YKB – “Yusful Music” EP Review

YUSFUL MUSIC – EP

YKB

• Genre: Afro-Beat
• Date: 05 May, 2023
• Content: explicit
• Region: NGA
• Track(s): 5
• ℗ 2023 MOTHER AFRICA REIGNS SUPREME (MARS)

 

Yusuf Kanbai was portrayed as promising but lacking a specific X-factor in Laycon’s 2020 EP, “Who Is Laycon”—a demeanor that his new personality, “YKB,” now quickly homes. Ykb is the result of Yusuf Kanbai and his crew returning to the drawing board, separating the wheat from the chaff, and honing the singer’s pop charm after a disappointing couple of years in which he experimented sonically to little or no success. Ykb released the 2022 single “San Siro” to evaluate the brand intervention. San Siro, one of Ykb’s most listened songs on Spotify, immediately acquired new and old listeners. San Siro served as a declaration for the quickly emerging act and displayed his songwriting talent -(or so it seemed) to new listeners.

He was a featured artist on Apple Music’s “Africa Rising” and joins friends and colleagues Tems, Fireboy, Omah Lay, and Victony (among others) in being featured on the platform ever since it first launched.

With “Yusful Music,” a 5-track musical play, talented musician YKB offers his devoted followers a lovely project. Spaxx, Steph, Funwon, Finito, and Dave October all contributed to developing this excellent solo piece.

Album Art

The cover photo for the album features a portrait of the singer YKB, who is shown lying on the ground and holding a face devoid of expression, which corresponds to the themes of the EP. However, with the exception of the “pose for the camera” photo, he appears to be pondering important matters while also looking like he is aware of them. Indeed, YKB is mindful that time is of the essence, there are increasing amounts of obligations, and this music hustle must yield results.

Tracks and Features

The 5-Track EP opens with “Pressure” as the star sings about his daily responsibilities and how he had decided not to succumb to pressure, especially as his family expects a lot from him. The superstar tells the listener how he feels when he cannot come through for his mother and says, “For the money, there’s pressure” on him to start showing his contribution and giving his opinions as he should. The 2minute 34 seconds track is a beautiful opener that sets the tone for the rest of the project and shares with the listener the grim reality of a part of his life.

As doubters needed more persuasion, Ykb followed up with a more dynamic “Bo Card (Things I Need).”Bo Card is tender, sweet, romantic, and funny, which puts the lie to those who dared accuse him of being crude or impolite because of his earlier overuse of native languages. On Bo Card, he continued to employ native languages, but his delivery was more poised and refined. In the love song, YKB sings to a potential lover while acknowledging that she has what he wants and that he is the most outstanding choice out of everyone pursuing her. This tune is an appropriate follow-up to “Pressure” because of the lovely melody and the background sax.

Finito-produced San Siro is YKB’s most streamed song on most streaming platforms, and the lyricist is singing about his bachelor life and the need to show his love interest that he is done with the energy and wants to give her all the love he has… and it can fill up the SAN SIRO. As YKB says, “Love is not a Crime.”

In “Komplete Riddim,” YKB sings to his love interest as he seeks her devotion and believes her love will make him whole. He needs persuasion to determine whether he is “The One” or whether she has her sights set on someone else. The single is lovely and danceable, with a catchy “Obi-chikolobi-Obi” hook.

The closing track of the listening experience is “Traffic,” and YKB says he doesn’t care about rumors. There’s nothing he wants more than to carry out his responsibilities effectively and without hindrance. He again touches on the need for his family to be provided for and his baby cared for. Still, the main emphasis he lays on the track is that he is ready to go all the way to see this achieved, and even though he is stuck in what seems like a “Traffic of Life,” he remains determined to move away at the slightest opportunity he gets and wants to make good of it.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	ARTIST	TIME
1	pressure	YKB	2:34
2	bo card (things i need)	YKB	2:59
3	san siro	YKB	3:14
4	komplete riddim	YKB	3:17
5	traffic	YKB	2:20

Album Summary

Through “Yusful Music,” Ykb alludes to his current state of mind and his transformation from a naive little boy to a man who has realized how difficult life can be due to the crippling yet defining weight of responsibility. A succinct yet comprehensive look at Ykb’s dynamic world of love, commitment, attention, and determination can be found in Yusful music.

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