Winky D - Njema Album Review

Winky finally answered the masses who spent the whole last 6 month of 2019 asking for a new project. It had become normal to see a tweet or post whereby a fan was asking Winky when he was going to release something or whether he was serious; starving his fans of something new. This was not because he had not released something all year, in the first quarter of the year he collaborated with Gemma Griffiths to give us MuGarden which was a massive hit with his legion of fans. The fans just wanted something to close the year dancing to. He then announced a new album was dropping right at the end of the year. Many hoped he was going to release some singles over the festive season as build up to the new album but that was not the case. A few days before end of the year he released the first single Ijipita which caused a lot of controversy for its politically charged lyrics, this led to a national wide issue and many reports emerged online which were saying the Government was going to ban the launch and also ban all radio stations from playing tracks fro8m the album. This gave the album a lot of traction on social media which helped market the album more than Winky imagined, the end result was a sold out venue.

Personally was very much looking forward to see whether Winky was going to go all political on his next project, and with the release of Ijipita it seemed he was heading into that route. After listening to the album these past couple of days, I can say it’s just that one track which has political connotations. Was a bit disappointed in that regard as I was hoping he was going to go all guns blazing at the political powers, I somehow felt he was going to be the modern day Mukanya but that has not been the case. 

Before I share my overall thoughts on the album let’s go through the traditional track by track review.

1. Njema

The title track talks about mental slavery, how many of us are in a mental jail despite being physically free. We no longer meet to share ideas and we are now lost, we are mentally restricted. Mental slavery is something which you cannot see If you do not properly asses your life, to break free one needs actively educate oneself on how they view the world, there is also need for exposure to open one’s mind to his imposed limitations. We need as a nation to now take action and act on our ideas if we are to progress, we need to break free of the chains/Njema. The production is done well, the instrumental arrangement does a good job in complementing the vocals, it’s not exceptional but does its job well. Winky was good on the vocals. 

2. Chandelier

This is a self-praise and party track in which Winky is saying he is on top of the game/industry just as how a Chandelier is on top of everything and also provides light to all that is below. Winky throughout the track is showcasing his famed wordplay, dropping bar after bar. His performance was good, he managed to produce the energy required for the track. The production is spot on, loved the instrumental arrangement, it will easily get many on the dancefloor.

3. Chitekete

The production on this jam won me over from the onset, the reggae guitar riffs are spot on. The overall arrangement of the instruments is superbly done, the instrumental on its own can get people dancing. Overall production is superb. Winky was also on par on the vocals, matching the energy and vibe effortlessly. On the track he is talking about this lady he once saw whilst in High School at a school dance, she danced amicably and won over Winky’s heart. They then met 15 years later and Winky now had the confidence to ask her out. 

4. Siya So

On this track Winky is saying you reap what you sow so one should always strive to do good. Do not compete with those who do bad as bad fruit will also follow them. The productions is okay, the instrumental arrangements is not the best for me, the electric acoustic guitar was as good choice but the overall instrumental does not do it for me. 

5. Naye

This is a superb love jam which celebrates the Africa dark woman. Winky is proud of his chosen partner, he is proud of her complexion, her structure. The production is well done, Jusa did a solid job on the production. Enjoyed the arrangement of both the instrumentals and vocals. This track won me over from the very first listen.

6. Bhatiri

This is Winky’s traditional you will never take me down track, he has been including at least one for each of his last 4 projects. On the track he is saying all the negative energy that is directed to me actually helps recharge me when combined with my positive energy. He is also urging others to not concentrate on naysayers but should shine when it’s their season. The production is good; the instrumental is arranged quite well. 

7. Amai

Mothers is sort of a fail proof theme, Mothers are loved and songs about them are therefore popular. On this track Winky is saying do not bring insults upon your mother for your bad behaviour reflects bad on her. He is thanking his mother for taking care of him and providing him sound advice, he may have grown up and done some things otherwise but that is not on her but his own doing.  The productions is okay, the instrumental arrangement is also quite okay. 

8. Murombo

On this track Winky is speaking for the plight of the poor, they sweat to make the rich live lavishly, they strive so that the rich can enjoy. This world is broken into two classes, those who own everything and those who work to earn a living from those who own everything. He is then saying am tired of being poor and is going to work hard to make it. The production is okay, Winky was quite good on the vocals, he blended quite well with the instrumental.

