The student-led music and entertainment powerhouse, MBA The Company 2022, released its new album, Fuel & Flames on the 2nd of December, 2022.
The album is a compilation of tracks that explore themes of love (its thrills and lows), empowerment, reassurance, hope, and self-confidence. This album is a collaborative effort from the 8 artists who are finalists in the MBA Talent Project 2022.
The 8 Artists express themselves individually and collectively on this project. If you are yet to listen to Fuel & Flames, we can take this ride together. MBA FOR AFRICA – Fuel & Flames (orcd.co)
As usual, let’s go flame surfing on Fuel & Flames with our earphones plugged in.
Fuel & Flames- The Review
With Manifest, a party bop that features all the artists signed to the MBA Company already released as a lead single off this album, One can tell that it’s going to be fire as we listen. My favourite part on this single off the album is at the end where Ene slides in effortlessly to surf on the beat, while Ekemini Jane asks her lover to come write their love story and invest in her love.
Fuel & Flames opens with the powerful vocals of Mightyyout, I call him small but mighty, the 8th wonder of the talent project. As you listen on, you’ll understand why. Not only did he bring out his vocal prowess and range to the project, but his pen game also came out to play.
On WOTM (Words of the Mighty), Mightyyout preaches about how many people won’t be there to support you when you’re down. He emphasizes how many will pose as family but will stab your back and are only after your downfall.
“Know this and know peace, cus this is how e be. A lot of them are gon pretend to be your family. smiling for your face but them go stab you for your back the reality of life and that’s a fact“
Such is life! On the way to the top, there are obstacles to face, and fighting friendly enemies is one. Apostle Mightyyout goes on to advise us to “Shayo and forget your troubles.”
The second track Reckon, produced by Zaki Amujei features himself, Mightyyout, and Musta4a. This is a song that boosts confidence from 0 to a100 percent and rekindles one’s confidence in his or her abilities. A front-sighted focus is needed when moving up the ladder of life. In doing so, you also need to trust in your capabilities and ignore naysayers.
Zaki gives us reassurance on the chorus with a soft bassline accompaniment “Them know I am a force to reckon with, I just dey call my shots, ko si nkan t’on ma sọ (There’s nothing they can say)”
The trio has just given us an anthem of self-confidence. One that makes me feel like looking in the mirror and beating my chest to the chorus. I strongly believe I am a force to reckon with, are you?
If you’re a force to reckon with, a man confident in his craft and ready to stand before Kings, you can’t slow down on your pursuit of greatness. You have to be on the go, ignoring vision deterrents. This is why Musta4a tells us he’s going all out 240 on his lane, hitting the gas on energy, ignoring anything that wants to kill his vibe and hustle spirit.
“Going 240 on my lane, I no fit slow. As ọmọlogo, me I don go…” Goal-oriented? You should adopt this energy. I highly recommend it.
The trio Powerhouse, Apartment VII invites us over for Thanksgiving. Raise your glasses and make a Toast to the Goodlife. Ene opens with a thought-provoking line- “Taking a moment to remember where we came from, when we used to pray for all that we have right now”. The journey might seem tough but when you look back sometimes, you’ll realize you are currently living out the prayers you made years ago. Besides, It only gets better with time, take this moment to be grateful for how far you’ve made it. The journey is as important as the destination.
The King of Lamba, Taffy Ghazali comes through with the next track, The Bag. “If you get the money, every hour is a happy hour“, please tell me where the lie is
Every line is a punchline, every rhyme reminds us of why we need to secure the bag. One of my favorite lines on this track is “Make I run town like I do PHE, Determine things like I be THE” Taffy don’t kill us please.
“But Money is the root of all evil, gimme the tree if e possible” I second this. Money they say stops nonsense.
Jolaaaaaaaaaaaa Bellooooooo. Damnnnnnn!!! Pardon my words but this was my first reaction to the next track, Halle. I was just screaming “damnnn!!!” repeatedly. I don’t think I’d have ever imagined Jola on Yanos (Amapiano). This is so soothing, with soft vocals, and punchy beats that remind me of a Kabza De Small type of production. Shout-out to DJ Blaqbeat for the production. Jola expresses her gratitude to God for how far she’s come on Halle. “Only God can make a man, c’mon say Halle ”. Gratitude is a must.
Love, its Beauty, and Challenges
Ekemini Jane is one of the artists I’ve been looking forward to hearing on this album. She delivers beautiful vocals on deep acoustic chords and piano on Wanna Be Home. She serenades her lover and asks to be what they call “home”. And as we know, home is where you are safe and can be as comfortable as you want to be. Even though all her defenses are shattered by this mysterious lover, she still finds peace and safety in their arms. I’m sorry to my fellow members of the “God When Association”, you all can’t relate to this. There’s no greater driver to living an accomplished life than love which in turn brings peace, the other one will be discussed subsequently as we move on.
