Stories That Touch
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''Stories That Touch'' is the second album by Nigerian rapper and actor
Falz Folarin Falana (born 27 October 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and actor. He began his career in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with a friend, before launching his p ...
. It was released on 16 November 2015 through Bahd Guys Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from
Show Dem Camp Show Dem Camp (SDC) is a Nigerian rap duo composed of Wale Davies (Tec) and Olumide Ayeni (Ghost). Personal lives The duo were born in Nigeria but lived and grew up in European cities and the United States before returning to Lagos to pursue a ...
,
Yemi Alade Yemi Eberechi Alade (born 13 March 1989), known professionally as Yemi Alade, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress and activist from the Akoko part of Ondo State. Her music is a mixture of Afropop, highlife, dancehall, pop music, pop and Rh ...
,
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 ...
, Reminisce, Simi, Sess, Poe,
Shaydee Shadrach Adeboye Folarin (born September 21, 1987), professionally referred to as Shaydee, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and vocalist. In 2015, Shaydee was listed on notJustOk's list of "15 Artists to Watch in 2015". He is best known for his hi ...
, Chigul, M.I., Bez, Oyinkansola, Chyn and Reekado Banks. Production was primarily handled by Sess, with additional production from Tin Tin, Oscar Heman-Ackah and Spax.


Background and listening party

During a conversation with Showtime, Falz offered some insight into the project. "This is my second official album, and it will be released on November 16, 2015. With this album, I'm trying to do something different; I'm trying to showcase my artistic side and the musicality in me. Generally speaking, there is an impression that I'm a crazy, hilarious and an unserious person. The brand definitely reflects that, but I'm trying to get people to focus on my music and see the content in it. That's why I don't really have skits on the album because I want people to pay attention to the serious messages in it. Falz the Bahd Guy is an all-encompassing brand, and the funny part is still in there. As much as I'm trying to show my artistic side, I can't neglect the funny guy and the element of 'razzness' that's always in my music. As much as you listen to the songs with very serious themes, my alter ego is still going to pop up," Falz said. On the reason for the name of the album, he said this: "My inspiration for the title of the album stems from the fact that I'm trying to showcase my artistic side, so every song is a story. They're stories that people will either be able to relate to, or be touched by. I want people to listen to the music, and connect to me." The album listening party for ''Stories That Touch'' was held at Spice Route,
Victoria Island, Lagos Victoria Island (VI) is an affluent area that encompasses a former island of the same name neighbouring Lagos Island, Ikoyi and the Lekki Peninsula by the Lagos Lagoon. It is the main business and finance, financial centre of Lagos State, Niger ...
on 18 November 2015. Poe, Reminisce, Simi, Reekado Banks, and others performed at the event. Others who attended the event include
Ice Prince Panshak Henry Zamani (born 30 October 1986), better known as Ice Prince Zamani or just Ice Prince, is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after releasing "Oleku (Ice Prince song), Oleku", one of Nigeria's most remixed son ...
,
Jesse Jagz Jesse Garba Abaga (born 10 August 1984), known professionally as Jesse Jagz, is a Nigerian rapper, record producer, and songwriter. He signed a record deal with Chocolate City in 2010 and released his debut studio album ''Jag of All Tradez'' t ...
, Baba Dee, and more. Spanky was the host and Dj Consequence was the
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
for the event.


Singles

The album's lead single and only bonus track "Ello Bae" was released on 31 January 2015. The song was produced by Sess while the music video was directed by Mex and released on 4 May 2015. The second single "Karishika" features Nigerian rapper
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 ...
and comedian Chigul. This track was also produced by Sess and was premiered at the 14 May 2015 Industry Nite, and was officially released on 16 May 2015. The music video was directed by Aje Filmworks and released on 20 July 2015. The third single is a sequel to the previous track, "Karishika". The sequel features
Show Dem Camp Show Dem Camp (SDC) is a Nigerian rap duo composed of Wale Davies (Tec) and Olumide Ayeni (Ghost). Personal lives The duo were born in Nigeria but lived and grew up in European cities and the United States before returning to Lagos to pursue a ...
and M.I. and was produced by Sess and engineered by Marqai. The fourth single, "Clap" features Reminisce and was released on 11 December 2015. The song was produced by Sess and the music video was shot and directed in
Lagos, Nigeria Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
by Mex. The fifth single, "Soldier" features Simi and was released on 14 March 2016, produced by Oscar Heman-Ackah. The music video was shot and directed by
Clarence Peters Clarence Abiodun Peters (born 20 December 1983) is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures, a production company that specializes in performing arts, film and video. H ...
and features actor Deyemi Okanlawon. The song won Best Collabo at The Headies 2016. The sixth single, "Soft Work" was released on 6 July 2016. The song was produced by Sess and the video was directed by Mex. The seventh single "Chardonnay Music" features Chyn and Poe and was produced by Spax. The music video was released on 30 August 2016 and was directed by Sesan and features cameos from Simi, Ms DSF, DJ Sose,
Vector Vector most often refers to: * Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction * Disease vector, an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematics a ...
, K10,
Ycee Oludemilade Martin Alejo (born 29 January 1993), known professionally as Ycee (pronounced ; also stylized as YCee), is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He gained popularity after his single "Condo", which features vocals by Patorankin ...
, Boj, among others.


