Eddy Ratty expresses cravings, and contradictions on “Oil Dey My Head” (Reggae Remix)

By Emmanuel Daraloye

Eddy Ratty’s “Oil Dey My Head” (Reggae Remix) combines themes of spirituality, sensuality, and street expression over a laid-back reggae instrumental. The track employs spiritual symbolism, which in some Christian denominations signifies grace and blessings.

The song continues to an extent on this theme, but suddenly leaves the theme for another which is more derogatory to spirituality. Praising the body of a girl in the song is in no doubt a popular theme, and this single would have been better without infusing any religious theme.

Although the artist, Eddy Ratty shows flashes of originality, and the production provides a smooth backdrop that complements his vocal strength, these strengths are cut short by inconsistent songwriting. What could have been a reflective and immersive listening experience becomes uneven as the song’s ideas fail to develop into a compelling musical piece.

This lack of structure on the song affects the song’s replay value as many intentional listeners are drawn to the sound but left searching for a more lyrical deep song.
The song starts with some vocal intros and the guitar and is followed immediately by the piano, playing chords. Right away, Eddy switched from his repetitive appreciation of this track to prayers for a shield from all evil. In the first verse, Eddy expresses to all that he needs God for protection, pleading, “O Lord of Mercy / Show me, Mercy…”

He switched from praying to God for protection to praising the sensuality of a girl. This transition is underdeveloped, which creates an odd contrast that disrupts the song’s emotional continuity. After repeating his prideful lines, Eddy continues, “Who gets this fine kaka? / Who gets this fine baka?”

He doesn’t stop at his rhetorical question; he presses further to admire the body of that girl. Lyrically, in the song, “Oil Dey My Head (Reggae Remix),” there is the use of rhymes by Eddy, just like “… fine kaka? / … fine baka?” The rhymes truly add some elements of appeal, but they lack the depth and wit to sustain engagement. Instead of building a compelling musical narrative, the song circles around which makes an audience who love proper storytelling or witty
lyricism to detest it.

Early on in the song, Eddy sings about God’s help in making him escape his enemies and again prays for mercy till the 0:38 mark, but it was not meaningfully developed.
While this is a good intro after the ad-libs, this is bad as it is followed by purely contrasting themes that do not reflect the title, either. The song doesn’t cut into the charts of Afrobeats songs that leave dancers with thoughts.

Eddy’s use of language in this song is quite understandable. He uses the English language and later code-mixes with his pidgin and also his local dialect very few times. Around the 1:00 mark of the song, an ad-lib, “Anointing,” being underneath a song that sensualizes a girl is needless and derogatory to the Christian faith. His use of coinages, which are popular in Afrobeats, is a defect in Eddy’s song because of its overuse. It stresses the mind of a non-African listener who isn’t familiar with coinages in a genre such as this. While it aids the rhymes and supports the rhythm, it negates the reason for the proper use of these techniques in the song.

On the side of the production, the type of beat, reggae, enables the smooth delivery of the song. It makes the song flow with ease, especially with its mild lack of proper arrangement. The use of sounds and instruments in the song is creative and very simple.

The sounds sync and are working together, literally, as there appears to be no leading sound. The piano, drum set, bass, violin, and even Eddy’s sonorous vocals keep being together, which is a showcase of the producer’s masterful skills in making the song relevant; it’s a plus, too, as it shows Eddy’s vocal training over the years. While the overall production complements his sonorous voice, there could have been a better output with more sincere work on the equalizer (EQ).

Eddy Ratty’s ‘Oil Dey My Head (Reggae Remix)’ is an ambitious record that combines spirituality, sensuality, and street expression, even if its ideas are not always developed with full clarity. While the song is held back by uneven songwriting, it still reveals an artist with vocal presence, creative instinct, and enough musical promise to suggest stronger work ahead.

With more discipline in songwriting and clearer thematic direction, Eddy Ratty has the potential to turn his creative instincts into more fully realised and compelling records.