Beats, rhythm, melody, tempo, lyrics, flow, feel. It isn’t too often that you come across a track that ticks all these boxes. ‘OJI’AD – Wasting Time’ is one of those. It’s a fresh, fantastic new hip-hop/rap release from the Portuguese origin rapper OJI’AD featuring AL-B OnceAgain.
Easy-going, flirtatious, and graceful, they bravely merge rapping and singing infused with Afrobeats, creating a smooth listening experience that transcends genres, languages, and cultures.
Listen closely; there are three distinctly different languages used in the lyrics. The words ain’t overly complicated. It’s a passionate, sincere, playful plea to allow love and desire to guide the way forward, no more games. OJI’AD & AL-B OnceAgain are aces at switching up from rapping to singing, in different tempos/pitches to different languages at the switch of a beat. While the rapped sections hit straight and true, the parts they sang are soulful and melodic.
Production-wise, the sound is lush and perfectly balanced, aligning with the switches in language, style, and tempo. OJI’AD’s voice is particularly sweet to the ears. There’s a rare sincerity in his tone of voice, making this feel personalised. Like it’s just you and him.
‘OJI’AD – Wasting Time’ tells us that this is an artist riding high in his journey. He ain’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, boldly declaring his roots, his style, while at the same time, ever so smartly, adapting and evolving his music, his craft to the changing times. This isn’t just following a trend, it’s setting it.
