Reminiscent of Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail LP which was certified
platinum by the RIAA for selling a million copies before the album was
even made publicly available, African Rapper No. 1, MI, reporteedly
accomplished a similar feat with the soon-to-be-released Chairman
album a couple of days after it went on pre-order online.
The Chairman is a conceptual audio-fest that recalls in many ways
Kendrick Lamar’s break out second studio album Good Kid: MA.A.d City,
with its engaging plot line, masterful rap style as well as gripping and
dramatic lyrics.
The chairman has 17 tracks. Every track (except Track – Middle) has an
opposite track, so Track 1 is The Beginning while Track 17 is The End/
Chairman; Track 2 is Monkey while Track 16 is Human Being and so on.
The beauty of this album is that songs can be played as companion
pieces in order to get the intended story or separately as stand-alone
tracks without losing the essence of the album.
This album is thus accessible yet coded, layered yet simple, soulful yet
hard core, philosophical and yet street.
“With this album I am an ashewo for new fans. As I walked past a guy
recently he said, ‘M.I when will your new album drop?’ You won’t believe
it but I stopped, pulled out my MAC and played him the songs.”
Let us return again to the Kendrick comparison. The Chairman is M.I’s
autobiography but he is not chairman, neither is he King James. With
his last two highly celebrated singles, M.I sold us dummies to distract
us from the amazing work he was doing.
The singles, King James and Chairman are not on this new album.
‘’They were throw-away tracks,” M.I says with the casual air of a man
who has just gifted his young friend a brand new Lamborghini.
The Chairman opens with an intro, a comical alchemy that sees M.I
pulling an Eddie Murphy on us as he plays different voices. He is the
crazy teacher, aka Mr. Nigeria Teacher who kills dreams with his cane
and hot slaps.
“Look as he short. Look as he black. The idiocy of you is amazing to
me.”
Here, M.I gives a finger to nay sayers who didn’t believe in him, who
thought, like Biggie rapped, that “I won’t amount to nothing.”
Monkey has comedienne Chi Girl doing her thing before M.I’s voice
comes in rapping over a high life beat with a gospel flavour, something
that anyone who ever took a night bus will get.
“Madam na only you waka come,” M.I raps, immediately situating the
song in the here and now then going on to say “I’ve been disrespected
but I kept on.”
This is the song that signals his return after his 4 year lay-off and it
is playful yet philosophical, personal yet political.
Human Being track number 16 features 2face and Sound Sultan. Here
M.I goes personal, telling us that celebrity is not all its hyped up to be.
This one springs from a very personal place.
“Sometimes you might see me in the rain/Looking fly but I’m feeling
pain/sometimes you may say hello but my mood is down.”
Rich is track number 3 and has Pheelz on it and with M.I supporting we
get an aural massage as the music grabs your ears from the get go.
There is serious personal stuff going on here as M.I tells his grass to
grace story “From buying food inside newspaper to the front page of
magazines/Driving a Bentley and dating Agbani, flying to yankee to
pick up a grammy…Everything we dey face right now will turn story/we
will all be rich.”
It’s all good for M.I.
Brother is Track no 8 and it is an emotional song recounting the cracks
in Chocolate City. This one has Sarz, L-3, MI and Sammy Gyang on it.
“When MoHits broke up, I was like know what, this will never happen to
us/When ChocBoys broke up, I was like hold up, how on earth did that
happen to us?”
M.I enlists gospel artiste and Choc Boy Nosa on this one and his chorus
nails it, emphasising what we lose when we walk alone “I no fit climb
this mountain on my own…/This life no be Nollywood/I need you
Brother.”
Millionaira Champagne
Shekpe is Track no 5 and M.I is joined by Reminisce and Sarz on this
bacchanalia that celebrates street life and cheap highs.
“Na only one life, you no go live twice/Omo sip something till you feel
nice, pass me the shekpe” M.I urges before Reminisce jumps in with a
ditty that will have many singing along once this album drops.
“Five shekpe bottles standing on the wall, one shekpe bottle/If I drink
