Album Review: Asaph - Kingsvilla 2
Zim Hip Hop is a polarizing genre, it has its few loyal fans then for others its nearly non existent. For me most of the tracks are generic and they don't do it for me that much but now and then there comes an artist that just wows me and restores my hope in local hip hop. Asaph is one such artist, he announced his arrival with the Kingsvilla Album last year and got some heads turning. He then went on to release the follow up Kingsvilla2 and this time I decided to give myself a chance to listen to the album. After a couple of listens I was keen on making a review of the album, and get to share the project with fellow Zimbos. So ya today will be giving my thoughts on the album.
The album contains 13 tracks and will be giving a track by track review .
1. City Hall Benches
"Tamara voice note saying how much he misses his man Asaph and how much she is looking forward to seeing him..."
This is a track for the ambitious and dreamers. Asaph does not want to remain stagnant, he wants to move forward with his life. The city benches are always at the same place and he does not want to be on the same place forever so he is working hard, releasing the music, making the grind to make something of his life. The production is done quite okay, however I feel the chorus part of the instrumental was a tad bit loud, and it disturbs the flow of the jam in some ways.
"Tamara send a voice note telling Asaph that he wants to turn up with him so bad, its been long since he was home and she will be bringing her cousin, who is also a fan of his music..."
2. Vereza Music
The instrumental is chilled and sounding good. Its made in a way the keeps you captivated by the track, and on top of that it is simple and on point. Asaph's vocal performance was on point, loved the Kendrick like part on the chorus. On this track Asaph meets up with Tamara's cousin Thulani and he starts passing him the advice he was given in 2007 by the seniors at that time. He wants to show Thulani a good time and inspire confidence in him. Loved Asaph's performance on this jam and also the way he tells his story.
Asaph continues to chat with Thulani and on this jam he is highlighting through real life experiences that a lot of people put themselves in situations they will later regret because they just don't want to miss out. The Fear Of Missing Out has made many people do crazy things, FOMO is not a reason to justify your actions. .The production is done very well, Charlie Zimbo did a great job on the production. Its laid back and complements the vocals and theme very well. All in all this is a solid jam, one of my favourite on the album.
" Tamara' voice note telling Asaph to stop corrupting the young kid with his stories and advice him to go home before his boys get him into trouble and also they need to talk about something...."
Asaph goes on to have some fun with his Burg Boys on this jam. The track is full of energy and Asaph is just hyping his boys on this jam, the Burg Boyz. Aykay was in charge of the production here and he did a nice job, the instrumental is trap and it matches the energy required for the jam.
5. Double Cup Love (ft Cal_Vin)
The only track with a feature on the album. The instrumental has this nice dancehall/dance vibe about it which I'm loving and the overall production is done well. They structured the track in a pop kind of way and this is probably the song with radio potential on the album. Aspah and his boys are enjoying themselves in the club and are getting a lot of love from the ladies (getting the double cup love ). Both artists delivered great performances and one can feel the guys were having a good time. Hope they make visuals for this track
"Asaph gets carried away in the double cup love and he messes up big time, so he leaves a voice note to Tamara telling her that he messed up ...."
6. Hot Plate Daije
They toned it back to the mellow kind of vibe here and I prefer this more. The instrumental is sounding good, another superb job by Charlie Zimbo. Asaph is narrating what happened when he got carried away with the double cup love last night. He ended us sleeping with this random girl then he starts feeling some weird sensations so he approaches the doctor to try and find out the cause. He ends up getting tested for HIV at the doctor.
"He finally gets relief when he finds out he is safe after taking an HIV Test, so he calls his friend telling him how happy he is that he did not ruin his entire future..."
7. Ecocash
On this track Asaph is saying when you see him performing he is not playing but its work so promoters need to pay him his fees in full. Some try to take advantage of the fact that he is not that popular so they want to shortchange him. The vocal arrangement is a generic, it sounds like a number of songs on radio at the moment. The production is also done quite well, the instrumental is sounding okay.
8. SNDR
Love the intro here, the vocal loop is a nice touch. The instrumental is wavy and sounding good, great job by Charlie Zimbo. Asaph was also up to par on the vocals and he delivered a strong performance. On this track Asaph is saying they are the best in Bulawayo and this is partly in response to the those promoters in Ecocash above, who overlooked him.
9. No Regrets
"Asaph receives a call from his friend telling him a friend of theirs has passed..."
The intro is just on point, the "hayiya helele" loop gives the track this superb vibe. The overall production is done superbly, the beat is clean and does not take your attention from the vocals. This is personal story from Asaph, a death of a close friend inspires him to change his ways as he does not want to die with regrets. So as he pays his respects to his friend he hopes and pray that he is not next, and he not gonna keep living the way they used to live with their late friend. He looked up to his late friend so he is conteplating if the this is the price for living the way they do. Powerful.
"Asaph gets a voice note from his girl saying she is pregnant but he was still dealing with the grief of losing a friend and did not give attention to the message..."
10. More
"He gets another voice note from his girl saying she is leaving for SA to stay with her sister and if he is serious he should come meet her before her bus leaves..."
On this track Asaph is saying he wants to be part of his child's life, he does not have much now but he is ready and willing to put in the work and effort needed to raise his child. He cannot keep playing with the boys but he must grown up and be responsible. He now has a revelation that being high and having hits songs will not give him more or make his life more meaningful like what having a kid will do. The production is done very well and the track is sounding good.
"He then send a note to his girl saying he accepts her decision and akcnoledges that it was a wake up call for him and he will make some changes..."
11. Open Arms (The Lovely Tamara Outra)
The last track on the album is an appreciation to his mother. He is saying I'm on a journey of life and in the way he's making a lot of decisions some which his mom many not agree with but he wants her to keep praying for him and supporting him. Asaph is trying to figure out his life and despite all the pain he may cause to his mother he still wants her love. Powerful. The production is also done very well, the instrumental is sounding very good, it perfectly blends with the theme of the song. Another solid jam from Asap.
"Tamara responds to his voice note showing her support to his decision to change and reassures him that she will always support him and he has to keep working hard."
In overall this is a very good album. Was very reluctant to listen to the album, even skipped it the first time I tried listening to it but i'm glad I finally got the composure and time to fully listen to the album. It took me some time to get used to Asaph's voice and style but I warmed to it and the album got better from then. Asaph gave a solid vocal performance throughout the album, his Kendrick like style of arranging music was on point. The album is one big personal story told over a couple of track. Its a story many will relate to, personally i ca relate to a number of the issues here hence the album talked to me more. Another strong part of the album are the instrumentals, Charlie Zimbo did a superb job on the production....he was diverse in the way he arranged his instrumentals and that makes the album a good listen. Its a solid project, instrumentals are on point, themes are on point, storytelling is on point, I love the project. This may as well be my favourite hip hop project of the year.
My favourite tracks on the album are FOMO, Open Arms, More, No Regrets, City Hall Benches....my least favourite is Burg Boys.
Proud Zimbo Rating: A (85%).
What are your thoughts on the album??
Proud_Zimbo
Comments
Post a Comment