While Blaqbonez’s album releases are always met with anticipation from fans, his latest project is perhaps his most anticipated yet, as it comes at a critical time in his career, where he’s been compelled to reinforce his status as one of Nigeria’s leading hip hop protagonists
With the stage set and the floodlight on him, the 29-year-old delivered an album he calls ‘No Excuses,’ even if getting it right required him to push back the release.
All through 2025, the Chocolate City act has been involved in highly publicised rap beef with Nigeria and Africa’s leading hip hop star Odumodublvck.
READ ALSO: OdumoduBlvck v Blaqbonez: A Timeline Of Their Rap Beef
The nature of the conflict and the mass attention it invariably created is a test of his rap credentials. A war-tested star who massively impacted Nigeria’s battle rap scene, Blaqbonez rises to the occasion with a stinging rap track on which the album is anchored.
Over the boom bap production of ‘ACL,’ the award-winning rapper takes a swipe at Odumodublvck and his Anti World Gangstar crew with jabs that lean into popular social media talking points.
Deploying his trademark confidence and craftiness, he scores a song sufficiently catchy to be the anthem of the beef and the subject of social media hysterics.
The big moment that precedes the album means that Blaqbonez can either choose to stage a bold return to core Hip Hop or deliver a commanding commercial album. He, however, attempted to do both, but mostly offers the familiar without much excitement or innovation.
‘ACL’, where his rap beef raises anticipation, and the chest thumping opener ‘Everlasting Taker’, where he raises his quality, and the bubbling ‘Bizzy Body’ are the better songs on a project filled with familiar konto/dancehall flow and pop rap style that takes off from where he dropped off from his last album ‘Emeka Must Shine’.
Ahead of the album, Blaqbonez was in a position where he had to double down on his status. This chest-thumping mindset populates the 16-track project where he flaunts his rap credentials and caters to the dancefloor.
His flambouyance and swagger are enjoyable on the core hip hop track ‘Consistency’ featuring British rapper AJ Tracey, but when he leans into Afrobeats on the log drum and drill fused uptempo ‘Aura for Aura,’ his delivery struggles to effectively straddle both worlds. It’s this struggle to effectively fit his hip hop cadences into pop interpretations that extends beyond his comfort zone of Konto/Dancehall that stunts some tracks on the album.
His verse on the party starter ‘Nati’ pales in comparison to Olamide’s vibrant hook. His pop flows on ‘Despacito’ sounds like a tired version of his verse on ‘Consistency’ and sticks out next to Fola’s smooth R&B melodies.
His social commentary on the more traditional rap ‘Just Hustlin $$$’, his cool kid flow on ‘Good Time’ featuring Mellissa, and ‘Mary Mary’, where he makes a brief return to his anti love era for a pop rap modern day interpretation of Fela’s hit single ‘Lady’, lack the new flows he boasts about in the more enjoyable Street pop record ‘Go Crazy’.
While Blaqbonez struggles to offer a fresher version of his signature style, the extensive collaborations add variety and dynamism to the project. Young Jonn and Phyno’s contributions lift ‘Wetego’.
South African rising stars KindlyNxsh and Brotherkupa are joined by Nigerian emerging star Wave$tar to give the album a new school hip hop touch while Bella Shmurda, Ayo Maff, and Barry Jhay bring the defining soberity of street pop to ‘Louder’ and ‘Stacks $$$’.
Blaqbonez calls his album ‘No Excuses,’ so there is no need to make one for him. Everything that preceded the project suggested it should have been his most definitive work yet.
However, it turns out to be the product of weary flows he’s yet to substitute for new ones. At best, it’s an album that holds the inevitable slips-ups of a star in creative transition. In that case, the next era will be telling.
Ratings: /10
• 0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fall
• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion
Pulse Rating: /10
Album Sequencing: 1.4/2
Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.3/2
Production: 1.5/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.3/2
Execution: 1.5/2
TOTAL – 7.0
