BY EMMANUEL DARALOYE
Since the early 2020s, Odumodublvck has had Nigeria’s hip-hop on hold. His nuances, sayings, and dressing have served as a symbol of reference amongst his fans.
Since he broke out with ‘Declan Rice’ in 2023, he has amassed a string of hit singles and enemies. There has been doubt about his sonic delivery; his chaotic, laden verses give some people issues. He addressed these and more on his new album ‘Industry Machine’.
The authoritative and confrontational title track opens the album. It’s a victory lap for him; he barbs and reminds the naysayers of his arsenal, Falana (court), record label (Native) and his fans. He extends this trend on “Unaware,” throwing a shot at the legendary rapper A-Q.
Since he became famous, the artiste has constantly had battles to deal with, whether through his long cap tweet or snide comments on songs; there is no hiding place for ops, he seems to say. Six solo songs and 16 joint efforts with a running time of more than ninety minutes, Odumodublvck arrives with his full-length album, one of the longest in 2025 Afrobeats.
Odumodublvck sneers at his enemies on this album; he is also quick to remind the listeners about his squabble with poverty. Luckily for him, he won. Industry Machine features Afrobeats’ brightest stars, with minor stars included from the United Kingdom and the United States of America. On some of the solo tracks, Odumodublvck struggles; the song drags, with the listeners unable to pinpoint the message.
At some point, it becomes monotonous due to his flow, cadence pattern. This is more noticeable in the second half of the album. Who rhymes with Bricklayer and Labour, or Youth Service (NYSC) with Service, Odumodublvck. It is difficult to absolve his skillset deficiency as pronounced by some hip-hop purists.
Odumodublvck’s fusion of Drill and Highlife is sometimes exceptionally delivered; at times, they drag on till you press the next button. The brilliant moments are sparse. When the intro of “Grooving,” comes up, you already knows it a lovely time out, Davido paints a coitus time out with a girl and the reward the follow that follow “If I cum in your face, that’s a headshot/Brown Hermes for your effort,” not even the forgetful Seun Kuti’s verse could reduce the greatness of the song. The singer recollects his battle with substance on the Wizkid-driven “Big Time,” with Starboy’s two verses detailing his mother’s death, the place of cash and women as a reward for fame. Wizkid took over the song, turning Odumodublvck to a spectator in his own match. ‘Baby Reindeer’ celebrates women’s beauty, ‘Banza Boy,’ is a fun-filled an exciting and joyous Odumodublvck taking the listeners on a jolly ride.
When Odumodublvck sings about love, he is rarely endearing; he sings or raps from a fun-making perspective: make me cool, make me Happy, wine your waist if you need the catch, he suggests on some of the songs. An inconsistent lady serves as the muse on ‘Vinicious,’ while Skepta’s Tiffany Rocy Ryo becomes his inspiration for success and hedonism on ‘Tifanny’.
The UK rap icon verse on ‘Adenuga’ put things in better shape; it saved the track from Odumodublvck’s and Anti World Gangsters and Odumodublvck’s disjointed give and take verse. VVIP’s ‘Ahoma Wo Mu’ get sampled on Zlatan Ibile and Stormzy-assisted ‘Pay Me’. The trio paints an encounter with a lady, her insatiable demand for money and copulation.
’Layi Wasabi,’ is a metaphor for jokers, another taunting tirade. Reminisce’s long time away from the microphone gets put to good use as he shows off his over two-decade mastery. Patoranking and Odumodublvck attempt to create a magic with Dancehall on ‘Do Yanga,’ falls short; tracks like ‘Candy Music,’ ‘My Angel,’ and ‘Too Spoilt’ are fillers.
How is Hip-hop Odumodublvck? He answered the question on tracks like ‘Tiffany,’ the Mode 9 less talked about effort on ‘Pay Me,’ and ‘Layi Wasabi,’ but he still fell short. The lyrics are still mediocre, with some of the featured artists even having a better grasp of the song.
By the time the album comes to a close with Tobe Nwigwe, Jeriq and Phyno powered ghetto gospel ‘Hallelujah,’ the fans are relieved.
It takes some level of confidence to churn out this number of tracks, features, even with the restricted topics and minimal skill set.
Years into the mainstream of the Afrobeats market, it has become clearer that Odumodublvck struggles to make a project. His array of topics is limited, likewise his skill set as a rapper, not even the over-bloated features list could save this album. There are bright moments and instances; however, they are sparing.
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