Indigo Saint - Block 34: The Tales of the Boujie Pantsula Album Review

Despite the noise made about Harare, Bulawayo in my opinion still remains the creative capital of Zimbabwe. The level of creativity in the city is unmatched, lived in Byo for 3 years and the city has this vibe you cannot get anywhere in Zimbabwe. There are lot of extremely talented artists who may not be talked about mainly because few Shonas can comprehend isiNdebele but truly deserve more acknowledgement. One such artist people in the city were making noise about is Indigo Saint, the name has being mentioned a couple of times and decided to take a listen. 

Coincidentally the just also just released a new project, so I definitely jumped on it and today after a couple of listens will be sharing my views and thoughts on the project. 

As usual will be doing a track by track review of the album and will share my overall thoughts as I conclude the review.

1. Young King Tichala

The first track is a self praise track with Indigo Saint referring himself to a Young King as he has been consistent in the game for more than 10 years. It took him time to fight the doubt he felt inside and now with God in his side he fears nothing. Indigo was good on the verses. 

2. Burg Famous (ft Brad the Dude) 

Indigo is saying am Burg famous meaning he is famous in Bulawayo. The track starts with a voice note of a Brad the Dude who did the rounds with Indigo Saint in town and experienced first hand the love he was getting from people in the city. Indigo was good on the verses. 

3. Aziwe (ft Mawiza & Asaph) 

This is track that introduced me to Indigo Saint. Aziwe means known, known for being good at something, and the guys are saying we are knowing for having a good time so come and let's enjoy. The vibe of this track is on point. The artists delivered solid vocal performances, their different styles worked well together. 

4. Amapara (ft uSmokey Joint & Brad the Dude)

The production is solid on this one, the arrangement is spot on. Indigo was in form on this one, uSmokey also delivered and Brad added that nice flavour to the track. 

5. No Cap 

No Cap means no lie, Indigo is saying am the best in the game, don't sleep for me because am from the Burg, I have been through the most to get to get to where I am. Track has a good energy around it and Indigo delivered a solid performance.

6. Grootman (ft Kbrizzy & Brad the Dude)

You dedicate the name Grootman to a man you respect. Indigo is saying am someone you should respect, what I am bringing to the game is hard to ignore. All the artists delivered good performances. 

7. Boujie Pantsula (ft Area 51)

The Bartender sample delivers that nostalgia feeling and the bouncy kwaito kicks add that kasi flavour to the production. On the track Indigo is saying am that Pantsula dude with Style. The track has a nice flavour to it. 

8. Burg Soash PT 1

Indigo is painting a picture of what happens in a day around Byo. He leaves the house early in the morning and narrates all the happening that's take place till around 11pm when he gets back home. He delivered a solid performance, the narration is on point, such tracks makes one want to visit Bulawayo. The production is solid, arrangement is solid, track has that laid back vibe which pushes to to soak in the verses.  

9. Inaguration

Indigo pays homage and gives his take on the iconic track from the late King Pinn. The track uses the a similar instrument arrangement to the original with minor tweaks, the hook is also tweaked. Inauguration in this case means an introduction to a new period/era, the era of the son of Pinn, he is installing himself as the new King. 

10. Still Here (ft Bhekiwe) 

When this song came on as I was listening to the album I had to recheck if I was still listening to the same project, the track has a different feel compared to all the other tracks. It has a soulful, jazzy feel to it which will definitely get your attention. Bhekiwe killed the vocals eish, beautiful. Indigo was good on his verse. 

11. PMT

On this explicit love jam Indigo is saying your p****y takes the pain away, being intimate with you help ease the pain. He goes on to share his fears of messing the good thing they have up. The track is well made, Indigo delivered a good performance. 

12. Burg Soash Pt 2 (ft Brad The Dude) 

A continuation of the last similar titled track, Indigo is proud of the place he grew up in. He again is narrating the social life in Burg, the ladies, a crime he witnessed, the unique Burg way of life. The instrumental is arranged well. 

13. HNS Cypher (Heatty, M.U.S.E, Billius the Majestic) 

The instrumental is solid, one of those wavy boom bap kind of vibes perfect for a cypher. All the artists delivered on this one, different styles but they were all on point. This is one of those tracks you wouldn't mind to put on rotate as you get on with your work, the vibe is solid. 

14. Dlozi

Dlozi means ancestor. Indigo is saying ya'll gonna refer to me as the ancestor of the game once am finished with this game. He is closing the project saying am the greatest. The production is good, the vocal sample is on point. Indigo was up to the task on the verses.

Stream the album: Block 34: The Tales of The Boujie Pantsula

So ya, that's it for Block 34 and I have to say it's a commendable effort from the rapper. 

Production wise this project is good, on certain tracks its sonically on point. The instrumental arrangements are also well executed throughout. I have realized that a number of the instrumentals sound like those beats for sale you come across on audio streaming platforms such as Soundcloud, Audiomack...etc where producers will be showcasing their talents. Those beats are good but if you take and use them as they are without tweaks it limits one's creativity and also the track will lack that personal feel. As much as I enjoyed the tracks on this project could not escape the fact that that personalized feel is lacking, it lacks that uniqueness, you get to feel that another rapper can do what he did here. Going forward Indigo needs to prove what makes him unique, yes he can Rap but what can easily make me recognise him??!! 

The themes tackled differ but one major theme is Indigo claiming that he is one of the best. He is definitely aware if his talents and isn't afraid to flaunt it. The storytelling he did on Burg Soash part 1 & 2 is beautiful and captivating, those two tracks alone prove the talent he possesses. 

In terms of vocals Indigo was quite solid but the vocal performance was not uniform between songs, it switched; he was smoother on No Cap and a bit rough on the next jam Grootman. It may be a mixing issue but such changes within a project affects the listening experience. The choice of collaborations is done well, the artist delivered. 

Bhekiwe's vocals are lovely, M.U.S.E & BilliustheMajestic snapped on the HnS Cypher and Brad the Dude added a nice comic flavour to the project. 

To conclude I have to say Indigo delivered a commendable project. He still needs to be more adventurous when choosing producers and push to create and showcase what's unique about him.  This project is not for everyone, if you a fan of that underground type of vibe this is for you. Indigo is definitely talented but he needs to take more risks with his sound if he is to capture the masses. This is quite an good project to listen to if you are a serious hip hop head, if you a fan of the mainstream sound it will not do for you that much. 

My overall rating : 6.8/10

Feel free to share your thoughts on the album in the comments section below.

Proud_Zimbo