Now I have to raise a glass to this dude for making a track in respect of the #EndSars struggle. As a matter of fact, going through the track list, I had to jump to that first. The 15 track project was not lacking in terms of content and delivery, but does it make for a good market?

Remark

This project has been high in anticipation obviously., the effect of which Payper Corleone over time made moves to escalate his versatility in this game of rap. He has been verified by the greats, won the hearts of hiphop lovers locally and, not surprisingly, around the globe. He has also, in a short period of time, managed to cut out a piece of land for himself right inside the over populated acre allocated to rap in Nigeria. So high expectations had obviously been placed on this project.

Now, has IN DON WE TRUST lived up to the hype?

We saw Payper and his team attesting to the massive support in streams that has accompanied the release of the project in the first week, raking up thousands of streams in the first week and also earning for itself a spot on the iTunes Naija album charts. It is safe to say that lyrically starved hiphop heads had long waited in queue for this project to drop and had rushed to stream on as soon as they got the tip off for the release.

What Fans Say, Nay, What I Say

Trust me, I have ransacked the internet on the lookout for a candid and comprehensive breakdown or reviews, at the very least, so I can have a variety of views, something to compare with to see if we all feel the same way about this tape or if perpetually, some of us are going to put on the sentimental vail due to psychological or some sort of emotional weakness (which is not always the case) but, I think maybe die hard Payper fans are still basking in the euphoria of this release and are yet to come to the reality of accepting that the album was in-fact wack….. or very dope., and then perhaps, critics are waiting for the right time to pour their mind out. Either ways, what I am trying to say is that I actually saw nothing to work with in terms of other people’s opinion, well except the little compliments here and there from people whom I later discovered were one way or the other a part of the project. So, the heavy task of judging this tape to its very core rests on my fragile shoulders.

Production

I used to be of the believe that rap projects such as these gets little consideration in terms of sound engineering, especially in the hands of aspiring grass root rappers. Surprisingly, most of the tracks on this tape has got that industry standard sound engineering and it feels good to know that Payper pays attention to something as vital as this. The album gives a laid back feel, bouncy but mild, brandishing some old school template on its way to give you that relaxation. Payper is a new school rapper with wavering tendencies of a 90s gangster rapper., so yeah maybe I didn’t expect the trap type beats which would’ve been a bit predictable. Generally, the beats are as hiphop as hiphop can get, if you need anything to get you in a party mood, I do not think I have got a prescription for you off this tape. Sorry, on behalf of Payper.

Features

Now, this is the aspect that would top up this album’s priority. Payper and his team had strategized smartly to indulge resources into garnering some of the most lyrical and established artistes in Nigeria on the project. A move that would definitely make a fan proud, but for the critic? I cannot answer to that. On the list of featured acts are (in order of appearance), Cheque, Iceberg Slim, Sinzu, Vector, Wuka, TJK and Hotyce. So you know it is about to get smoky because, take it from me, all these glads did what they know how to do best in the sense that they brought actual justice to the respective tracks they had jobs on.

Subject Matter

With the immense show of power hunt, desperate self hype and devil level entitlement saturated in the project’s title, In Don We Trust is not a title inappropriate or void of usage by a typical rapper. As we all know, from all the self appraisal tracks and verses typical of 90% of all the rappers in the whole world combined, a rapper is first of all an unusually arrogant individual before any other thing, hence the tape’s title will face no penance at my table., it is only cultural to be full of yourself at every given instance., and as I see it, Payper is not about to betray the culture.

I only have problems with rappers constantly drifting off the main subject matter (project title) of the tape, except that in this case, half way through the tape, with another skit, Corleone reminded us again that he was the messiah and that this is the message he is trying to sell via this project. Thanks to So Bossy (track No. 6) which brought us back. But then, the tape moves on to drift into other subject matters yet again, while other rappers took turns proclaiming themselves gods on different levels. Well, that’s just how rappers do. But would you at least respect the fact that it is Corleone’s tape?

Overall

This tape is pure hiphop, if you’re looking for any thing slightly different you might be more disappointed than the Prophets who were expecting Christ in the year 2000. Fire tape by my own understanding and I respect the hardwork that has been put into this. Check below for our automated rating to see how much this tape has scored in total.

In Don We Trust by Payper Corleone

0.00

7.4

Production

7.5/10

Lyrics

6.3/10

Performance

7.2/10

Features

8.2/10

Promotion

8.0/10

High Points

• Lyrical
• Great Features
• Production is Lit
• Enough Tracks
• End Sars track

Low Points

• Lots of Slow paced beats
• Nothing for commercial fans

Listen to In Don We Trust here