shekpe and I accidentally fall down/I will stand up and will drink
shekpe some more.”
Shayo joints will never be the same ever again.
Did Olamide grab the throne while M.I was on a hiatus? Rumours have
swirled since M.I dropped King James but on this song, Middle, track
no 9, the short black boy teams up with Olamide and newbie, IG in a
song that will squelch and also fan the embers of that rumour. Who
amongst them is King and who sits on that throne because M.I declares
without equivocation “6 years running, I am the baddest rapper ever
liveth.”
But forget the rumours and enjoy this song meant for cruising down
quiet streets in the twilight where M.I goes real smart on us with lines
like “wetin mankind no go see/even Jesus was hated by Pharisees/ I
dey tin can like Derica…/Critics go come go like D&C/I just dey my
lane like BRT…/Who’s the best rapper, omo it all depends/ I’m not the
1 to ask/ask number 2 to 10…/Because cat sabi swim no mean say e be
catfish
On Enemy, track No. 10 M.I hooks up with fast rising Patoranking to
deliver dance hall magic. The personal celebrity inspired narrative
continues and here Patoranking sings “Enemies …watching me close
like a journalist…” before MI jumps in with “Listen real close my
brother/Be careful who you tell about your lover…/In every twelve
there is one Judas/For every Tupac you got shooters/For every Caesar is
one Brutus…Cos people wanna see me fall” highlighting the fact that
the world of celebrity is a minefield full of haters.
Take this from me, Christmas 2014 will be different in the East with
the arrival of Bullion Van, track no 11 featuring Phyno, Runtown and
Storm Rex.
This testosterone driven anthem will light up night clubs and have
ballers on their toes claiming this song as theirs.
On this one, M.I, Phyno and Runtown go all Oriental Brothers on us
with this highlife/kegites/aladura church inspired club banger.
With all these cats at the top of their game all you feel is inspired
when you hear them sing “We be di niggas wey dey step into the club
with a bullion van.”
But the coups de grace are M.I’s lines with the double entendres.
“When you see money dey fly na we be dat…/The bottles are popping/
we killing the money, we put am for coffin/Anything wey don close/
money go open am you go think say na bow leg…/Everything tear
rubber, Mister pharmacists wey Postinor?”
With Girl, M.I goes all lovey dovey. It’s a dialogue with M.I singing “You
make me the happiest man in the world. Even if the sky will fall and
the stars burn out I will always love you.”
Millionaira Champagne, song number 13 is not for the faint-hearted.
This is a song for hard core hip-hop heads as M.I goes toe to toe with
label mate, Ice Prince and Sarkodie who bring it on like it’s a battle.
These guys, princes of the rap game are sticking fingers in eyes,
calling out fakers and taking no prisoners.
“Look at you and look at us/ Talk true who resemble boss” M.I taunts.
Ice Prince raps about “putting your arse to sleep” while the normally
easy-going Sarkodie has fighting words. In his lilting Twi accent he
raps “Baby I’m the Boss…/We the realest in the game/Bleep who you
are.”
But M.I seals it with “You’re an exit sign/you are on your way out.”
Track 14, Yours, is an ode to the fans. On this track with Milli, M.I
celebrates the fans who have made him the star and celebrity he has
become.
“Remember that shit, talk about it, you put me here/I don’t want to let
you down/ Short black boy in the white house, you put me there… So
this is reciprocity, Jos city, Choc City.”
Milli holds his own here spitting lines dripping with confidence and
variety.
On Chairman/The End, track number 17, M.I vacates the seat as
Chairman showing us who the real chairman is; God, the one who as M.I
raps “be like HD, your blessings are so clear.”
There are two cameos on this one, gospel artist, Frank Edwards and
Oritsefemi as well as M.I’s niece who recites Paslm 125.
A grateful son pays tribute to his father with: “I have seen ups, I have
seen downs…/you got your son sitting in the first grade” and on the
front row no less.
This album by this Choc Boy is Chockfull of hits. It is autobiography and
memoir, manual and manifesto, pure fiction and drama, as well as
poetry on an epic scale.
This is an album that will travel far pleasing all men at all times in
every clime from Aba to Abuja, Lagos to Lafia.
This is sublime shit.



