Eastern Takeover: Ilbliss's Sideh Kai Album Review
Sideh Kai is the latest body of work from the popular and legendary igbo rapper Illbliss. The talented and boss sounding rapper burst to the scene about a decade ago with the Terry G helped track aye gbogon that shot him up from just an igbo rapper into the national rap scene. A position that he's since maintained with relative ease.
Sideh Kai opens up with a typical big igbo boy talk. Red Cap is a an igbo signature that signifies renowned standing and class in the igbo culture. The rapper goes on a lyrical rampage, boasting of how he's dominated the game and taken it from a local place to global standing. It would be easy to deduce that he sees himself as the Jesus of the game from the east, just as he rapped "e ma na Jesus na su igbo.....(you know that Jesus speaks igbo....)"
His deep baritone voice bounced off the wave of the quite popular drill beat - sometimes incoherently - that took away some element of originality from the track. I guess the idea was flooring the pedal from the beginning just to set some kind of domineering tempo for the whole album.
But it's difficult to understand what the message is just as in Lower Chime. Is it his place of origin, like his first line if the song suggests, or it implies its English meaning? (Chi-me means God did in igbo). Or maybe it's word play as he adds that the post code is "new heaven"? Well, the lyrical torrent that follows lends no credence to any of those theories.
What follows is a wave of lyrics that just picks up from where red caps left off. He just bosses the beat around, laying out the trajectory the journey took and the daily fruits plucked off the hustle tree.
God is God has the feel of red caps-lite, the beat is reminiscent of the first and the lyrics just follows the same trajectory. The track had a feel of those 'mid album tracks' that's usually snuck in to make up the album.
The first distinction that gave a specialized feel on the album came with the Umu Obiligbo boosted Chukwu Ebuka. The infectious and traditional feel of the highlife singers raised the bar on the track. But Illy maintained his now accustomed brags about the igbo spirit and how they're taking over the whole place. "31 filling stations all over the country........" makes reference to the 36 states of the Nigerian federation, which is a sign of conquest.
"they say oga boss you legend, I dey laugh, I came here for money, period" comes the interlude for the Masterclass which lends gratitude to the game of hiphop for being a fertile ground where he's grown to where he is. The track does justice to its title with a minimal hiphop beat laying the platform for his lyrical artistry that shone with minimal fuss.
This was definitely oga boss staking his claim for a seat amongst the greats and the line "I belong with the greats" coming immediately after the voices of M.I Abaga and Vector Tha Viper at the middle of the track was no coincidence, with oga boss leaving the class below and ascending to the apex to hang with his new crew.
The rampage continues on Full Chest with Odumomodu's unique voice and style giving impetus to a sleek beat that was heavy on kick and snares. Successful follows suit in the same fashion, but this time with the help of Lade and Vector who came loaded with his usual calm voice and impressive wordplay.
Pamper borrows some beautiful vocals from Acetune in this easily likable and also forgettable afro beat delivery as Illy professes love to this mystery woman. All he wants to do is just to pamper her.
Finally someone to defend the Gen Z. Or is it really a support? Well, it depends on your mindset and understanding of what the message Yukel and Illbliss were trying to pass on. But one thing is clear, you can't blame the gen z for everything.
One thing is sure though, you can't have your Peace of mind if you're constantly concerned with the ways and ills of the gen z generation. And as oga boss says on the track, "he can only trust his family and no one else", it might turn out to be your Fave song on the album if you're the groovy type.
Oh My God which features Teni is just another of that album tracks that just seems to have found its way to the Playlist to complete the album. It's quite forgettable, but it's nothing like Daughters which is a reminisce of his family life and love for his daughters.
The album track is filled with sprinkles of snippets of his daughters' voice all through the track. "you rap and you cook and you paint, but you faint when it's time for your homework or your night bath" he reminisces about one of his daughters with a tinge of pride in his voice.
The journey moves from daughters to another very important woman in his life, his Maale (mother). It's just simply a beautiful ode to his mother. You could easily feel his Spirit reverberate through his voice. But this time he's helped by Madé Kuti and Cobhams Asuquo as they bark and brag out the unique Naija spirit which is resisilient, hardworking and creative.
Every journey has its own story and memories. Remember reminisces on the journey and how he scaled his way up from the trenches, staying true to himself and the game and never losing focus, till he became the boss that he is today.
It's moments of reflection like that, that triggers the spirit of gratitude and makes sure that you Nye Chukwu the Glory (give God the glory). "I came from nothing, nwanne nye Chukwu the glory, ups and downs, nwanne nye Chukwu the glory". And like every sermon that ends with an admonition, this was Illbliss's own admonition and outro.
Sideh Kai is a beautiful body of work where Illbliss showed how versatile he can be with the microphone and tried to stake his claim amongst the greats. His ability to switch effortlessly between his native igbo language and English while still maintaining his flow and delivering on its message, is a thing of beauty on its own.
The album tells a story of a man who's proud of what he's become and is ready to boast about it. It also lends its voice to the beauty of family and the maturity and blessings it can bring into your life, even as he maintains his oga boss outlook. It's a beautiful concept that tries to weave together two different sides of a seemingly complicated fellow, but at the same time doesn't leave you confused.
On the other hand, this was an album titled after his daughters' names and for one, I was expecting something more conscious. I was expecting a story that illuminates on the inner man, but also one that resonates his story, especially with regards his family.
Apart from masterclass and Daughters, the album generally lacked the wow factor. It's filled with a lot of 'big boys talk', but very little punch, wordplay or even indepth story telling which are very important elements in the rap genre. Illbliss is a boss, no doubt, and when you're a boss, you don't need to try so much to make people see it. It's a perfect album for the eastern people of igbo extraction, but it might easily get lost on the others.
Rating: 6.5/10
Link: https://audiomack.com/illbliss/album/sideh-kai?share-user-id=11079608
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