Young Preacher is the second studio album by Nigerian rapper
Blaqbonez
Emeka Akumefule (born 29 January 1996), known professionally as Blaqbonez, is a Nigerian rapper and singer signed to Chocolate City.
Blaqbonez is popularly known for his distinct rap style as well as his creative ingenuity. In 2019, he was prof ...
. The album was awarded
Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...
at
the 2023 edition of the Headies.
Background
On October 28, 2022, Blaqbonez released his 14-track sophomore studio album, ''Young Preacher'' through
Chocolate City music. ''Young Preacher'' is the follow up album of
Sex Over Love extended play. The album included guest appearances from Nigerian indigenous artists such as
Amaarae
Ama Serwah Genfi (born July 4, 1994), formerly known as Petrah and currently known professionally as Amaarae, is an Ghanaian-American singer and songwriter. She is known for her fusion of pop, R&B, afrobeats, and alté, as well as her fluid rep ...
,
Lojay,
Blxckie
Sihle Sithole (born 24 November 1999), known professionally as Blxckie, is a South African rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Sydenham Heights, Durban. His debut studio album '' B4Now'' (2021) was certified gold in South Africa. ...
,
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 ...
,
Tekno, Bien and
Takura. It also features producers such as
Tay Iwar,
Jae5
Jonathan Kweku Awote-Mensah (born 27 March 1992), known professionally as Jae5, is a British-Ghanaian record producer and mixing engineer from Plaistow, Newham, Plaistow, East London. He is a Grammy Award-winning producer and is signed to Blac ...
,
Blaisebeatz,
Masterkraft,
Telz, Ramoni and Ozedikus. The album is a mixture of
Hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
,
Afrobeats
Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a st ...
and
R&B. ''Young Preacher'' was among the list of the most streamed albums in Nigeria which climbed to the number 1 spot on
Apple Music
Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...
charts and won the Best Rap album in
The Headies awards 2023. In 2022,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
star,
Jules Kounde hailed Blaqbonez stating that his ''Young Preacher'' album is on repeat. ''Young Preacher'' album appeared on
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
's top 40 Afro-pop songs of 2022.
Promotion
Blaqbonez hosted an anti-love crusade titled ''Breaking The Yoke of Love'' to support ''Young Preacher'' on 14 February 2022.
Track listing
Critical Reception
Adeayo Adebiyi, a music reporter for ''Pulse Nigeria'' stated that “''Young Preacher'' is an A&R masterclass as every featured artist is not only a musical fit, but they are also strategic. Tekno has a sizeable followership across the continent and beyond that includes Drake and Billie Elish. Lojay and Amarae appeal to the Gen Z listeners that roam Pop and Alte soundscapes. JAE5 touch on 'Back In Uni' and 'Fashionova' taps into the UK scene, Blxckie is one of the fast-rising rappers in South Africa, and Bien of Sauti Sol is one of the most recognizable voices in Eastern Africa”.
noted that
“''Young Preacher'' is unarguably the most cohesive of his projects yet, embodying a pristine musicianship which doesn’t underplay his skills as a rapper as much as it highlights them. Just as JAY-Z reckons he could sell water to a whale, on this album Blaqbonez could sell his preachings of no love to an unbeliever. He’s very convincing, and it does help that the music is great as well. It’s remarkable how far he’s come—here are thirteen songs which fittingly captures where Blaqbonez is right now, in 2022. It’s an enticing prospect to ponder on what subsequent years would sound like”.
Release history
References
{{reflist
2022 albums
Blaqbonez albums
Chocolate City (music label) albums
Albums produced by Blaisebeatz
Albums produced by Masterkraft (producer)
Albums produced by Jae5