Album Review: Stunner - If I Die Tonight
The Tazoita Cash boss Stunner has released his 7th Album. Stunner is an icon in the music business, he has been in the game for years. He has gifted us with hits such as, Hameno, Rudo Rwemari, Song Yangu, Team Hombe, Godo, Pain Killer, Warriors..etc. He has been in the game for years now and he is the most recognizable brand in local Hip Hop like it or not. The only rapper to have two songs voted as song of the year, Team Hombe & Godo. His biggest track to date Godo was top of the charts for 6 months straight, a feat only very few tracks in Zimbabwe can compete with (Leonard Mapfumo - Maidei, Trevor Dongo - Ndashamisika....the only two from e top of my head nw). Stunner has not managed to reach the same heights since Godo in 2012, but he has managed to remain a very formidable brand. His pull and reach is second to none. Now he has released a new album, to be honest this was not a high;y anticipated album. Stunner however has a great talent to create monster hits from nowhere so when he releases a project its always worthwhile to take a listen, you never know. So have managed to listen to the album for weeks now and i'm ready to give you my review...lets get to it.
The album has 16 tracks and will be making a track by track review:
1. Mugara Ndega ft Kapital K
The drum-roll intro draws you into the track, it makes you curios as to how the instrumental will sound like. Kapital K then beasts his way through the first verse. He gave a superb verse and he just proves why many regard him as the best rapper in Zim. Stunner was in charge of the chorus and he okay but a different voice (eg Ba Shupi) would have been more better. Stunner's rapping is an acquired taste, however I enjoyed his verse here. The instrumental is sounding very good. It has this Kapital K kind of vibe and sound, not the sound we usually expect from Stunner. Love the last part where they left the beat to do its thing, its a very dope instrumental. Great work on the production.
2. Inna Mi Head ft Sir Ford
The intro has a lot of ambiance and Sir Ford's vocals sets the reggae/dancehall hip hop fusion from the start. Stunner was in charge of the first verse and like the first track, I enjoyed his verse. His overall performance on the track was very good. Sir Ford was in charge of the vocals and he did a superb job. His second verse was just on point, it has this Jamaican vibe to the extend that you will forget you're listening to a local track. Stunners second verse was just fantastic, those who say he cannot rap take a listen to that verse. One of the best verses I've heard from him. This is a party jam and the instrumental plays its part very well. The collaboration between these two guys works very well. This is one song Stunner must break the bank for and make the visuals. It needs visuals a.s.a.p.
3. Vanozviketa ft Begotten Sun
This jam is on a trap tip and trap fans will definitely enjoy the instrumental. Stunner was in charge of the chorus and he did a good job, that also extended to his verse...its good. Did not know Beggoten Sun can rap!! he however gave a good verse, enjoyed his style. This is a track for the ballers, those always on point Zimex Mall ballers and hustlers who can snatch up any girl in town. The production is done very well and the guys managed to blend quite well. Nice Jam.
4. Switch ft Ba Shupi
Afro Beat has taken over the continent and Stunner also tapped into that kind of sound. This track is made for the dancefloor. Switch is about getting down in the club. That crazy moment when you just request to switch partners with your friend kuti iwe wotamba newake iye otamba newako. Don't know if many people are okay with that....like I said that crazy moment. Its a track to dance to and not listen to much. The overall production is done quite well.
5. She Said ft Trevor Dongo
This is a beautiful track. The instrumental is on point, loving it. Love the bass line on this track. Love the whole vibe on this track. Stunner was in beast mode here, his verses were entertaining and structured very well. Trevor was also equally up to the task, he gave a great vocal performance. The collaboration works very good. The track is about meeting that lady who loves for who you are and doesn't want your material stuff. That girl who you are willing to do everything for. Arguably one of the best tracks on the album and also one of my favourite. Superb Jam.
6. Mainini Remix
This 8L track has been causing major waves in the clubs and radio. Stunner decided to give us his version. As implied at the start Stunner decide to go back to his roots on this jam, back to the days he was one of the best rappers and wordsmiths in the game. The end result is some very good bars, love the first verse more than the second but both of the verses are very good. He still has his touch, the wordplay here is on point. The chorus "sort of" is okay but he should have just let the original Tocky chorus there. Regardless of that this remains an entertaining jam.
