adds, Blurr and Peewee who are all peers have impregnated a girl and being
smoking a lot, respectively. Trebla debunks perceptions that it’s easier to
make it at abroad, advices Blurr not to abort the unborn child and Peewee to
quit smoking, and attaches £100 to the letter. Happily receiving it, Ko-Jo
gives a positive feedback of Blurr accepting the advice and Peewee getting born
again to the extent of starting a church. Don’t pay attention to the
parenthetical song title. It’s a masterpiece with a perfect sample.
06. RedRuM (Prod. By Yung Fly)
This song
stands as the most lyrical tune on the tape and goes further to being one of
the hottest lyrically dope songs in the GH rap scene. Filled with unusual
metaphors which awakens dead rappers, the PLK spits fire on Yung Fly’s
exceptionally amazing beat. He raps “King David with swag and a sling, leaving
holes in giants when I swing, who be Goliath, make e back down”… “moves dope
like I travel with snow”… “I'm sick as the syphillis that was killing Al Capone”,
etc. Outstandingly, ‘RedRuM’ has the ‘baddest’ flow on the entire tape.
07. Lowkey (Ft. E.L & Klu) (Prod. By
Kuvie)
Released as
the only single before the whole project dropped, it still remains one of my
favorites. I salute Kuvie for producing such an addictive instrumental. Klu,
well known for his singing ability gave the song the perfect touch/hook that it
deserved. Ko-Jo starts with “Chale we son/sun em and put em up in day care” and
EL lays the 2nd verse dropping an untouchable line, “My G’s move in
silence in this campaign”. As the title goes, the song lowkey has a lot of
metaphorical lines.
08. Pretty, Please (Ft. Blackway) (Prod.
By Mike Millz)
Ko-Jo gets
in his ‘booze’ element and under the influence messes around with loose women.
Blackway joins him with his timeless flow and flair. Again, a tight production
by Mike Millz.
09. Young Daddy Lumba
In various
interviews, Ko-Jo has tipped that his favourite musician is DL. This particular
song is one which you may have to search for annotations on RapGenius. He
playfully drops subtle lines to make you ‘scratch your cerebrum’ in order to
understand. I’m not quoting any bars off it, some lines sound better when you
hear and decipher them as you vibe along. As intellect as DL is, Ko-Jo surely
is the modern Charles Kwadwo Fosu.
110. Closure (Interlude) (Prod. By Jnr)
Surprisingly,
the interludes on this tape are out of this world. Before I even get into the
verses, let me take time to give daps to Jnr for such a spirit-rising
instrumental. It’s quite a coincidence I have the same experience of the
closure story. In life, you may find yourself with a lady which signs show the
relationship is not gonna work out, but you still find yourself in it, then
later split up with heartbreaks. I really like the way Ko-Jo laid the flow on
this song, rhythmically smooth and picture-painting verses.
111. Bantama Blues 1 & 2 (Prod. By
Yaw Dan & Yung Fly)
First time
listening to this blues, it hit me that Ko-Jo was influenced by his first love.
He got his Drake on and went in so deep on this one. Carefully selecting appealing
words to his love, K.O Dash caresses the lucky girl, and hints that he can
wholeheartedly wipe the traces of the damage caused by her ex.
On Bantama
Blues 2, he complains about his roots Bantama not recognizing him. Even in the
Bible, Jesus wasn’t accepted by the Jews. Ko-Jo exclaims the guys that he
played with during his childhood have now abandoned him cos they think he has
become arrogant, due to his musical career. It hurts Ko-Jo cos he has never
stopped reppin’ Bantama, and this is how they pay him back. I feel for him,
hence artists from Kumasi disguise themselves as Accra residents once they blow
up, but exceptionally, he has always waved the flag of Bantama.
112. Odeeshii (Prod. By DJ Abui)
This right
here is a jam! An aggressive Ko-Jo scares all rappers and keeps them shaking in
their booths. A song that’ll make your favourite rapper rewrite his best bars.
A lot of double entendres and punchlines in ‘Odeeshii’. If you watched the
trailer, I inform you this is the track that made Cabum shout “abɔ dam hyɛ
shoe!”.
113. Ewiase (Ft. Eli) (Prod. By Yung Fly)
“Ewiase” is
one of the realest songs on the mixtape. Among the situations discussed on this
track I’m sure you’ll relate to at least one of them. Probably, you have heard
issues of how cold people can be. Ko-Jo summarizes wicked acts of the world
(ewiase) on this piece. I personally like how Ko-Jo laid it out one-by-one with
Eli’s perfect bridge, cos there are songs that our grandparents will love to
hear, and “Ewiase” is one of them.
114. Burger Highlife (Ft. M.anifest)
(Prod. By Enigma)
I believe
everyone has an addiction, being it a person, an act or anything else. With
help from M.anifest, Ko-Jo addresses the issue of addiction. Verse 1 talks
about dudes who get high and sober to ‘stay alive’. The next verse talks about
‘twitter gbeys’ who make the lives of celebrities uncomfortable cos these cool
kids slander them in 140 characters just to stay relevant. M Dot adds his
voice, including tickling puns in his verse. As the title suggests, the bass is
heavenly. Conclusively, Enigma’s instrumental is a classic!
115. Gold (Prod. By Alberto)
Finally
we’re here. Ko-Jo draws the curtain on the project with “Gold” which is the
shortest song on “The Shining”. He talks about other artists refusing to touch
on various aspects of life and him trying to reach gold(the prime price).
Among all 8
mixtapes of the rapper, this is his best project ever. The growing pains as
Ko-Jo likes to call it has now been treated. “The Shining” represents various
years of maturity and development of talent. Good music it is!!!
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