Ikigai / 生き甲斐, Vol. 1

Across his previous body of work, hip-hop stalwart Olamide’s sonic explorations borrowed from the different worlds that his street-hop orbits. Tapping everything between Afrobeats, house, and indigenous Nigerian sounds, the rap veteran has conjured genre-bending, space-folding creations. Ikigai / 生き甲斐, Vol. 1 subtly treads that path by traversing the richness of sonic cultures, and suggesting synthesis is Olamide's artistic reason for being. The lyricism offers a slick account of his lifestyle across an assortment of sounds. A coalescence of percussion, sitars, harps, and Arabian flutes follows as Baddo spreads his doctrine. “Oh Lord have mercy,” he raps on “Hello Habibi.” “This is how we’re living every day in case you’re guessing.”

The flow is signature here, melodic yet surefooted and the content hints at the EP’s breadth. It’s in this context that the Asian inflections which tail-end opener “Metaverse” meet the log drums animating “Uptown Disco” (which features Asake and Fireboy DML). Moroccan Algerian vocalist SABRI’s raspy tone accentuates the sensuality of “Knockout,” before a voyage deeper into Arabic terrain occurs on the lavish “Hello Habibi.” On the spiritual “Morowore” Olamide’s croons are abetted by ethereal crowd vocals that eventually yield to electric riffs. Closer “Synchro System” sees Olamide, Lil Kesh, Young John, and Pheelz stage a YBNL alumni reunion.