IllBliss is an undisputed pioneer and legend of the Nigerian Hip-Hop space and detractors can never take that away from him. Yet, this album makes me wonder whether the industry has passed him by a bit …
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
The Nigerian Hip-Hop space has been a volatile and contentious scene in the past few decades. Sometimes, it seems marginalised in favour of the more danceable Afropop genres, leaving many acts in the lurch and out of the public consciousness. However, from time to time, there are standouts who emerge from the pack to lead the way and cement themselves as pioneering leaders – the “OGs” – and generally noteworthy voices of the scene and the industry at large. All that said, few figures command as much respect and influence as Tobechukwu Ejiofor, better known by his stage name, IllBliss.
Born on December 30th, 1979, in Enugu state, Nigeria, IllBliss’s journey to prominence reflects a fusion of talent, tenacity, and entrepreneurial acumen. Growing up in Enugu and hailing from Nkwerre in Imo state, his formative years steeped him in the rich culture of southeastern Nigeria, igniting a deep connection with his heritage and his people, which would continue to shine through his work.
His illustrious music career began with his 2009 debut album, Dat Ibo Boy, on which he began pioneering the ‘Igbo Boy Movement’ in Nigerian Hip-Hop. He stormed forward, continuously releasing unapologetically authentic music and extending himself to nurturing younger talent with his talent management company, The Goretti Company. Through both facets of himself, the man with many nicknames has played a pivotal role in shaping the Nigerian music landscape, fostering the careers of luminaries like Chidinma and Phyno as “Oga Boss”, and inspiring the next generation of Nigerian and Igbo rappers as “Illy Chapo”. His artistic endeavours extend beyond music, as evidenced in his foray into acting, with a debut role as Odowgu Malay in the critically acclaimed movie, King of Boys.
All of that brings us to his new album, which feels like a monument to his legacy. Sideh Kai (named after his two daughters) is his 8th studio album and also his first solo effort since 2020.
The lead single, “Chukwu Ebuka”, featuring Umu Obiligbo, offers a tantalising glimpse into the album’s sonic landscape, blending traditional Igbo influences with contemporary Hip-Hop sensibilities. Also enlisted for this musical odyssey is a constellation of stars, including Vector, Odumodublvck, Deborah Prest, Yukel, Acetune, Cobhams Asuquo, Teni, Fave, Lade, and Made Kuti. This eclectic lineup reflects IllBliss’s commitment to championing both established talent and fresh voices, ensuring a dynamic listening experience for fans old and new.
Sideh Kai is not an easy album to review. It arrives with a massive sense of grandeur, ambition, and intention that permeates through the whole project. Right from the poignant cover art with IllBliss’s daughters, the scale and depth of the album’s intention are evident. However, the final execution of this intent is inconsistent throughout the project. And that’s where the confusion arises.
The best songs on Sideh Kai are the ones where the musical and sonic realities synchronise with the thematic and emotional inspiration. Here, we find tracks like “Red Caps”, which kicks the album off with an energetic Drill bang. Sliding 808 drums, rattling hats and snares, and a haunting vocal sample set the scene for confident and braggadocious bars from Illbliss. Delivered mostly in his native Igbo language, Illbliss grounds himself, his success, and his values in the Igbo tenets, using a host of references to aggrandise himself. The lead single, “Chukwu Ebuka”, also falls in this category. Heavily reliant on the Igbo language again, the song blends hard-hitting Hip-Hop sensibilities with the instantly recognisable Igbo triplet percussion pattern. IllBliss recounts the greatness of God in his life with equal parts humility and audacity. Featured act, Umu Obiligbo, forms a perfect tandem with Illbliss, carrying the chorus with strong emotion and effective musicality.
Assisted by the current face of Hip-Hop, Odumodublvck, “Full Chest” also climbs into the album’s top tier. The instrumental presents a unique bounce that Odumodu eats up. His gruff style perfectly matches the aggressive theme of the song. Illbliss beats his chest with class and swagger, showing off some of his more unique flows and cadences. While the chorus is simplistic, the chanted nature aligns with the war-cry-esque nature of the song, which ties it together well. “Peace of Mind” is easily one of the strongest offerings on the project. The instrumental is the most melodic that the producer, Skitter, comes up with. Its subdued chords and spacious Afrobeats drums paint an emotionally charged soundscape that’s primed perfectly by Fave’s evocative chorus. Her vocals pull on the heartstrings while IllBliss’s measured delivery allows him to communicate with clarity and maturity.
“Maale” is the last song that makes this tier. IllBliss uses this rare downtempo opportunity to speak about his family, sharing personal anecdotes and life lessons over a steady Afrobeats instrumental. The emotive chorus by Cobhams Asuquo takes the sentiments to new heights before voice recordings from IllBliss’s parents and daughters ground the song firmly in his family’s real lived experiences.
