Bling 4 - Hosanna Album Review

Bling 4 has been among the top 4 artists in the hip hop scene for years now. He has cultivated a loyal following throughout this period an is one of the less divisive figures in the genre. Not much into drama and hogging the limelight whilst delivering a constant flow of good songs, his brand is solid and he garners a lot of respect from fans and even his peers. 

After years of dropping singles Bing has decided to drop a full feature project and it will be interesting to hear how he would go about that. Some artists are excellent at singles and fail when it comes to albums, is Bling part of those or he can carry his solid run onto the album. Also what sound are we getting on the album, Bling 4 became popular by using the chilled emotional slow type of rapping, which sometimes gets monotonous but has managed to keep the fans interested till now so whether that will change or not, we'll see.

The album has finally dropped and after some time listening will be sharing with you my views and thoughts on the album.

1. Mupei Wine (feat Saintfloew)

Bling 4 teams up with Saint on this track where they are hyping up this amazing lady, that one who takes your breath away, that one who makes you sweat as they just go about their business. Saint killed his verse, dude can be untouchable when he wants and this is one of those times, killer verse. 

2. Ndionesei

On this track 4 is asking the Lord to open his eyes so he can see the hearts and true intentions of those around him. There are a lot of fake people all over, hypocrisy is now the order of the day and he wants to protect himself. Production is done well. Bling delivered his usual signature performance.

3. Hope Dzandairota (ft Voltz JT)

Last time these two teamed up on Shiri Ngainaiwe they delivered the best collaboration of that year and they carried on the magic on this one. The two have strong chemistry and it shows, a joint EP between the two would be massive. The track is about celebrating the dream life you are now living, you used to hope and pray for the experiences and thing you now have. The track is well produced, the track is chilled, easy to follow with a catchy hook. It has all the ingredients to be the runaway hit on this project. 

4. Mwana Wenyu

Bling 4 directs this song to his future father in law, he is confessing his love for his daughter and how he is willing to do the right thing to make her his wife. He changed up his style on this one, tried to showcase his singing abilities and it he did well. 

5. Vekudzinza

On this track Bling is asking for divine favour to break the evils and curses that follow his bloodline, he is crying out unto the Lord and Ancestors to guide and protect him on the path of life. The production is done well, a more traditional inspired production which is a change from the trap basslines that he usually goes for and it sounds good. 

6. Tingori Two (feat Tamy Moyo)

Bling has finally released the "compulsory" collaboration with pop star Tamy Moyo, it seems every top hip hop artists must have a song with Tamy, she is the ultimate price/crown I guess. This is a playful love song from the artists, its about enjoying spending time with your partner, just the two of you doing all you want. 

7. Nzira Dzatakafamba (feat Freeman)

Bling teams up with Freeman on this track where they are appreciating the path and challenges the have faced on the road to where they are now. Life is never a straight road, there are many curves, up and downs that one will face as they push towards their goals. 

8. Wonera

On this track Bling 4 is saying be aware of those fake friends in your circles, those that entice you to make the wrong move and they take you down. This one is for the haters, it's not hip hop without addressing those that secretly plot your downfall. 

9. Boyz Rangu (feat Runna Rulez)

This one is for the team, celebrating and hyping up your team, your day ones the ones that stand by you. You rise and shine together. The track is well made. It a track that will be perfect when the crew meet up before the night starts.

10. Hossana

The title track of this album is about asking the Lord for grace and favour, he is asking for protection for against the many forces that he fighting with. 4 delivered his signature performance on the track, production is also more to the style we have grown accustomed to. The chorus is good. 

So ya that's it for the Hossana album by Bling 4 and its a good project from the rapper. As you listen you can feel that Bling is at a space in his life where he finally now sees the challenges and struggles that are around him and ahead of him, he however is not stopping until he achieves his goal. 

He showed his need for divine intervention on tracks such as; Hossana, Vekudzinza & Ndionesei, where he is asking for guidance and protection from the creator above. Those tracks also feel like one song sang in three different ways.  

The tracks are produced quite well, sonically the project continues with the vibe that we already knew from Bling 4, I could take a previous single released prior and say its part of the album and you would not know. The style and sound has became a big part of his brand however the downside is the tracks end up sounding all the same, there is no noticeable sonic growth that separates tracks from this album from his past singles or the Bling 4 from 2 years back and this current one, its all the same. Usually an album is used as a turning point or evolution point in one's career, be it a change in sound, arrangement, lyrics or themes, an album is the best way to do so, a full body of work showing your growth to your fans. 

He tried on Vemadzidza and Mwana Wenyu, we get a glimpse of a different side of Bling which I feel he should have explored more, missed opportunity!!. Despite on the two aforementioned tracks, vocal wise we also get the signature style from Bling. His vocal style is solid, its on how the tracks are arranged as a whole where he needs to push himself, to make the songs feel different. 

The choice of collaborations was okay, Saintfloew performed the best, his verse is arguably the best verse on the whole project, Voltz JT was also good but we know he could do better, Tamy Moyo, Freeman and Runna Rulez were okay

To conclude I have to say the album is a good effort from Bling 4 but he needs to push himself more, engaging various producers even those outside the hip hop genre is the best way to progress, each producer has their own style and that can help him expand his sound. The launch was well done, I have to give respect to him and his team for the job well done, also most of the tracks came with visuals which is very important in this views era, visuals attract more views. I also have to mention that next time Bling and his team should  put more strategy in curating who comes to perform at the launch, currently social media is awash with the Voltz JT and Holy Ten drama vids and less attention to the album and tracks, it should not be so.  

My Overall Rating : 6/10

For all who have managed to listen to the album feel free to share your comments. 

Proud_Zimbo