Portable – Anikuleti Street Don Jazzy (Album Review)

The famous, or infamous, (depending on which part of the spectrum you fall in) Portable is back with his sophomore album.

To those who are unfamiliar with the ethos of Afrobeats, he is a Nigerian musician. His music deviates from the umbrella of ‘Afrobeats’. In fact, it is more accurately classified as street Afrobeats or simply street Nigerian music. It differentiates from the connotation of ‘street’ music in the American sense, though. In this world, the ‘street’ denomination refers to a socioeconomic divide. People in the middle and upper class often associate themselves with acts that are either foreign, or aligned strongly with foreign visuals as well as styles, such as the pan-universal artistry of Asake. What is deemed as ‘lower class’ is usually free from the need to adhere to that standard. It truly leads to a world of possibilities, similar to the origin of Phonk Brasiliero and even the origin of Amapiano. The freedom one gets from not adhering music to a social standard leads to either extreme low quality, or extremely unique compositions.

Named Habeeb Okikiola and perpetuating his authentically Yoruba musicality as well as mannerisms, he has been a topic of division in the music circles of Nigeria. Some people, similar to his origin, appreciate him as an extension of their circumstances, but other people, who may align with the other media consumer classes of Nigeria, may think of him as a mere menace or ‘cringy’. I’ve traversed through both worlds and as a result, do not have a preference. I can be objective in terms of perceiving his artistry and I really encourage others to do so as well.

His first release, ‘Ika of Africa’, was truly a fresh and innovative release to me. I’ve always been in the part of the spectrum who appreciates Portable as an artist. In fact, when he was first coming out on the scene, I would get into online scuffles with people who were too blinded by pigeonholing his artistry as a mere ‘low-class’ or ‘razz’ act. I think that sort of dualism in terms of categorizing music is immensely harmful, as it subconsciously coaxes us to be enslaved by presentation and not necessarily the art itself. Some people preferred more ‘polished’ artists with Americanised visuals, such as Buju as well as even Burna to a degree, without analysing the subconscious bias they had.

To my honest judgment, I think Portable is a gift to the Nigerian music industry. His antics may have us either amused or simply disgusted, but as an artist and a brand, he has interweaved complexities in production as well as fashion that most would not dare to tread upon just because of perceived social ramifications. I’ve seen him parade and own his humble origins in ‘Kosalabaro’, to wearing hyper-futuristic glasses and choosing beats no other artist has chosen. At this point, he’s been starting to make his rounds in the mainstream scene by forming kinships with people like Skepta. Even though I do not consider popularity as an objective metric of art, I feel slightly vindicated at this point. Let’s explore his newest release, titled ‘Anikuleti Street Don Jazzy’.

The album starts off with a track titled ‘Micheal Jackson’. I even find the spelling error very stylistically fashionable in the ethos of Portable-ism. To me, the song literally sounds like a nasheed as it is void of any backing instruments besides his own voice layered. The echo in the vocals as well as the distinctive melody also leads to that feel. It is imperative to acknowledge that traditional Yoruba hymns and melodies employ a lot of classically Christian as well as Islamic melodies, and throughout the whole album, you will feel the influence. As an initial track, it is quite underwhelming, but it grows on me with more listens.

The second track, ‘1 Billion Dollar’, starts off with inspirational chords. A muted pan flute, although bearing similarities to an oja, gives the song a very homely and village feel that most Nigerians can resonate with. The log drum in this song is paired with cowbells as well as shakers and aspects of clips from traditional drumsets. I find that extremely unique. I don’t think anyone in Afrobeats has done that before, from a production perspective. The song generally sounds introspective but also quaint. His emotions truly resonate in this song. Another song that grows on me with each listen!

The third track, ‘Baba Yin Tide’, gives me mixed feelings with its soundscape. It kind of has the Asake-esque percussion syncopation going on, with accents of futurism in the synthesizer and random vocalisations. The production to me, sounds like as if someone combined early 2010s Afrobeats with today’s Afrobeats. It is definitely very different in its execution. We have plenty of revivalist movements throughout music, but this is the first time I’ve heard this. It isn’t the most exciting song, but it surely is interesting.

