La Même’s lyricist tweeted in early 2020, he was going to “start Rapping”, and on this EP, he delivered lyrically as expected.
Dennis Dorcoo, popularly known as Kiddblack “the Rap God”, is a Ghanaian lyricist and progressive rapper whose unique voice and musical dexterity have established him as a forerunner of the next generation of African rap. Kiddblack’s latest offering is a sonic balm to see us through during these uncertain times and a declaration that he’s still a resilient force to be reckoned with.
On a build-up to his debut project, the rapper preps himself and his fan base for a lyrical show, and while this year has been rough for his band, the rapper looks to keep the culture rolling from his view, rapping. A 24 minutes span that comes with 8 songs, the rapper keeps his circle tight, with his intro having a handy work by producer moor sound, with “I’m the Man” sounding like an extension of their 2019 joint project, with Nigerian rapper Princess Mami delivering a bad b*tch status verse, to sum up, a perfect opener.
Filled with features, mostly coming from the rap world, the second song “Super Sonic” takes inspiration from SEGA’s 90’s smash hit game, having a fast-paced production crafted by long term friend and collaborator Boye ‘The Genius’, whose swift work helps thread the words of Kiddblack, with unforgettable lines like “it’s not ’about who did it first, it’s about who finna last”, rest of the song is carried by Zilla Oaks and Veteran rapper J-Town, who takes the top spot, rapping like he studied the new ways of the industry all this time.
Kiddblack’s inspiration has always dated back to classic movies, quotes, and pop culture references, and “Million Dollar Baby” is just an example, if anyone was going to understand that narrative better, it’s no other than Boye, who claims the credit for the song being his 2nd out of 3 Songs, my personal stand out & smoothest song, the song borrows the orchestral bloat of a classy, tensed production, with variations of low toned Trumpets that allows kid, Kev the topic and Kojo cue to trace lines from their come-up respectfully, attacking every struggle in life with a quotes line from Kiddblack “when shit gets rocky I get in the ring just like my name’s Stallone”, the production, wordplay, selected features, it’s a masterpiece.
“Go Low” takes a turn on the album’s theme, playing around sensual vibes and slow wines, with Kelvyn boy assisting with the bedroom anthem, inserting a catchy chorus to round the song off. Talk about a Legend /and a Raptor, Joey B and Kiddblack’s chemistry soars in an Altra Nova beat, his ability to feed these rappers with futuristic/Video game inspired beats goes way back to the Villain sounds days, allowing the rappers to ride the beat with ease, and of course, Joey B maintaining his trademark style on her, Singles “Loaded Weapon” and “Dirty Diana” featuring Kwesi Arthur are worthy of non-skipping tunes. “Swerve” is a bop, the type of song you blast whiles doing 120 on the highway, on a tectonic bouncy beat, the rapper’s diction switches lanes with clever flexing lines, allowing PyschoYP to spew his stylized rap on the beat.
Overall, “FWIW” is a richly produced project, studded with quality rapping skills and rooted lines that will make every rap fan root for his debut project!
Stream here: Apple Music, Spotify, Audiomack
