King IY Have Words for “Enemies” on New Tune

By Emmanuel Daraloye

The word enemies is a dominant word in the Afrobeats dictionary. The real and imaginary one, artists like Davido, Wizkid and Burna boy have always treated this topic, even when new or underground artistes explore this topic, they rarely do more, it is just like listening to what you have listened to before.

King IY and Ceejay Rhymes seem to have unlocked a new way of doing this as they both bounce on each other’s strength on the track “Enemies,” they take eight lines each, bouncing along , sharing the same message. They give their listeners some moments to even ruminate about the lyrics and their essence as they are mirrors to what they face too, but of course, diffee

The ferocious state of King IY is palpable and evidently spread on this track, it seems to have been some bottled up emotion, the one you unleashed on the microphone, he surely did on this track. From his first word on this track, it is noticeable that he is not here to play, enemies were no match for him.

The mid tempo mode of the track makes it easy for the words, flow, pattern to crisscross, they marinate well, even when the lyrical doesn’t come off well , the production quickly adjusts things properly. The minimalist nature of the production can’t be ignored; a jarring drum, synth did the job on this song.

While he knows the enemies are after him, on this song, he earnestly calls on God for support. He understands the place of the most high as he tries to navigate the murky water of life. This is a result of trusting a being beyond it all, even while you see the impossibilities.

On this track, his voice, and even some of it exposes two emotions at once. While he fears, and complains about all his enemies. He brings realities to this track. It is resonant to every human listening, especially to who are broken or who experienced the betrayal of a friend.

“Enemies,” by King IY comes off as a cypher. It a Hip-hop themed, the wordings are skillfully placed, the poetic essence of the singer is hard to ignore, the use of metaphor and simile makes it relatable, when he reference Afrobeats legend like 9ice and 2baba,you are bound to rewind or press spin, it is that lovely. One dominant feature of a track like this is that the artistes are always disjointed in their delivery however, these two artistes eschew such as they build on each other’s topic.

Ceejay Rhymes and King IY seem to have a nice chemistry, a joint extended play or more tracks will be lovely, they remind me of late 2010s Olamide and Phyno, some heavenly made collaborations. The artists share their stories differently with the use of language at different levels. The vocals, the expressions (which are wield with passion) and the beat all make this duo’s track different.