The fourth track, ‘Malo Gbegesi’, is frankly a track that I have been overplaying. I personally really love this track. The backing track is immensely futuristic in its execution. It features hypersaws, as well as a fast tempo and technological-sounding automation clips. The layering of his voice in the chorus emphasises the singing pattern typically found in Apala singing. A great track, overall. If yoruba-futurism was a genre, I’d pinpoint this song as one of its pioneers.

The fifth track, ‘E be Things’, oddly reminds me of some of Yemi Alade’s earlier work. It has that hyper-traditionalist feel to it, with tinges of chords that are reminiscent of warm feelings as well as community. It is a very ‘listen and vibe’ type song, that definitely isn’t charged. I can see this song having certain crossovers with reggae or being told by someone with a ukelele. Even though it isn’t my typical style of music that I tend to favour towards, I can appreciate this song. Even though there isn’t too much melodic variation with the vocals, the polyphony in the instruments will definitely keep you stimulated.

The sixth track, ‘Energy’, is one of my favourites from this song. It gives me the same street feel analogous to ‘Of Lagos’ by Rahman Jago, Zamopyper and Zlatan. It has that very ‘traditional’ strong and anticipatory feel that street Nigerian songs have. The anticipatory feel gets built up even more with what sounds like xylophone pads, the staccato notes, and the chords itself. This song definitely does exude energy. I won’t be surprised if this song turns into a social media challenge with legwork involved. It is one of those songs. Highly recommend.

The seventh track, Loyalty, really sounds like a modern K1 de Ultimate track to me. Not in terms of singing, but in terms of composition. This is a song where I can say more elements of pure fuji is morphed with typical West African guitars. (I have to use this generalisation because the guitar style is not necessarily distinct to Nigeria itself). I really love the backing track. The ascending and descending dance between the notes on the jazz guitar is a delight to hear, in terms of call and response. Highly recommended, as well.

The eighth track, ‘Orin Ogo’, has a beat stride and chord structure to early-00s ’emotional’ songs. However, it does so in a way that somehow makes it seem distinct from that time period in music. It isn’t as cheesy as let’s say, completely stealing the chord structure of Olufunmi by Styl-Plus. The addition of what sounds like an electronic boomwhacker as well as emotionally charged strings and synthesizers give this song a distinctively dramatic feel. The sprinkling of acoustic guitars also sound very unconventionally, as they sound as if they’d be strung on stiffer strings if they were to be played in real life. The more I listen to this track, the more it appeals to me.

The ninth track, Gbabe, has sort of a 90s guitar feel to it in the intro, almost like an old power ballad. It is balanced with stiff, drumline-esque drumming in this song. I do think is very interesting in terms of composition, but the singing style, not necessarily the melody, gives it a childish quality that is hard to take seriously. I feel like the song has potential, especially if it was reworked. However, it also gives off the feel of old, cheesy Nigerian romantic songs, which someone could truly appreciate. Even though it is not my cup of tea, I do not think it is an overall bad song.

The tenth track, ‘Hushpuppy’… to me, it is quite skippable. The elements in the track have potential. It sounds very Europop-based in terms of the bass, but it sounds like a demo at best. His voice is very greatly mastered, and I’m sure the song is meant to be lyrically perceived, but I do not personally find it appealing. The ending instrumental puts the song into a ‘retro gaming’ instrumental tinge, which I think could be manipulated for a remix. Not quite sure how to classify this track.

The eleventh track, ‘Omo Zeh’, is also another track that I have been constantly replaying. There is an instrument in the background that gives it a cold, wintry air feeling- if I’m not wrong, this concept has also been explored with one of the songs on ‘Ika of Africa’. It has that typical ‘jammy’ log drum that we’re used to at this point of African music in general, and it gives the song the edge it needs- even though the minimalist instrumental already sounds edgy. Highly recommended.

The twelfth track, ‘Remember’, is a beautiful track. I find the guitar riffs frankly beautiful. It paints a rosy, fresh picture to me. The tempo of this song, mixed with the bass as well as the jazz guitar, simply wraps the song up in excitation. It oscillates between pop and licks of juju music for me. I really like this track. I think it could be used in a very commercial manner, it is not a song that will divide people in terms of preference. Another highly recommended track.

