THE DILEMMA OF YCEE
In the noon of September 12, 2019, Oludemilade Martin Alejo, popularly known as Ycee finally broke his silence concerning his exit from Tinny Entertainment, his ex-label, following an irreconcilable dispute between both parties. Following his departure from the label, he was tight-lipped about what led to his exit even after a number of shenanigans and song leaks, however, Arokodare Tinny Timilehin, CEO and Founder of Tinny Entertainment’s celebratory post on social media, celebrating a 100 million streams (across all platforms) was the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Ycee took to social media to clear the air and he had this to say:
‘’Not A Single Dime Generated From Those Streams Got Into The Pocket Of Any Of The Artists Responsible For The Content That Generated Those Streams” and “The Only Thing The CEO Is Grateful For Is The Fact That He Has Yet Again, Seemingly Gotten Away With Profiting Off Other People’s Sweat”.
My Ycee story however does not begin here, it dates back to 2015. On a warm evening in May of the same year, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed when I suddenly stumbled on this random video. It was a short clip from a music video titled Condo. Ycee’s skinny frame, polished accent and glistening, laid-back flow and style immediately stood out. A sixth sense initially suggested he was a Black American rapper or maybe a Nigerian rapper in diaspora. I was wrong. Born and raised in Nigeria, Ycee hails from Lagos State, Festac Town to be precise, a place he proudly acknowledges from time to time.
Roughly two months after the release of Condo, Ycee dropped Jagaban. While the former would go on to earn him two nominations at the 2015 Nigerian Entertainment Awards, Jagaban is the song which would spur the 27 year old into mainstream success. Jagaban hinted at two primal qualities which would become Ycee’s trademark: an effortless, trap-rap flow and style packed with quotables and a blasé demeanor which exudes matchless swagger and confidence. A remix of Jagaban surfaced a couple of months after with ace rapper, Olamide and it took the country by storm. The name of the young boy from Festac was gradually on everyone’s lips.
Gleaming with immense talent and aplomb, Ycee was determined to put the game in a chokehold. He went on to release smashing singles in Omo Alhaji and Su Mi which proved he was not a fluke or a one hit wonder but a mainstay in the music industry. Omo Alhaji saw Ycee score another massive hit as he once again flexed his intrinsic ability to come up with memorable lines and hooks over E-Kelly’s scintillating synths while Su Mi followed in his customary trap-rap style. Back in 2016, Nasty C was the self-acclaimed ‘Coolest Kid In Africa’, however in 2015, that title would have definitely gone to Ycee. He was the young rapper who spun heads and looked cool doing it.
Fast forward to 2017 and Ycee was already a household name. He had a couple of hits to his name, he was featured on some of the biggest records, posse cuts and cyphers in the country. The previous year, he bagged himself a Next Rated nomination at the Headies Awards, a category mostly occupied by pop acts. He was one of the most sought after rappers around. Ycee however did not rest on his laurels. In the early part of 2017, gearing up for his first major label project release, he dropped Juice, the lead single from the project titled The First Wave. Assisted by British-Nigerian artiste, Maleek Berry, they both came up with Ycee’s biggest record till date and arguably one of the biggest Afrobeats records in recent years. Juice was an instant hit. It immediately took over the dance floors, speakers and raves. It had a vivid sparkle to it, almost like it was covered in sequins. Accompanied later by a sun-dappled video filled with beautiful black girls of different builds and shapes showing off various delightful dance moves, Juice was irresistible.If Juice was the first wave from The First Wave, one couldn’t fathom the tsunami that was to come when the project dropped. However, this wasn’t to be the case.
