We’re back again at Soot Africa, with another album review. This is an unbiased opinion of a musical work of art- a review of The Mavins’ new album, Chapter X. Before we dive into the review, let’s do a little history lesson. Mavin (full name: Supreme Mavin Dynasty), is a Nigerian-based record label founded in 2012 by record producer and former artist, Don Jazzy. Mavins’ inception was a result of the closure of Mo’Hits which was a joint effort with renowned star, D’Banj. It signed Tiwa Savage (referred to as the queen of Mavin) in its debut year. Subsequently, it signed other artists like Wande Coal and Reekado Banks. In its first year, Mavin released its first-ever compilation album, Solar Plexus. Now ten years later, Mavin gives us its second, Chapter X.
Now that you’re all caught up, we can head right in. Here’s a track-by-track review of Mavin’s second compilation album celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Chapter X.
opening tracks of chapter x
The first track on this new album is Alle (Bayanni, Crayon, Boy Spyce, Magixx, Ayra Starr, Rema, Ladipoe). It opens up with a soft verse from Rema, which flows smoothly into a repeated chant of Halle that I just know we’re going to be singing along to for a while. I’ll also call this one feel-good music. Basically, I liked how the artists didn’t shy away from sampling mainstream Afrobeats songs like Cough, Calm Down, E dey Rush. Actually, I loved it. They added their magic to familiar tunes to give us a brand-new track that feels familiar and even nostalgic. With Ayra Starr being the only female vocalist on this track, I’ll say she closes it up perfectly. Look out for her goosebump-inducing vocal infusions at the end of the track and you’ll know exactly what I mean. 10/10 way to start the album…. Let’s go!
Next on the list is All I’m Saying (Don Jazzy, Bayanni, Boy Spyce, Ladipoe, Johnny Drille). Yes, Don Jazzy actually sang on this one. When last did we get a Don Jazzy verse? This is a sweet song; it didn’t have a lot of drums, but I didn’t mind. Basically, I’ll say the two stars with the best verses in this song were Ladipoe and Johnny Drille.
Ogini Na Fio (Ladipoe, Crayon, Don Jazzy) is the third song off Mavin’s new album Chapter X. Okay, maybe I was wrong and Don Jazzy is ready to come out of retirement. Crayon’s chorus was nothing short of sublime in this song, which talks about the beautiful intricacies of a woman’s body. I was just about to ask my Igbo friends to translate “Ogini Na Fio”, but Ladipoe’s verse hit me with, “….It doesn’t matter if I speak in Yoruba or in Igbo… cause I’m a rapper doesn’t mean I can’t be sweet.” Okay, Ladipoe… we hear you loud and clear.
Body of mavin’s new album chapter x
I know this one, you know it too, and we all love it. The next song on Mavin’s new album, Chapter X, is a pre-release we all fell in love with. Won Da Mo (Crayon, Bayanni, Magixx, Ayra Starr, Ladipoe, Rema, Boy Spyce). Again, the song is mostly in languages I do not understand, but I get that it’s a plea to God to keep the blessings flowing… the money is long. If you’re not already shaking your head and singing along to “Won da mo… Atin lo” then you’re in the wrong place. I’ll give you a hint, it’s already a TikTok favorite. I don’t want to sound biased, but can we just appreciate how well Ladipoe’s verse raps fit in a lot of unconventional tracks?
Amina (Bayanni, Crayon, Ayra Starr, Rema) did not hold back on those drums. That was the first noticeable element on this track, I think it was Amapiano done the Mavin way. The chorus is a smooth plea from Rema, begging Amina to tell him if she’s available. Well, if I were Amina, I’d definitely be freeing up my schedule this evening.
We all know this next one too because we quite literally overdosed on it and added it to our playlists (at least I know I did). Overloading (Crayon, Ayra Starr, Ladipoe, Magixx, Boy Spyce) was already a crowd favorite right from when it was released on October 26th. Above all, I think every single verse was a hit, and I doubt we’ll be forgetting about this song for a long time to come.
Losing You (Crayon, Johnny Drille, Magixx) opens up quite nicely with Johnny Drille. Yes, we had the lover boys come out on this sweet song. Losing you is a song that talks about losing a lover and trying to figure out what’s wrong. The only thing I’d say was missing in this song was the drums, maybe it needed a little kick to it. Other than that, I enjoyed it.
Tracklist for mavin’s new album, chapter x
The first thing we hear is Ladipoe’s little monologue on Won Le Le (Crayon, Bayanni, Rema, Boy Spyce, Ladipoe, Magixx). Something about this song made me think of it as a laid-back version of the 2012 party boppers we used to dance to. It’s basically talking about being on the grind and moving from making little money to making big bags.
Jara (Magixx, DJ Big N, Bayanni, Don Jazzy) is the next song on Mavin’s new album Chapter X. Firstly, I loved how the instruments came out to play on this one. From the strong bass to the trumpets in the chorus, they gave the song an unusual sonic balance I found interesting. I’d suggest you listen to this with good headphones to really get a feel of the beat, and we have DJ Big N to thank for that.
Final thoughts on chapter x
The album Chapter X ends with this nostalgic tune, You (Johnny Drille, Don Jazzy, Ladipoe, Boy Spyce, Magixx). It opened up with a good verse talking about an addiction… I no fit fall if I never fall for you. I liked almost everything about this song, the verses were on par with the lover’s theme I got from the beginning, and we also got a sublime verse from Don Jazzy. However, I couldn’t help but look out for an Ayra Starr verse, even though I knew she wasn’t on it. Apart from that, it was a great listen.
Mavin’s new album, Chapter X, is a great project put together by some of the finest, youngest minds in the industry. As much as I liked more songs on the album than I didn’t, I realized I was hoping for a better way of fusing the artists’ sounds together. While I get that it’s a joint project, I felt there were too many artists on a good number of songs, and we didn’t get a good feel for each of them. The same tracklist with more personalized songs and maybe three to four artists on each one would’ve done it for me. Let me know what you think!
