Album Review: Nus3 By Worlasi
There comes a time when an unknown voice emerges from hiding, enchants people and gets them wanting more. The positive responses are often gratifying for the simple reason that the gamble to put one’s self out there has paid off and the validation grows the confidence of the voice. What is more gratifying is to do this without any formidable track record except gut feelings.
This is what Worlasi did with his album Nus3. I choose to call it an album and not a mixtape as his camp men describe it because, in my estimation, the depth of originality floating on Nus3 renders the definition unfit.
Nus3 just happened. It dropped on us a la J. Cole and his 2015 Forest Hills Drive album. The album was released after a listening session a fortnight ago. No lead singles, just social media promotions. Nus3 was released and got trending on twitter. Massive.
Worlasi is one who is going the route the few brave souls have taken hence his caution: Hey, you got your space/ I got mi space/Shine me shine/ Make I shine Me/I’m not a bad guy/But you try getting to my space I go show you say I craze.
For those who know Worlasi, this feat is unsurprising considering the quality of his past singles-Ay3 Adze, Sarah and Destination. On Nus3, which translates in his native Ewe as Strength Within, he stayed ‘in touch with his soul ‘and delivered this ground-breaking album.
With a style that swings from singing (or ragga-ing) to rapping, Mr. W (as his moniker goes) takes the listener on a trip about self-believe, freedom, love and making merry-elements that each human deserves or desires.
INTRO
A spoken word piece accompanied by piano chords featuring a child poet reminding us that ‘this body we live in is rented’ and the importance of tapping into our inner souls and abilities for the greater good of mankind-finding the ‘balance’ in life: that balance that kept you from being distracted’ so we can ‘help another get in touch with his/her soul’.
HEY
On this military drumbeat driven track, Worlasi forcefully ask people (critics) to respect his hustle (chosen profession) and the direction he is going with his music. With many a musician especially up-coming ones under pressure to blow up, many choose to follow the norm-put out a this-is-here-for-today hot song rather than one that last forever.
Listen to Hey below.
FREEDOM
A part of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech about the struggles of the Negro opens this track. Worlasi features one of the amazing poets of our generation, Poetra Asantewa. With thumping drum, trumpet sound and haunting background voices, Freedom explores how one can break out of the ‘cell’ of life (fear) which renders humans: The system tries to dictate your future/You try to unzip yourself and you’d be made a dress that don’t suit ya… And in the process of opposing the known to unveil the unknown/All the world sees is stupidity embedded in our anatomy’.
Read the rest of the whole review piece here in this link.
Source: IBRA M; @swayekidd.
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