Critical reception

Joey Akan's review of ''Pulse Nigeria'' praised ''Stories That Touch'' for its ability to blend relatable stories with music, noting that it "democratises music" by making Hip-hop accessible to the common man. Akan highlighted tracks like "Soldier" and "Celebrity Girlfriend", showcasing Falz's growth as an artist and his versatility. He concluded, "Falz is onto a good thing," giving the album a rating of 4/5. Oris Aigbokhaevbolo of ''Music in Africa'' praised ''Stories That Touch'' for showcasing Falz's unique ability to merge different cultural and social influences. Aigbokhaevbolo highlighted the tracks "Karishika" and "Time Difference" as key examples of Falz's class shape-shifting, which allows him to appeal to both "local" and "abroad" audiences. However, the reviewer noted that Falz's versatility, while impressive, prevents him from being fully embraced as a dominant figure in any single class, unlike his contemporaries
Olamide Olamide Gbenga Adedeji (born 15 March 1989) is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is regarded as one of the most influential artists in Nigeria and Africa and has been crucial to the creative and commercial succe ...
and M.I. Tola Sarumi 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 ...
'' rated ''Stories That Touch'' an 8/10, praising Falz for blending humor with serious storytelling and highlighting his versatility as a rapper. Sarumi commended the album's standout tracks, including "Karishika" and "Soldier," and noted the strong production from Sess, Spax, and others. Despite some minor critiques, she declared the album a contender for Hip-Hop Album of the Year, emphasizing Falz's ability to deliver a well-rounded and cohesive project. ''Should You Bump This'' (Sho, Tunde, and guest Kel) gave ''Stories That Touch'' a strong 4/5, praising Falz's growth in the Nigerian rap scene. They highlight tracks like "Kabiyesi", "Soft Work", "Karishika", and "Soldier" for their sharp lyrics, strong production, and clever humor. Kel calls it a "pretty good" sophomore album, while Tunde notes that it showcases Falz's evolution beyond his comedic persona, solidifying his place as a well-rounded artist.


Accolades


Track listing

Notes *"—" denotes a skit


Personnel

* Folarin "Falz" Falana – vocals, executive producer * Oyinkansola – vocals, backing vocals * Jude "M.I" Abaga – vocals * Emmanuel "Bez" Idakula – vocals * Chibuzor "Phyno" Azubuike – vocals * Ayoleyi "Reekado Banks" Solomon – vocals * Shadrach "Shaydee" Adeboye – vocals * Ladipo "Poe" Eso – vocals * Chioma "Chigul" Omeruah – vocals * Cheyenne "Chyn" Labesa – vocals * Remilekun "Reminisce" Safaru – vocals * Yemi Eberechi Alade – vocals * Wale "Tec" Davies and Olumide "Ghost" Ayeni" – vocals * Simisola "Simi" Ogunleye – vocals, mixing engineer * Salami "Sess" Abass – vocals, producer * Augustine "Tin Tin" Imevbore – producer, mixing engineer, mastering engineer * Oscar Heman-Ackah – producer * Akano "Spax" Samuel – producer * Michael "Marqai" Udenna – mixing engineer * Olujerry – mixing engineer * Timsax – saxophone * Oluwaseun "Saeon" Oni – backing vocals * Lily Oge – backing vocals * Nosa Omoregbe – backing vocals * August Udoh – photography, album art * Sidney "Aboki" Sule – executive producer * Femisoro Ajayi – executive producer


Release history


References

{{Falz Afrobeat albums 2015 albums Falz albums Yoruba-language albums Albums produced by Sess Albums produced by Oscar (record producer) Albums produced by Spax