culled from naijacelebrity.com

will be back

Dude do a track by track review and just stop with the comparison... M.i is M.i Lamar is Lamar


Human being has to be the best track on the album...

If MI is king, Lamar is a god.Besides why is MI copying Lamar's style and concept?

ejiro2130:
Dude do a track by track review and just stop with the comparison... M.i is M.i Lamar is Lamar


Human being has to be the best track on the album...

after digesting the album I'm going to do a track by track review..but MI looks like lamar yo gotta admit..they have a lot in common too

God, sure is the chairman. I like how he ended the album with that track.;there isn't yet a song I don't like on that album. Every song on the right of the album's cover is a sequel of sort, to those on the left....now that's ingenious. Production was ah-may-zing..; i wish he could shoot a video for just about every song on the album.
~Now one thin I noticed about the chairman album is that...there are very few punchlines [ I mean compared to his previous 2 works ]. The very few there is, are...in one word...D:ope. Lines that even the woman selling tomatoes [ Lol..nice choice of words ] can easily relate to. I stay very calm/ but I still dey tin can like Derica. This M.i's chorus tho....;one shekpe bottle..standing on the wall, one shekpe bottle..standing on the wall, if I drink shekpe & I accidentally fall, I will stand up & drink shekpe some more...Lol.;dude's crazy!
~For those of u who havnt copped the album yet, what yall waitin for? Well before u do, lemme let u know that you most def will not hear a punchline as dope as dis...make money blow billz - Lewinski.: plus the moniker [ Monica ] for greatness is me....but you still would love it sha.;trust me! In no particular order, my favourites...Chairman, Monkey, human being, always love, Bullion van, the middle, rich, shekpe, bad belle, brother, millionaire champagne.....now these songs, you sure would feel like Jerry can...Lol.;
~Whether or not the chairman album is a better album compared to his previous 2, I dunno yet. I still dey tin can like Derica

I wonder the day Nigerians will stop talking as if M is trying to be a Kendrick. At least 99per cent of us knew him years before we heard of K.Dot. For now, 'm really filling the Jerry can. Word M is M and Kendrick is Kendrick. Its a tale of two Kings though. Off to the record store...

I CANT WAIT TO START LISTENING IN. NAIJA'S BEST! NO DOUBT!

bankydd:


after digesting the album I'm going to do a track by track review..but MI looks like lamar yo gotta admit..they have a lot in common too

Just finish listening to the album... he sounds a lot like Lamar... BBC did an article a while ago and said he sounds like Kanye

ejiro2130:



Just finish listening to the album... he sounds a lot like Lamar... BBC did an article a while ago and said he sounds like Kanye

Better yet, Lamar sounds a lot like him.

LastOkpaBender:


Better yet, Lamar sounds a lot like him.

Dude seriously

So, M.i sounds a lot like Kendrick Lamar! Ehmm Chiko, seems like u'd be needing that hydrogen peroxide after all o. On second thought, uhmm maybe what u do need is surgery.; I mean if u can't hear that M sounds like Kendrick Lamar, perhaps u should be treated for nasopharyngeal cancer then. SMH!
..................Ayam serving a living God!

This came out more like a bloating as usual from an adoring MI fanboy rather than a proper, in-depth, insightful review.

Space booked

as in.. The album to me is just .... AWSOME !!!! .... From Brother to Shekpe.. Then Bullion van to The Begining... After that Human Being to Mine.... As in MI is the best Rapper in Nigeria.... Buh as he said... Lets just leave it in the Middle. #PEACE

Elijah348:
as in.. The album to me is just .... AWSOME !!!! .... From Brother to Shekpe.. Then Bullion van to The Begining... After that Human Being to Mine.... [s]As in MI is the best Rapper in Nigeria[/s].... Buh as he said... Lets just leave it in the Middle. #PEACE

When it is claimed that Jesse jagz is the best; some peeps might find it preposterous.
Why? People will judge rappers without listening to their discography and many times people are just ignorant and will refuse to open their mind.

Once again, I put it to you that Jesse Jagz is the best Nigerian rapper of all time. He is way better than his sibling M.I (despite all the hype)
Thy Nation Come/ Royal Niger Company are no doubt the most artistic and Thought-provoking albums by a Nigerian in years. It got superior beats, the lyrics, the messages. This isn't just the average “out the studio” album. This is art. This is jagz
For those who don't believe. I dare you then to verify my claim by listening to Jagz latest efforts side-by-side with that of M.I.
Is Jesse Jagz (Thy nation come / Royal Niger Company) VS. MI (The Chairman)
This is how we are going to determine the best.

http://www.fusiongreen.com/music/bed-of-roses
" i spit that boy wonder sh*t, me and my conglomerate, met the game re-configured it'.........see intro abeg. jagz is a beast.

One thing is sure, ...long after all the overrated cacophonous rappers whose music are enjoying dislocated massive airplay by our compromised VJ & DJ and discordance commercial noise have melted to graveyard quietude. The Jesse Jagz classics will still play on...

JonBee1:


When it is claimed that Jesse jagz is the best; some peeps might find it preposterous.
Why? People will judge rappers without listening to their discography and many times people are just ignorant and will refuse to open their mind.