On the 7th of April, 2017, Ycee dropped The First Wave which was promptly met with mixed reviews. Some fans were disappointed they only heard shades of the vibrant young rapper they fell in love with as he exchanged his hard-hitting songs for more melodic numbers. Also, a good number of the songs lacked the vim and appeal his earlier releases had. Some fans however were more welcoming of the new Ycee. However, unknown to many, this was a signal of a new artistic direction for Ycee. Going off the major success of Juice and the relative success of his project, Ycee began to tilt more towards singing more than anything else. His singing wasn’t necessarily the best, as he sounded tepid most of the time but it didn’t seem to matter much. His slightly hoarse voice did enough to carry most tracks as he depended heavily on ‘vibes’. He went on to release tracks like Say Bye Bye and Your Love where he languidly croons over mid-tempo beats produced by Team Salut and Syn X respectively. He also released a collaboration project with ex-label mate, Bella Alubo titled Late Night Vibrations where they both take turns crooning over mostly moody and melancholic production. The dazzling rapper from Festac was slowly morphing into a pop star but at what cost?
About a year and a half after the release of The First Wave came Ycee’s shocking announcement of leaving Tinny Entertainment. Following the whole label snafu, Ycee’s career was rocked, forcing him to pull back for some time. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Ycee made a comeback announcing the arrival of his long-awaited debut album, Ycee vs Zaheer.
By the time Ycee vs Zaheer finally came, it was quite clear, regrettably, not only did the album come at the wrong time, but also a couple of years too late. Barring the controversy that surrounded Ycee and his ex-label during the period the album dropped, a good number of the songs on the album also sounded dated and pretty vapid. Not only did Ycee sound woolly for the most part, he also seemed to have a case of identity crisis more than anything else. Going from the rollout and concept of the album, Ycee was trying to marry his singing (Ycee) and rapping (Zaheer) side, hoping to find a cohesive and suitable middle ground. Something that artists like Falz and Drake have successfully achieved. Ultimately though, his attempt was pretty so-so at best. On Bossing, Ycee made claims of killing the [rap] game alongside British rapper, Ms Banks then proceeded to ludicrously attempt an Afro-House track looking to score a cheap hit on Chocolata. On filler tracks like Vibing, So Nice and Mo Salah, Ycee mostly sounded jaded as he looked to combine his rapping and singing to no good effect. Songs like Dakun and Vacancy are particularly uninventive as Ycee basically adds his quota to the already oversaturated list of run-of-the-mill songs. On one hand, Ycee tries to sound like your average singing joe, on the other hand, he’s making claims of being the best in the [rap] game. This dilemma evidently continues after the release of Ycee vs Zaheer. On his latest release, a two-track pack titled Quarantunes, Ycee is still confused as to what he wants to be. On Midf (Money I Dey Find), Ycee raps ‘Top 5 with no Ycee?/ That’s a fucking lie’ with the vigor of British bulldog. He’s rapping his ass off like someone who has a point to prove. However, on the subsequent track, Tell Nobody, he puts on his pop garment, jacking Rema’s style on a derivative beat which is reminiscent of Wizkid’s Joro.
In truth, there’s some form of dynamism to Ycee’s artistry, his singing in particular. When he ventures into gloomy, moody singing, like he did on Late Night Vibrations, ironically, there’s some bright side to it. His witty and clever lyrics mostly take center stage and it makes up for his perfunctory crooning. However, when he delves into Afrobeats, obviously looking to recapture the success of Juice, he mostly sounds uninteresting and slightly tiring. While a case can be made that the Nigerian music sphere is not particularly the most favourable for rappers, hopping from genre to genre without a definite identity isn’t exactly the way to go.
Veteran rappers like Reminisce, M.I and Vector have been able to attain mainstream and critical acclaim without necessarily having to hop from one thing to another or diluting the quality of their music. While they might dabble in other genres from time to time, they still have a definite identity. Ycee on the other hand is not firmly rooted in anything. He makes weighty claims of being one of the best rappers around but his oeuvre tells a different story. Ycee was once the young, vibrant rapper who spun heads, then came Ycee the singer who overzealously tries to remain mainstream with redundant Afrobeats records. While Ycee’s career might have obviously suffered a setback following his label dispute, he hasn’t helped himself either by fluttering sonically and genre-wise. It’s been 5 years since Ycee broke through on our screens and speakers, but sadly, he still hasn’t been able to define himself.
