REVIEW: Reminisce - Alaga Ibile

REMINISCE

ALBUM: ALAGA IBILE

LABEL: EDGE RECORDS

RELEASE DATE: 11/10/2013

TAYOTV EDITOR'S RATING: 8/10

1. Intro: 8/10

Definitely one of the best intros i have heard this year. Energetic yet noise free. You hear this intro and you have this "Oh this is gonna be good" feeling. Straight forward rap, and very precise delivery.

2. Government: 8.5/10

This is the 2nd hardest song on the album. Shoutout to Chopstix for the beat, it was too dope. It's like a blend of hip hop and reggae all on one. Endia was definitely the right man for the job, his flow is very steady & sharp for a beat of this nature (Refer to 48 freestyle). I wouldn't expect anything less from a Reminisce x Olamide x Endia Collaboration and they didn't fail to deliver. However i have to say Olamide the more powerful verse. Good hiphop music overall.

3. Sunkere: 7.5/10

 Reminisce teams up with Deevee for this tune. Reminisce saved the song with his lines, i think DeeVee is under-rated. "Deevee lo lulu yi.. omo na talent"

4. Fantasi: 8/10

Monster beat by Sarz, very wild and wavy. You know what you are going to get when you have Sarz and Reminisce working together, i mean what's more perfect than a wild beat with a wild rapper? Simply impressive.

5. Eleniyan ft Wizkid: 7.5/10

 This is different. From the beat, to Reminisce's delivery to Wizkid's. I was expecting a commercial joint, a club groove but this is not it. However, i enjoyed how reminisce arranged his rhymes. I was feeling the way Wizkid was just riding the beat and mumbling towards the end creating some seconds of melody, i wish that was stretched out a little bit more.

 

6. Turn it Around ft Sossick: 9/10

One of my favorite songs on the album. This song shows a different side of Reminisce, the humble side (not that i say he is arrogant), as he talked about his little beginnings. This is a great collaboration! Sossick on the hook brings this smooth feel to it, reminds me of Akon. Reminisce on the other also decided to show off his rap skills in both Yoruba and English, he made it sound so easy. Good music

7. Swagu ft Oba Dice: 7/10

This beat is super steady and dope! The strong chemistry between Sossick & Reminisce is shown once again. The way Reminisce switch between languages is too smooth, his delivery was solid and firm, made him sound much more believable. Oba Dice was also impressive.

8. Buga ft Naeto C: 5/10

The beat is obviously influenced by the American style of rap, even got French Montana's ad-lib on it.. However for the first time on this album, i wasn't feeling this song at all, i was logged out of the album for a minute. It sounded very out of place, another wrong beat for wrong artiste, and unlike Sunkere, he couldn't save this one. Naeto C on the song was pointless, a more swagged out beat with a little bit of grown feel to it would have been much more appropriate. I was impressed by their first collaboration Owu No Dey Touch, but this one is below expectation. 

9. 3rd World Thug: 8/10

 Short but precise. The song got this gangster feel to it. The beat was simple and he delivered his sophisticated bars and slangs in a simple manner as well. 

10. Ife: 5/10

LOL! Gansgter like Reminisce decided to sing about love, not even rap, i mean sing. You see why i'm laughing. On a more serious note, we all know Reminisce make 'decent' hooks with little vocals sometimes, but this time, he decided to take it farther another mile by singing on the entire track. It's not all that bad, i don't think anyone would expect Banky W quality out of this one. Just goes to prove that not everybody can sing and rap like Drake. I would have preferred him rapping through the song and getting a good R&B artiste like SoJay, Simi, or Banky W to lace the hook instead of doing it all alone. Average in my opinion.

11. Agidigbo: 9/10

I'm a big Fuji fan so i can relate to this easily. Reminisce decided to move out of his comfort zone, deviate from rap and try something in the Fuji realm. I must say he successfully pulled it off. You might ask what's the difference between this song and Ife, after all he was "singing" and not rapping in both songs. Agidigbo is much more laid back, not a lot of singing going on, it's more of talking as a melodious instrumental consisting of both modern and traditional percussion is playing in the background. Good stuff.

12. Fela: 8/10

Regular Reminisce delivery on a catchy hook. Beat reminds me of 2mussh. Something you can definitely bump in the club.



13. Daddy ft Davido: 7.5/10

This is one my favorite tunes on the album. It's a song you can hear an Owambe party with people grooving to it.  Davido put in work on that hook, Reminisce didn't form hardcore rapper on this one at all which is just appropriate because it's just a merry jolly song. Once again Davido was just right for this joint. Good stuff.



14. Rude Gyal ft Burna Boy: 8/10

Reminisce deviates again from what we are used to, this time he goes into Reggae Rasta mode. Burna Boy was definitely the right man for the job (Listen to Burna Boy's Mixtape and you will know why). Impressive job from both guys. It's that "end of the night" "club is about to close" song. Girls who can whine their waists would love this one.



15. Pimp By Blood: 8/10

Another case of smooth chemistry between Reminisce and Sossick. A good song and a strong way to close the album.

Reminisce has created a very good piece of work here. I am impressed with a lot of things. The way he flex'd his bilingual abilities (which is very difficult for most MCs), the way he can get tough one minute and tone it down the very next minute and also the way he tried cutting across different zones asides rap. Sossick really put in work on this project and it really paid off in the end. Reminisce's delivery on the album was top notch, he made his point clear with less noise. It's an album worth buying if you haven't gotten it yet.