Once again, I put it to you that Jesse Jagz is the best Nigerian rapper of all time.

first you dnt need to ise abusive words....
That aside...
Then on the issue of jesse i agree with you.... And d said album and mixtape i have listened to both...
Buh we both knw jesse is not a full time rapper...
Dude i listened to "god on the mic" like it was a christmas present frm santa....
It fact i had started listening to both jesse nd Mi's rap since d started(back then when i was still in jos city)

buh here is my point MI is the best(my oppinion and not urs)

try to go and listen to MIDDLE ft olamide.... MI said wether he is the best or not, that we should just leave it in the middle i.e forget about it..... So please i have rights and oppinions #Respect

Djicemob:
If MI is king, Lamar is a god.Besides why is MI copying Lamar's style and concept?

M.I's rap style has always been like this even before we started hearing of kendrick lamar... I think his new album is the best in naija right now

naeto2:


M.I's rap style has always been like this even before we started hearing of kendrick lamar... I think his new album is the best in naija right now

In my opinion, Mi initially sounded kanye-ish, Now he is goin the kdot route. #NotCool

bankydd:
Reminiscent of Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail LP which was certified
platinum by the RIAA for selling a million copies before the album was
even made publicly available, African Rapper No. 1, MI, reporteedly
accomplished a similar feat with the soon-to-be-released Chairman
album a couple of days after it went on pre-order online.
The Chairman is a conceptual audio-fest that recalls in many ways
Kendrick Lamar’s break out second studio album Good Kid: MA.A.d City,
with its engaging plot line, masterful rap style as well as gripping and
dramatic lyrics.
The chairman has 17 tracks. Every track (except Track – Middle) has an
opposite track, so Track 1 is The Beginning while Track 17 is The End/
Chairman; Track 2 is Monkey while Track 16 is Human Being and so on.
The beauty of this album is that songs can be played as companion
pieces in order to get the intended story or separately as stand-alone
tracks without losing the essence of the album.
This album is thus accessible yet coded, layered yet simple, soulful yet
hard core, philosophical and yet street.
“With this album I am an ashewo for new fans. As I walked past a guy
recently he said, ‘M.I when will your new album drop?’ You won’t believe
it but I stopped, pulled out my MAC and played him the songs.”
Let us return again to the Kendrick comparison. The Chairman is M.I’s
autobiography but he is not chairman, neither is he King James. With
his last two highly celebrated singles, M.I sold us dummies to distract
us from the amazing work he was doing.
The singles, King James and Chairman are not on this new album.
‘’They were throw-away tracks,” M.I says with the casual air of a man
who has just gifted his young friend a brand new Lamborghini.
The Chairman opens with an intro, a comical alchemy that sees M.I
pulling an Eddie Murphy on us as he plays different voices. He is the
crazy teacher, aka Mr. Nigeria Teacher who kills dreams with his cane
and hot slaps.
“Look as he short. Look as he black. The idiocy of you is amazing to
me.”
Here, M.I gives a finger to nay sayers who didn’t believe in him, who
thought, like Biggie rapped, that “I won’t amount to nothing.”
Monkey has comedienne Chi Girl doing her thing before M.I’s voice
comes in rapping over a high life beat with a gospel flavour, something
that anyone who ever took a night bus will get.
“Madam na only you waka come,” M.I raps, immediately situating the
song in the here and now then going on to say “I’ve been disrespected
but I kept on.”
This is the song that signals his return after his 4 year lay-off and it
is playful yet philosophical, personal yet political.
Human Being track number 16 features 2face and Sound Sultan. Here
M.I goes personal, telling us that celebrity is not all its hyped up to be.
This one springs from a very personal place.
“Sometimes you might see me in the rain/Looking fly but I’m feeling
pain/sometimes you may say hello but my mood is down.”
Rich is track number 3 and has Pheelz on it and with M.I supporting we
get an aural massage as the music grabs your ears from the get go.
There is serious personal stuff going on here as M.I tells his grass to
grace story “From buying food inside newspaper to the front page of
magazines/Driving a Bentley and dating Agbani, flying to yankee to
pick up a grammy…Everything we dey face right now will turn story/we
will all be rich.”
It’s all good for M.I.
Brother is Track no 8 and it is an emotional song recounting the cracks
in Chocolate City. This one has Sarz, L-3, MI and Sammy Gyang on it.
“When MoHits broke up, I was like know what, this will never happen to
us/When ChocBoys broke up, I was like hold up, how on earth did that
happen to us?”
M.I enlists gospel artiste and Choc Boy Nosa on this one and his chorus
nails it, emphasising what we lose when we walk alone “I no fit climb