9. Area 51

This track made a lot of noise online after the launch as some were lauding Winky for his amazing references. Winky has always excelled when it comes to wordplay and on this track he showed a lot of creativity in revealing his different family members to his girlfriend who he is going to introduce. He is hyping up his family saying they are all fantastic beings same as him. There have been a lot of essays explaining Winky’s brilliance on this song which I feel are unnecessary, it feels like his fans are trying to force others to accept that the track is special. Regardless the track is quite good, the production is done well, the instrumental is relaxed which gives a nice platform for the words to shine.  

10. Mangerengere

This a powerful track in which Winky is asking his elders to make right what has been wronged by the ancestors and release the family from the curse that has befallen the family. The elders are just watching the happening without doing the proper action that is required to make things right Winky is now asking for the full history of the family so they can identify where it all went wrong. All families have their traditions that must be followed and if one does not fulfil their duty bad luck may befall on their family. There is need for families to adhere to their traditions and not discard them as is now the norm. Due to the rise in religion many have been taught the African tradition is evil and that has led to many problems. Tradition is a way of doing things, procedures and protocols, it covers issues such us how to greet one another, how to greet an elderly person, how to pass information in a family, how to unite families, lobola, how to grieve our lost ones…. etc. etc.!!!, not fulfilling lobola demands such as mombe yehumai, jira ra Amai may call upon bad luck on you. Winky is asking the elders what they overlooked so they can make it right. The production is done very well, love the reggae arrangement. Winky was also charged and delivered his best performance on this track, this feels like he was singing about an issue close to him. 

11. Ijipita/Canaan 

This is the track that caused all the commotion prior to the album launch. On the track Winky is saying it’s now toxic for one to stay in their motherland and are now forced to leave family behind and relocate to greener pastures. Just as the Israelites were living in oppression in Egypt (Ijipita), they yearned to go to Canaan, the promised land of milk and honey. This track was interpreted as saying the leaders have failed and many Zimbo’s are now leaving for greener pastures in the diaspora. 

12. Ndidye Mari (feat Buffalo Souljah)

On this track Winky collaborated with Buffalo Souljah for this party jam. On the track they are singing about spending cash and having a good time. Last time the two collaborated the track was fire, this time around it's not as good, I dont feel the magic on this one.

So ya that’s it for Njema, it’s a commendable project but have not been blow away by the album as I expected going into it. The constant cries for a new album, Ijipita and the commotion that followed all hyped me up but the album did not do justice. Despite that the project has some good jams which I enjoyed.

The overall production is good, for someone of Winky’s stature he cannot compromise on quality. He worked with a number of producers from Oskid, Jusa Dementor, Nikki and that to an extent helped ensure the tracks do not sound all the same as some of his past albums did. The instrumental arrangements on a number of tracks are just okay, just good, they do not offer anything exceptional or something that you can see other upcoming artists copying. A few arrangements I enjoyed where on Mangerengere (my favourite track on the album), Chandelier, Chitekete and .

In term of themes I expected this album to be politically explosive but that is not the case, only Ijipita is political. Regardless the album addresses quite a good amount of themes, from socially conscious themes (Njema, Murombo, Mangerengere, Siya So, Amai), to love relationship themes (Naye, Area 51, Chitekete), to party and self-praise themes (Bhatiri, Chandelier, Ndidye Mari).

Lastly on the vocals Winky delivered his usual style showcasing his superb wordplay in flashes all over the album. I however feel the wordplay was not as explosive on this album, it’s there and good on other tracks such as Chandelier but in overall it’s not at his usual level.

In conclusion this album provides a good listen even though it has initially failed to fulfil the hype that it created beforehand. That may change over time as some of the tracks feel like slow burners which have a potential to grown on you as time goes. However, as we get to the last half of the year his fans will probably be asking for new party tracks. On this album I recommend a couple of track and not the whole project, four tracks you should listen to are:  Naye, Chandelier, Mangerengere and Chitekete. If you need more after the above mentioned four you can also add Ijipita, Njema and Area 51.

My overall rating: 6/10.

What are your thoughts on the album??

Proud_Zimbo