While Ekemini is basking in the tenderness of her lover, Adam Srae is crying out for help on Sad boyz need love. I was like “Finally, I feel seen” but Adam Srae comes with a machine gun to a fistfight as his mandem receive “direct-stray” bullets. He laments that none of them is ready to settle down and enjoy love. To be honest, love completes you and makes you feel whole, but I think Adam just wants to attend a wedding soon because the Jollof and cocktail are always unmatched. He wonders if they’ve been hexed by “village people”. Well… you’ll have to pardon us, bro, the streets are not safe. I thought this was supposed to be a song to encourage us as single pringles, Adam Srae has dragged us in the mud.
Zaki and Musta4a come to the “God when” associates’ rescue after the severe pelting from Adam Srae. Remember I mentioned love as a driver toward living an accomplished life. Pain is also a force to reckon with. On the track Pain, Zaki expresses himself and narrates the effects of heartbreak on his heart. In his words “Never again will I trust the daughter of Eve… now my heart enter gbege, my heart no fit trust again, this affliction no fit rise again”. Once bitten, twice shy is the case here. Musta4a also reveals how he spent his time and resources on her, only to get his heart shattered. This breakfast is extraordinary, she even served the coffee with salt. Ada, you do this one!
Mightyyout narrates his own side of the ordeal on Manipulation. He explains how he has endured gaslighting and manipulation from his supposed lover. Sometimes, these experiences make one scared to love again. Adam Srae, I hope you now have your answer to why mandem are not interested in love again. In all of these, finding the fuel to keep your flames burning is paramount.
Sacrifices, Struggles, and Hope
On Players, Zaki begs his mama to say a word of prayer for him as he runs this race called life. He asks a lot of questions many of us ask ourselves today, like when will we eventually make it? When will the dreams come true? According to Zaki, we are all players in the game, striving not to be the last in anything we do, and with the sole aim of winning.
“So I tell my mama, say a prayer for me cus for this game, all of us na players…”
Ekemini Jane, Jola Bello, and Ene show us the power of determination on No Yawa. They each declare their determination and tenacity in the face of discouragement. A drama-free life and enjoyment are all they ask for as God watches over them from above. Are you having a hard time focusing on your goals? This track is for you. It’s your time to rebuild, recover, and live a stress-free life. Hallelujah, somebody!
There’s always that moment or phase where everyone assumes you’re insane for being adamant about chasing a purpose, a dream, or a career path. As mentioned earlier, it’s never an easy road.
On Insane, Adam Srae and Mightyyout share their addiction to the hustle, their struggles, and how much they’ve had to sacrifice on this music journey. I’m sure you’re waiting on Mightyyout’s verse to come on this track. I’m sorry he’s the one on the hook, not one of the female artists😅. Now you see why I call him the small but Mightyyout. His range is beyond impressive. This track invokes a lot of introspection and sparks encouragement.
The album closes with a powerful duo performance from Zaki Amujei and Adam Srae on Whisper. This was the first song I listened to on the album (Weird, I know. I like to start listening from the last song) and my favorite on the first listen. The hook on this song sticks really fast just like with Reckon. They both speak about their sleepless nights, hunger strikes, and sacrifices to make ends meet. ,
“Omo no dey worry, I do this for you. You go get this money and I go get am too, e go work for me and work for you too cus or dreams will come true”.
This track rekindles hope in the hustling soul reminding us that our dreams are valid and we can achieve everything.
Concluding thoughts on Fuel & Flames
In summary, front-sighted focus is all that matters. It helps to create the spark to ignite the fuel (your story), to produce the flames (the endless possibilities- the highs and lows on the journey to success). Also, I love the fact that the songs project the theme, and the thought process in the creation of this masterpiece is made evident quite easily.
The album is divided into 3 parts that address major themes of empowerment and determination to succeed, love and its challenges, and the struggles of a hustler to get to the top. Each artist was able to communicate these themes from their individual points of view.
-A&R Team, Fuel & Flames
Production on this album is top-notch and the vocals are clear as crystal. It’s the MBA Powerhouse in charge so c’mon, what else are you expecting? Below-par is a crime over here.
That being said, Keep Streaming Fuel & Flames: MBA FOR AFRICA – Fuel & Flames (orcd.co)
The MBA Talent Project 2022 is proud to partner with YouTube Music, The Orchard, and Sony Music Publishing Nigeria for Music distribution, Artist & Label services, as well as Publishing Administration respectively.
MBA For Africa The Company 2022 also proudly partners with Wakanow, Africa’s biggest travel partner as its Official Travel Partners.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Soot Africa for your regular music updates
