A Review of Seyi Vibez Memory Card EP Album. Seyi Vibez Offers Sonic Escapism With The Sakara Genre-Tinged Memory Card EP

Fame isn't everlasting; so is the spotlight. When the spotlight shines on you, and the magazine can't wait to feature you, the radio can't wait to interview you, and the TV station can't wait to showcase you, then obviously, you should know how to utilise the season as the rave of the moment. Seyi Vibez knows this. Ever since he gained the full attention of the whole music industry with his sophomore album "Billion Dollar Baby", he has been on the faces of the fans, his songs on the street and in the clubs.

Judging by the rollout during December, Seyi Vibez dominated most of all the concerts and major shows and even got appearances in different clubs for Detty-December. Earlier this year, the Grammy-winning African Giant Burna Boy was also captured on video where he was vibing to one of the songs off his album titled "Chance". There are rumours the two artists might be collaborating soon, but should we include Seyi Vibez as one of the artists to look out for in 2023? Definitely, yes, but he's not one of the new artists on the block. He's been on the grind for a long time. Creating music and dropping tuneful tracks. Early fans will remember the prayer-themed track titled "Anybody," the gyrating "Dia Father", and the hope-giving track titled "Payday". Inarguably, it's been a journey of tenacity and strife for the Ketu-born artist.



It is no news that most of his songs thrive in the hood and amidst hustlers, who are the main target in his lyrics. With this, the spread of the gospel of Seyi Vibez after he released his debut album continued until he released the sonically different sophomore album titled "Billion Dollar Baby". This album would remain to him as a real game changer because anytime the album of the year conversations sprung up in polls on Twitter, there were always staunch fans vouching for "Billion Dollar Baby".

Seyi Vibez, too, was unrelenting. First, he released the deluxe version in the space of one month after the release of the album. A strategic decision that earned Seyi Vibez a reintroduction into the key African markets and mainstream. And now, it seems Seyi Vibez isn't done with that cycle, as he released another EP titled "Memory Card".

Seyi Vibez opened the sonic door with the "GOAT" title track, which means Greatest Of All Time. The track started with the Xylophone intro, popularly known as goje - an instrument used mostly by northerners. It's the major instrument used by the late Haruna Ishola in his Sakara music. That implies that Seyi Vibez drew the inspiration for the song from Sakara music. There's a self-realisation of his feat in the industry, and he tried to brag by claiming the GOAT tag. There's a goat bleating sound underneath the song, and in the refrain, he used the popular Yoruba childhood tale of a tortoise song. This song is pure Sakara music infused with some melodic production.

The Amapiano-influenced "Para Boi" is reminiscent of "Chance na ham". Nothing in this track indicates novelty; It's the same way Seyi Vibes have been flowing since he dropped the "Billion Dollar Baby" album, and it looks like Seyi Vibez is trying to do many things at the same time on this song. It's chaotic in his delivery, and the lyrics feel like an incantation. When he's flowing in Yoruba, he's in his best form, but when he tries to flow in English, it doesn't come off as neat compared to when he delivers it in Yoruba. For some time, he tried to balance it with pidgin. Seyi Vibez subtly replied to those, who made lazy jokes, that he's trying to pay debt with the incessant project releases. "Say "I too dey drop song, Ni'gba tin ya owo Lapo, Ishh, ishh, okay, dey play, Where my girls them dey?" Seyi Vibez blows hot.

"Alaska" is another Upbeat, fast-tempo music. A perfect infusion of Sakara Fuji music and Amapiano. There's something that sounds like Islamic-Esque voices underneath the song and the way he injects Arabic in the lyrics. The delivery of this song gushes out like a fountain. Seyi Vibez flows smoothly, but it's hard to figure out the main theme of the song.

"IG Story" is a full Amapiano track. Seyi Vibez has mastered the art of delivering his song with a crowd vocal background, and this song works smoothly for him. The song intro is symbolic of the title. It's the voice of a boy talking about what naysayers are saying about his Instagram page. He called them "Elenu Razor" and claimed that he was difficult to understand. He also injected Arabic verses into the song.

Shutting the sonic door of the EP with "Love is war" featuring the American melodic rapper YXNG K.A: The only collaboration track on the EP, It's a song on the travails of love. YXNG lamented the effects of love and how he got heartbroken. It's a mid-tempo track, and YXNG's contribution made the track melodious with his sultry voice. It's the only song on the project that delved away from the sonic direction of the tracks.



This project, "Memory Card", is the third project released by Seyi Vibez within the space of three months. It's a brainer that he's trying every weapon in his arsenal to uphold his fame. Hence, it's strategic. Beyond the new streaming figure, I found the EP needless. Seyi Vibez offers nothing new or different on this project.

It's a redundant exercise to, perhaps, garner streams. The new songs could have been released as singles, in that street songs thrived well when released as singles, or in the first half of his third album. Is Seyi Vibez stuck in the allure of Billion Dollar Baby? Is he finding it difficult to let it go? Questions are begging for answers.

Finally, the production of this project isn't up to the taste. On some parts, the instrumentation can easily be faulted, and the mixing and mastering sounds rushed. But do we blame the inexperienced producer, or do we shift the blame on Seyi Vibez, the artiste? Well, we can't say, but it sounds like "the Memory Card" could have still been in the memory card for a while till it gets a better production organisation.

Vocalisation 2
Lyricism – 2
Tracklisting – 0
Listening Experience 1
Sound Engineering – 1
Rating: 6/10