MARTELL CYPHER 2: THE PURIFICATION
By ablvckpoem
14th September, 2019
14th September, 2019
Whatever your impression of Chocolate City, you cannot help but marvel at the brilliance of dropping another cypher in the thick of things. If the hip-hop conversations that ensued – diss records and subsequent collaborations it birthed – is anything to go by M.I Abaga’s move to vivify the Nigerian hip-hop scene is somewhat a success.
In the curious case of Blaq Bonez, who has been bullish forcing his way into rap conversations with social media antics and lofty claims of being the BRIA (Best Rapper in Africa), one can’t help but wonder why the stiff resistant to this brilliant and budding young rapper. A fact which M.I Abaga alludes to in this cypher when he states, ‘any rapper say he’s the best would get a pound and a shake’ so why isn’t Blaq afforded this same courtesy? All our concerns are quickly brushed aside when Blaq starts to spit!
In the curious case of Blaq Bonez, who has been bullish forcing his way into rap conversations with social media antics and lofty claims of being the BRIA (Best Rapper in Africa), one can’t help but wonder why the stiff resistant to this brilliant and budding young rapper. A fact which M.I Abaga alludes to in this cypher when he states, ‘any rapper say he’s the best would get a pound and a shake’ so why isn’t Blaq afforded this same courtesy? All our concerns are quickly brushed aside when Blaq starts to spit!
Before we begin, I have to state that the set for this cyper looks and feels much better than the first. Sophisticated and suited up, the set arrangement is different this time; Blaq Bonez, M.I Abaga, Loose Kaynon and AQ, a glass of Martell in hand at a lush bar, each rapper waiting his turn to regale us with all the reasons we should give a fuck.
Purification is simply being faithful to those disciplines that you have embraced in your life
Blaq really rocked the shit out of that jacket, the man must have taken my advice on that stylist thing LOL, but this feels and looks so much better. Not a single corny bar in sight. He really waited for a cypher to knock out everyone that has questioned him with a single swing, how quaint. He seems to have matured over the period from the first Martell Cypher; his lines are testament to that fact. If you look really close you could see the smile of a satisfied father playing on M’s lips as Blaq declares that he is the elephant in the room! He really is doubling down on the claim to BRIA
Verdict: Blaq is growing pretty comfortable in his skin. His brazen persona comes off as intimidating and evidently invites a more thorough albeit harsher critique of his work compared to his peers; but if we are being honest, we should all be proud how far he has come. Keep swinging Blaq! A short black boy from J-town once grabbed the mic and claimed to be incredible, ask around, he pulled it off! Timidity is for the sheep, GOAT status beckons. 3/4
Loose picks the baton with a flourish! Loose, loose! Now this delivery is more like it. He seems more in control of his flows and every bar drops quite nicely. This beat flatters Loose and he engages it accordingly. Like I stated in the last review, he always adopts a direct approach and like a big brother he jumps to Blaq’s defense against twitter fingers. I am enjoying this verse a little too much. His candor is smooth as he goes on a Rozay-esque brag fest.
Verdict: Loose is a self-proclaimed OG and his carriage is an obvious reminder that he should be addressed as such. However his lack of adaptability on beats that do not conform to his cadence is a weakness. This cypher had no such issues and he was able to flex his range but still draws the short straw even though he churns in a much better performance than the first. Encore! 1/4
Apparently only AQ had to balls to actually name drop. Respect! His first bar offers his consideration as both food critic and art enthusiast. It would seem AQ has no off days; it is always god mode when he gets the mic. On the brunt of his political views this time is Buhari-Tinubu. Sadly, his dropped quottables doesn’t slap as hard as it did in the first cypher but his ability to cover a wide range of topics in just a few breaths over a verse is outstanding. You can tell he is pretty smart and would be great conversation – bar the leaked rant video with Loose and Ghost – not one of his finest moments.
Verdict: I found this quip, ‘rappers never stick to the topics’ quite ironic. While his name dropping move made his verse the most interesting, it seemed a tad scatterbrained and borderline distracting. This is taking nothing from AQ’s obvious genius but it didn’t seem his best work. Is he a victim of his own success/prowess? Probably, but his performance in the first cypher sounds much better. Divisive as this might be, Blaq edges him in this round. 2/4
M.I Abaga has refused to take his foot off the other cognac’s neck. We are taking shots at the competition’s cypher? Okay. Plug it in. When he wields the power stone, M becomes completely untouchable and like Thanos he snaps at the competition. Lyrical genius and wordsmith are just two out of the many superlatives we have come to associate him with over the years and when he vaunts, he doesn’t hold back. If you have been paying keen attention, you’d realize that 90% of this verse is a frontal assault at ‘you know who’! M curiously calls the impending showdown a seismic event and I can’t help but be amazed at the fact that beef aside, respect can be mined from the undertones.
Verdict: Just like the Mad Titan, M snaps and turns everything in sight to dust. He is effortless in delivery, cadence is peak, the quottables slap harder than butt cheeks! 4/4
Whatever you do, do not forget to brace yourselves people, a war is coming but until then Another Glass of Martell, Please…neat.