this mountain on my own…/This life no be Nollywood/I need you
Brother.”
Millionaira Champagne
Shekpe is Track no 5 and M.I is joined by Reminisce and Sarz on this
bacchanalia that celebrates street life and cheap highs.
“Na only one life, you no go live twice/Omo sip something till you feel
nice, pass me the shekpe” M.I urges before Reminisce jumps in with a
ditty that will have many singing along once this album drops.
“Five shekpe bottles standing on the wall, one shekpe bottle/If I drink
shekpe and I accidentally fall down/I will stand up and will drink
shekpe some more.”
Shayo joints will never be the same ever again.
Did Olamide grab the throne while M.I was on a hiatus? Rumours have
swirled since M.I dropped King James but on this song, Middle, track
no 9, the short black boy teams up with Olamide and newbie, IG in a
song that will squelch and also fan the embers of that rumour. Who
amongst them is King and who sits on that throne because M.I declares
without equivocation “6 years running, I am the baddest rapper ever
liveth.”
But forget the rumours and enjoy this song meant for cruising down
quiet streets in the twilight where M.I goes real smart on us with lines
like “wetin mankind no go see/even Jesus was hated by Pharisees/ I
dey tin can like Derica…/Critics go come go like D&C/I just dey my
lane like BRT…/Who’s the best rapper, omo it all depends/ I’m not the
1 to ask/ask number 2 to 10…/Because cat sabi swim no mean say e be
catfish
On Enemy, track No. 10 M.I hooks up with fast rising Patoranking to
deliver dance hall magic. The personal celebrity inspired narrative
continues and here Patoranking sings “Enemies …watching me close
like a journalist…” before MI jumps in with “Listen real close my
brother/Be careful who you tell about your lover…/In every twelve
there is one Judas/For every Tupac you got shooters/For every Caesar is
one Brutus…Cos people wanna see me fall” highlighting the fact that
the world of celebrity is a minefield full of haters.
Take this from me, Christmas 2014 will be different in the East with
the arrival of Bullion Van, track no 11 featuring Phyno, Runtown and
Storm Rex.
This testosterone driven anthem will light up night clubs and have
ballers on their toes claiming this song as theirs.
On this one, M.I, Phyno and Runtown go all Oriental Brothers on us
with this highlife/kegites/aladura church inspired club banger.
With all these cats at the top of their game all you feel is inspired
when you hear them sing “We be di niggas wey dey step into the club
with a bullion van.”
But the coups de grace are M.I’s lines with the double entendres.
“When you see money dey fly na we be dat…/The bottles are popping/
we killing the money, we put am for coffin/Anything wey don close/
money go open am you go think say na bow leg…/Everything tear
rubber, Mister pharmacists wey Postinor?”
With Girl, M.I goes all lovey dovey. It’s a dialogue with M.I singing “You
make me the happiest man in the world. Even if the sky will fall and
the stars burn out I will always love you.”
Millionaira Champagne, song number 13 is not for the faint-hearted.
This is a song for hard core hip-hop heads as M.I goes toe to toe with
label mate, Ice Prince and Sarkodie who bring it on like it’s a battle.
These guys, princes of the rap game are sticking fingers in eyes,
calling out fakers and taking no prisoners.
“Look at you and look at us/ Talk true who resemble boss” M.I taunts.
Ice Prince raps about “putting your arse to sleep” while the normally
easy-going Sarkodie has fighting words. In his lilting Twi accent he
raps “Baby I’m the Boss…/We the realest in the game/Bleep who you
are.”
But M.I seals it with “You’re an exit sign/you are on your way out.”
Track 14, Yours, is an ode to the fans. On this track with Milli, M.I
celebrates the fans who have made him the star and celebrity he has
become.
“Remember that shit, talk about it, you put me here/I don’t want to let
you down/ Short black boy in the white house, you put me there… So
this is reciprocity, Jos city, Choc City.”
Milli holds his own here spitting lines dripping with confidence and
variety.
On Chairman/The End, track number 17, M.I vacates the seat as
Chairman showing us who the real chairman is; God, the one who as M.I
raps “be like HD, your blessings are so clear.”
There are two cameos on this one, gospel artist, Frank Edwards and
Oritsefemi as well as M.I’s niece who recites Paslm 125.
A grateful son pays tribute to his father with: “I have seen ups, I have
seen downs…/you got your son sitting in the first grade” and on the
front row no less.
This album by this Choc Boy is Chockfull of hits. It is autobiography and
memoir, manual and manifesto, pure fiction and drama, as well as
poetry on an epic scale.
This is an album that will travel far pleasing all men at all times in
every clime from Aba to Abuja, Lagos to Lafia.
This is sublime shit.



culled from naijacelebrity.com

Lol.....He didn't say 'You might see me in the Rain...' what he said was...."Sometimes you might see me in a Range....Looking fly but deep down I'm feeling pain"