On the 19th day of November 2021, brewing Nigerian Afro-beats act Kakes released a fascinating body of work tagged ‘Before I Japa To The Moon‘. The word ”Japa” is a commonly used Nigerian lingo that translates as ‘Escape’ Or to ‘Run away’. The 6-track extended play takes us on a journey to discover the hidden side of Kakes that we are yet to explore.
The song ‘Moon Trip‘ has a production that consists of a euphoric saxophone sound layered at the start of the record mixed with a bit of clap beat with a blend of afro drum synthesis making for a good combo. Intuitively, this is definitely a pathway to usher us into a world musical euphoria. As the name implies, he intends to take us along on a trip to the moon with this, a place where he’s got intensions of “Escaping” to.
The song ‘Dare Me‘ follows up with a spontaneous bounce and catchy tempo along with challenging lyrics from Kakes that seems to send a message of to the opposition, questioning his naysayers on why they have chosen to dare him. Ironically the artiste goes from challenging his opposition to praying for those who have being on his side regardless of his shortcomings on the track ‘God Blessed‘. Vocalizing his appreciation of the Lord’s blessings on his life, the artist delivers sing-able wordings on a fast paced Afrobeat/Afropop background.
Midway into the project, on the track Come With Me( Interlude), he vibe transcends into a slower rhythm with a bit of jive to it. This record absolutely oozes the ”Grown And Sexy” feeling. On this song, we can hear Kakes serenade his love interest with assuring lyrics, as he tries inviting her into life. He sings; ”Come with me my baby girl, Make I show you all my world“.
The fifth rendition “Sweet” chimes in, with an intro that samples the same intro as Kizz Daniel’s Jaho, giving listeners the impression that the instrumental might be somewhat similar, alas’ opposite is the case. The producer of this particular record did an amazing job blending the intro with an entirely different beat style. The mergence of both Kakes and Saffiya, fed well to the theme of the song, emanating nothing but sweet melodies.
What better way to close a project?, than the delivery of a completely different content, one that is evidently contrasting to what has been housed on that particular project. This is proven on “Before I Japa To The Moon“, with the song ‘The Revelation‘ being the sixth and last track on the nicely constructed musical body of work, Kakes serves us a bit of contemporary Hip-hop sound, fusing a unique flow almost similar to Rap-Singing all across a trap-like instrumental. Listening to this album, connecting the dots from the first to the last track, you would witness the beauty the artiste’s versatility. Most people try to box musicians, they ascribe a particular genre to an artiste which often limits their craft. Kakes however shows his versatility with songs like ”The Revelation” and “Moon Trip” on this project. You wouldn’t be wrong to refer to him as a bonified star on the rise.
Stream And Listen To The EP Below