7. If I Die Tonight
The title track of the album is on a chilled mellow kind of vibe. On this track Stunner is asking that If I Die Tonight are there any who will miss me, will the people rejoice or be sad??? Stunner has a large following, the largest among hip hop artists and the media is always in his business, good and bad comments are thrown from all sides. With all the negative stuff said about him he sometimes wonder if the people will miss him if he is gone. This is a touching and personal track from Stunner. It also serves as a dedication to all those who have lost people close to them. Stunner showed another side which I was not expecting and the track hits the right spots. The production is standard, the instrumental is sounding very good. Superb jam.
8. Skit
This skit/interlude is quite funny and insulting at the same time. Basically its about people who claim to be humble but its just that they don't have something to brag about, they have no choice. Also a person cannot claim to be humble, people must say you are humble not you yourself. Stunner says he is humble so with this skit he kind of stole the insult from the people before they say it, that way if someone says it , it will not have any weight. Clever move.
9. Ndiri Humble ft Ngoni Kambarami
This is another solid jam on the album. The instrumental is sounding very good. The combination of Stunner and Ngoni is working very well. Ngoni is a superb vocalist and he just shows it on this jam, he killed the chorus. Stunner was also in beast mode, the choice of words is on point and structure of vocals is well thought of. The overall production is standard, everything about this jam is on point. Great track.
10. Impilo Yethu ft Albert Nyati
Quite an interesting collaboration this. The instrumental is a fusion of the traditional Ndebele sound and modern hip hop. The fusion worked quite okay. The Legendary Poet Albert Nyathi was on the chorus and he gave the track a nice traditional flavour which i'm loving. Stunner did his thing on the verses and gave a good perfomance. This track is about the living the good life. The collaboration is a eyebrow raiser, regardless the end result is a good jam. The overall production is standard. Nice Jam.
11. Mari Mudenga ft Sean Focus & Trigger
This is a hype track. Its just gets you into the party mood, perfect song for those who love to twerk. Its about spending the cash and having a blast with the whole family and community. Stunner gave a good performance on the verses. Sean Focus was on point with the hook. Trigger was the hype man and he did a okay job on the third verse. The instrumental is sounding good. Am not much of a hip hop head but I can see myself bumping to this one when the pay day arrives. All in all its a good jam.
Stunner for the past couple of months was sort of like singing dancehall and this track is in that lane. Its structured in his typical style, the one he used for Team Hombe and Godo. However Logun failed to recreate the magic that Toby and Ba Shupi produced on the other tracks.. Both the artists gave good vocal performances. However the track seems to be on a different wave length as compared to the tracks before it. It sound like it came from his Panofa Munhu kind of days. Its lacking.
13. Hatireve Nyambo ft Jah Prayzah
Already did a review for this track. Hatireve Nyambo Track Review
14. Zvemafaro ft Sean Focus
Love the intro here. The instrumental is on point. Great work by the beat maker. Sean Focus was also on point on the hook. The track has this hazy, drunk kind of vibe and Sean Focus's vocals blended well with the instrumental. The disappointing part of the track is Stunner, his parts just didn't do it for me...all the verses are just bad. That hurts me more because I love the instrumental and he kind of wasted it.
15. Tinenzara
They switched to a more chilled RnB kind of instrumental here. The instrumental in overall is sounding good. The chorus is sounding a bit off in some parts, the message is good but the structure is just not doing it for me. Stunner did good on the first verse. After the second chorus its all about spoken word....the lady and guy who did the spoken work did a great job. This track is more of talking about the difficulties many of us are facing, many are trying to built something but the economy is not allowing that. So Stunner is saying why should we be happy when we are hungry. Its socially conscious but the way it is packaged is not that appealing or emotional as it should have been.
The trap instrumental here is not doing it for me. I'm not much into trap music but I make exceptions if the structure of the vocals and/or the theme is good. Unfortunately for this track both the structure and vocal performances are not good. The album could have done without this track.
The overall production of the album is done very well. The producers and beat makers who took part in this project did a good job. The themes vary, Stunner covered a number of issues which is a commendable effort. It makes the album quite diverse.
The album started very strong but it turned bad towards the end. My favourite track is She Said. Other tracks I enjoyed are Inna Mi Head, Mari Mudenga, Ndiri Humble, Mainini (Rmx) and If I Die Tonight. On the other end of the spectrum, the tracks I could do without are; Usasaize, Takavatangira, Zvemafaro and Tinenzara.
In overall this is a good offering from Stunner. He showed he still can rap and make good music. Some said Stunner is not Hip Hop but on this album he was all hip hop and those accusations are thrown outside the window.
Proud Zimbo Rating: C (60%)
What are your thoughts on the album??
Proud_Zimbo
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