While these songs succeed in balancing the album’s grandiose inspiration with the sonic delivery, many of the other songs on the album don’t hit the same heights.
“Lower Chime” and “God is God” come in the same Drill vein as “Red Caps”, but the instrumentals lack the required bite, and IllBliss doesn’t vary his flow or delivery enough to carry the energy across three consecutive Drill tracks. There are also certain pockets where it seems the rapper is struggling to keep pace with the beat, and he loses his timing and rhythm.
“Masterclass” is a love letter to Hip-Hop that recounts IllBliss’s start, growth, and eventual mastery of the genre. “Successful” is an anthem about attaining success and the work that goes into that. In both songs, IllBliss embodies the experienced boss who has seen it all, and while the attitude is present, the lyricism lets him down. He relies on simple cliches and odd non-rhyming moments that throw the listener off. Vector’s verse on “Successful” is a highlight of the project, but it comes in a slightly lacklustre song.
“Pamper” and “Oh My God” are the quintessential love songs that IllBliss lends an extra layer of authenticity as he can use his actual marriage as emotional inspiration. Unfortunately, that warmth and sensitivity don’t pull the listener in as much as one would have expected. The Afrobeats instrumentals employed on these songs are serviceable if not a bit generic. Acetune’s appearance on “Pamper” lifts the song a bit, but isn’t able to take it to the top tier.
“Daughters” is an extremely sweet song in theory. A proud girl-dad praises his daughters and his wife for the whole world to hear, recounting stories of grace, love, and familial joy. Sadly, the instrumental underlying the song is largely repetitive, with its strummed guitars and basic Afrobeats drum patterns. The storyteller, too, falls victim to some clumsy rhyme schemes, sacrificing established flow to seemingly force some words in. It is not a trade-off that pays here.
“Spirit” is an ode to Nigeria and the unbreakable “Naija” spirit. But it sounds dated in both its instrumentation and delivery of flat drums, synthetic-sounding brass, and oddly mixed group vocals on the chorus. “Remember” is a sombre reflective and introspective song that takes advantage of Deborah Prest’s powerful and evocative voice. The instrumental around her isn’t bringing the same level of emotional impact, with sparse layers that leave a lot of space in the soundscape. By this point in the album, we’ve also experienced most of the dynamics that Illbliss has to offer in terms of flow and delivery, meaning the verses have started to run into each other without leaving much for the listener to hold on to between songs.
“Gen Z” is a head-scratcher from top to bottom. IllBliss shifts perspectives to speak on a number of issues affecting the youth in the nation. Yukel assists in the song with an unfocused verse. Altogether the song sounds odd and doesn’t make much of an impact in the way it might have intended to. It ends with a poignant voice recording that is worth taking away, at least.
Finally, the album ends with “Nye Chukwu the Glory”, a bold conclusion that attributes all glory to God at the end of the day. IllBliss comes with fire and energy, but the flaccid drums dampen his drive and take some bite out of the strong bars and delivery.
I hoped to like Sideh Kai so much more than I was eventually able to. IllBliss is an undisputed pioneer and legend of the Nigerian Hip-Hop space and detractors can never take that away from him. Yet, this album makes me wonder whether the industry has passed him by a bit. He seems to have kept his finger on the pulse, considering the featured artistes and the many references to the newer rappers in the game. However, his own natural style seems to be lagging behind the times and has not evolved to keep pace. As a rapper, this wasn’t IllBliss’s strongest showing as the flow and bars began to blend together over the course of 16 songs. There were lines you felt you’d heard previously, rhymes that seemed clumsy, bars that seemed contrived, and passages that felt unconvincing. Featured artistes did their part in most cases, injecting their youthful and unique idiosyncrasy into the songs and elevating them with a breath of fresh air.
The production and engineering didn’t always clear the bar either. Some songs fall victim to flat instrumentation, unbalanced vocals, and odd effects choices. The injection of the voice recordings and interviews wasn’t always smooth, and in places, producer tags interfered with the rest of what was going on.
Altogether, Sideh Kai is a listenable project. It had its bright spots that burned brighter because of the clear emotional and thematic charge behind the album. It also had its dull moments where the intention was let down by inconsistent execution and perhaps some outdated sensibilities. This is not a blemish on the stellar career of IllBliss, but instead maybe a call for some evolution of what has kept Oga Boss relevant for this long.
Lyricism – 1.4
Tracklisting – 1.2
Sound Engineering – 1.2
Vocalisation – 1.2
Listening Experience – 1.3
Rating – 6.3/10
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.