The thirteenth track, ‘Mama’, is another gorgeous track in which his autotuned vocals glide over a body of reminiscent, vintage chords paying homage to his mother. It has a deep and mellow soundscape and reminds me of moonlight for some reason. It doesn’t have much in terms of musical intensity, but this song has feelings emanating from it. I think it fits the theme of the song perfectly.

The fourteenth track, ‘Alanu Kan’, has heavy influence from Igbo melodies and rhythm. This is evident, with his constant praise of ‘Igbo kwenu’ sprinkled in the song. I think this song is quite cute in its intent. Nigeria has a history of tribalism and separation in terms of culture and that bleeds to unfortunate separation between cultural music genres, and I love it when someone breaks boundaries and merges different musical styles together. He blends his style of singing with other rhythms. It is also very well produced. A must-listen!

The fifteenth track, ‘Ashawo’, starts off with a modern idiom regarding money and struggle. Musically, it intrigues me. It has many different elements going on at the same time, but they do not conflict at all. It is mixed with aspects of waves, as well as certain playful and cheeky elements. It also has a ‘glorious’ but soulful feel to it too. In terms of musical variability, this is the go-to track if that’s what you’re looking for. It even has elements of Spanish guitar as he croons that ‘he no go love ashawo’. I think this song has universal and cross-genre appeal. A very, very interesting track.

The sixteenth track, ‘Goal Goal’ is one of my favourites. This may sound like a far-fetched comparison, but the chords of this song truly remind of me of the song ‘Mayiliraagae’ by A.R. Rahman. It has a mellow, heartfelt quality to it in its softness. It also reminds me of the mellowed-down tunes of ‘Corny’ by Rema. It is simply soothing in all of its sense, including the bass and the beats itself. It is not harsh at all. One of my personal favourites.

The seventeenth track, ‘Pass Away’, starts off with a punch in how strong-sounding the flute sample is. I really like how this song is a combination of various samples interacting with each other, as it adds a distinct female voice vocalising in the background. Even though it starts off strong, it also has certain airy and mellow characteristics that the previous song has. I find this song quite sentimental.

The eighteenth track, ‘Fear Woman’, is a very typical, upbeat Afrobeats song to me. It is decent in its execution. It almost has the cadence of ‘zazoo virus’, but with a more sophisticated and refined touch. There is nothing really outstanding or poor in this track, it is just average to me. I wish more could’ve been done with the intersection of the beat and the bass, as it sticks out the most in this track. Still a pleasant listening experience, however!

The nineteenth track, ‘Yinmu Yinmu’ starts off quite uneventful, with a beat reminiscent to that of the BBC World News’ theme song, but when isolated and mixed with the spunky log drum in the midst of the song, it sounds like it was intentionally uneventful to spark a feel of anticipation. I like the interplay of the log drum with the snare, cymbals as well as slight dundun drum infused with the log drum itself. The backing track is genius.

The final track, Teramo, is a great end to the album. It starts off with the energy of a celebratory track. The shakers in the instrumental is accompanied with an oscillating bass, as well as staccato synthesizers. I really like the faux saxophone/trumpet in this song. Even though it has aspects of an unevolved MIDI-file, the faux digitation actually matches the futurism lurking in this track. It gets even more elevated with how elaborate the log drum is in this song. The instrumentation in this track is truly top notch.

Overall, I think this album is the perfect sophomore album compared to this debut release. All of his music choices in this particular album show an evolution in sophistication as well as musical execution. He combines all kinds of genres while still retaining his typical Yoruba style of singing, without losing any aspect of what it means to be Portable. It is an exciting album, with all kinds of musical quirks.

Rating/Outstanding  – With only one truly skippable song, this album proves Portable’s musical prowess beyond his antics and repertoire in the Nigerian mainstream. He is musically complex, and his choice of niche producers throughout the album give it an edge that is hard to truly ignore in terms of instrumentation. He shows an evolution in his music style, refining it and improving with each attempt. Portable is not someone to pigeonhole and ignore.

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