''Full Time Job'' is the fifth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Nigerian rapper and singer

Phyno Chibuzo Nelson Azubuike (; born 9 October 1986), who is known professionally as Phyno, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Phyno was born and raised in Enugu State but is a native of Anambra State. He started his musi ...

. It was released on 4 October 2024, through Penthauze Music. The album blends

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

highlife Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (region), history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It encompasse ...

, R&B, and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

, and features guest appearances from artists

ArrDee Riley Jason Davies (born 17 September 2002), known professionally as ArrDee, is a British rapper. His debut mixtape, '' Pier Pressure'', was released on 18 March 2022, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. ArrDee has received multiple ...

, Flavour,

Chip Chip may refer to: Food * Chip (snack), thinly sliced and deep-fried gastro item ** Potato chips (US) or crisp (UK) * Chips (fried potato strips) (UK) or french fries (US) (common as a takeout side) * Game chips, thin chip/French fries * Choco ...

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He gained recognition in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album '' ...

Johnny Drille 'Johnny Drille (born John Ighodaro; 5 July 1990) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and music producer. He rose to prominence in 2015 after releasing a cover of Di’Ja’s song "Awww", which attracted the attention of Don Jazzy, the founder of M ...

Fave The Fave () is a river in France in the eastern region of Lorraine (region), Lorraine. It flows in the Vosges, Vosges département. It is a tributary of the Meurthe (river), Meurthe, thus a sub-tributary of the Moselle and of the Rhine. It is lon ...

Cheque A cheque (or check in American English) is a document that orders a bank, building society, or credit union, to pay a specific amount of money from a person's account to the person in whose name the cheque has been issued. The person writing ...

, group NSG, and media personality and convicted felon Hushpuppi. Production was handled mainly by JaySynths, with additional production from Major Bangz, Niphkeys, and Duktor Sett. The album serves as a follow-up to '' Something to Live For'' (2021).

Background

In early 2023, Phyno began work on a new album but ultimately scrapped the initial songs, choosing to start over. It was not until around April 2023 that he felt he had enough material to shape what would become ''Full Time Job''. The album’s theme centers on the idea that success is a continuous effort, with Phyno expressing, “greatness is a full-time job.” This marked the lead-up to the release of his fifth studio album. He revealed the tracklist for the album on 1 October 2024.

Singles

The album's lead single "Do I" was released on 1 September 2023. Featuring production from JaySynths, the track exudes bold confidence and defiance, with Phyno asserting his unapologetic attitude through its blunt lyrics. "Do I" served as the first single since he took time off from music to be a father after his first child's birth in August 2023. The remix to "Do I" was the album's second single, which features

which was released on 20 December 2023. The third single "Time of My Life" features British rapper

and was released on 27 September 2024. Also produced by JaySynths, this track explores themes of success, confidence, and living in the moment, blending Phyno's Nigerian roots with ArrDee's UK rap style in a cross-cultural collaboration.

Critical reception

Adeayo Adebiyi of ''Pulse Nigeria'' praised the album as a "majestic" display of Phyno's artistry and evolution, highlighting his ability to craft well-arranged songs that reflect Nigerian music diversity, rating the album 8.5/10. Peace Umanah of ''

tooXclusive tooXclusive is a Nigerian music and review website. Launched in 2010 by Olutayo "Tyler" Duncan Sotubo. This website is notable for organizing its yearly tooXclusive Online Music Awards. They pride their establishment as the number one source f ...

'' praised the album for its rich fusion of Afrobeats, hip-hop, and highlife influences, highlighting the rapper's versatility and growth. He concluded that the album "solidifies Phyno’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s leading musical talents" and gave it high marks across various categories, with ratings of 1.8/2 for delivery, lyricism, and relatability, 1.9/2 for mixing and production, and 1.7/2 for replay value. Ademoye Afeez of ''

NotJustOk NotjustOk is an African media and entertainment company, known for housing an online music and entertainment website ''NotJustOk'', a music streaming service Mino Music (previously known as MyNotjustOk), and a music distribution and publishing se ...

'' gave ''Full Time Job'' a rating of 7.8/10, stating that the three-year break was worthwhile, resulting in a carefully crafted project. Afeez highlighted the album's strong production, cultural representation, and Phyno's effortless performance, noting it as one of the best projects of the year. He concluded that the album is "easily one of the year’s best projects from a Nigerian rapper." Kehinde Adesokan of ''Top Charts Africa'' praised ''Full Time Job'' as a masterfully crafted album that showcases Phyno's versatility and commitment to his craft, highlighting its "exceptional production quality and profound lyrical insight" and rated it 8/10.

Track listing

Personnel

Performing artists

* Chibuzor "Phyno" Azubuike - vocals, writer * Dennis "OGD" Awotwe-Mensah (of NSG) - vocals, writer * William "Kruddz" Awotwe-Mensah (of NSG) - vocals, writer * Matthew "Mojo" Ojo (of NSG) - vocals, writer * Patrick "Dope" Brew (of NSG) - vocals, writer * Abdul-Jalaal "Abz" Arowosaye (of NSG) - vocals, writer * Ayodeji "Mxjib" Shekoni (of NSG) - vocals, writer * Chinedu "Flavour" Okoli - vocals, writer * Damini "Burna Boy" Ogulu - vocals, writer * Ramon "Hushpuppi" Abbas - vocals, writer * Riley "ArrDee" Davies - vocals, writer * John "Johnny Drille" Ighodaro - vocals, writer * Chidozie "Fave" Ugochinyere - vocals, writer * Jahmaal "Chip" Fyffe - vocals, writer * Akanbi "Cheque" Brett - vocals, writer

Production and engineering

* Michael "Major Bangz" Archibong - producer, writer * Chisom "JaySynths" Onyeke - producer * Adebajo "Niphkeys" Adebanjo - producer * Saviour "Duktor Sett" Ezeoke - producer * Alex Solano - spatial mixing engineer, spatial mastering engineer

Release history

References

{{reflist Phyno albums Gospel albums Igbo-language albums 2024 albums Albums produced by Major Bangz