Lojay, Gangster Romantic [PHOTO: TW @Lojaymusic]

ALBUM REVIEW: In ‘GANGSTER ROMANTIC’, Lojay proves he can make solo hits

Since the release of ‘Monalisa’ in 2021, Nigerian artist Lekan Osifeso Jnr, known as Lojay, brought the spotlight to himself with the combined effort of SARZ, the producer.

The project’ LV N ATTN’ marked his significant achievements in the Nigerian music scene and appealed to groovy and pop music lovers. His next new project was bound to breach the previous benchmark he had set.

The new EP ‘GANGSTER ROMANTIC’ sets the stage for the display of his solo capabilities.

In previous months Lojay has proven his musical prowess on collaborations, including DJ Neptune’s “Only Fan” with Zlatan, “Runaway” with Ayra Starr, and Blaqbonez’s “Whistle” with Amaarae.

He also served up a string of powerful standout singles, including “Automatic” and “Leader,” “Canada”, and “Moto”, which are also included in his EP.

In the seven-track Afro Soul EP, Lojay tapped Anthony Egwu as the executive producer and has only one feature with Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa and Herc Cut the lights on the fourth track ‘CANADA’.

In this album, Lojay portrays himself as a romantic boy and a villain. However, the diversity and consistency in his outputs cannot go unnoticeable; Lojay tells a story of how he fell deep into having a gangster personality yet being a heartless romantic.

YAHWEH

The EP opens with a soul confession to the one he loves, expressing his love interest in the song YAHWEH produced by Moon Willis; Lojay describes the feelings she stirs in him.

Flowing with subtle yet complex rhythmic beats, he explains he wants a devoted lover, not an off-and-on lover.

This can be heard in his lyrics, “Give me devotion properly, I don’t need no secret love…I only need your company, So call me anytime you wanna talk.”

Lojay [PHOTO: TW @Lojaymusic]

Diving deeper into the intimacy he experiences with his partner, he sings, “She gives me love in a Mercedes, Buckles off and put it in reverse, And now we are sweating, Killing my depression, Anything you say tantalising.”

Hence his intimate experiences with her lead him to scream Yahweh.

LEADER

His next song, “LEADER,” first released in September 2022 and produced by P.Prime, is an upbeat track with memorable toplines and incredibly catchy melodies.

Backed with the ideal instrumental backdrop to match his unique vocals, Lojay uses the thumping drums to adopt his villain self, who advises himself and guys to avoid caring about a girl who does too much and is hard to get reminding them there are many other girls.

“Leave her,

f she moves wrong, leave her

Too many babes on signal because my wrist is like freezer, oh no, no

f she moves wrong, leave her

Too many babes on signal because my wrist is like freezer, oh no, no

f she moves wrong, leave her

Too many babes on signal because my wrist is like freezer, oh no, no

While I cry alone.”

CANADA

With a high Amapiano beat produced and featured by South African stars DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small and Herc Cut the lights, Lojay brings in a club banger.

He explores the themes of curvy women, generous spending and expensive lifestyles; he brags about how his packet is large to spend on a well-endowed lady.

He is backed up by his South African counterparts, who also explore the same themes and supplement the song chorus with a South African language making it more traditional and sweeter.

IYD

Produced by LOUDAAA, IYD: If you’re down, Lojay calmly discusses his ongoing emotions for an ex-girlfriend and his honest request for her to give him closure.

A great guitar melody accompanies the R&B, and Lojay showed significant vulnerability in his lyrics and melodies.

AVAILABU

With another Amapiano-infused bit from hitmaker Magic Sticks Lojay, she delivered a melodious solo banger this time.

In Availabu, he reverts to his romantic side and tells an intimate story about a hot curvy girl with whom he once had a run-in.

He describes her endowment as one that belongs to ‘Osahlobuah.’

In his lyrics, he explains how he is obsessed and wants to meet up with her. He clearly states that he is available if she wants to meet again, as they both enjoyed what they had.

OVA

In the soul-filled song produced by P. Prime, Lojay narrated a bitter experience with his former lover, saving the best for last.

He admits that they had a lot of issues, buttressing he became toxic cos she already thought he was one.

He even goes as far as to claim he wished he had cheated on her.

The degree to which he conveys his pain is a perfect explanation as to why he switched to a Gangster yet not neglecting his romantic side.

Verdict

Overall, Lojay kept the storyline in the ‘in-betweens’ by explaining the romantic experiences that took him to a dark place where he navigated to discover his villain side.

His project widely explores various genres and utilises afro infusion very well, from the mid-tempos, Pop, R&B themes and the Amapiano reach.

R&B, Pop, UK, and Afrobeats, which he has always claimed are his influences, were on full display as they all came into play aided by the best producers in the music industry.

However, the only poor thing is that the Album came when most of his fans were possibly away battling socio-political problems.

Despite the setbacks, the Album has retained number one on Apple Top Naija charts for three weeks.

In his new Album, Lojay proves that he can make solo hit and is not a one-hit wonder with only Monalisa.

His last album was a collaborative project with Sarz the producer.

Two songs from his new project, CANADA and AVAILABU are already almost attaining hit status.

Verdict: 8.5/10