Bella Shmurda is among the stars who added contemporary flair to Street music and made it appealing to a new generation of listeners. His sound finds identity in Konto sound and indigenous Yoruba music influences, which he fuses with Afrobeats era-defining pop sounds.
Combining the elements, Bella Shmurda consistently tells a story of struggle, hustle, ambition, and a desire for a good life that shapes life in the innercity.
With over half a decade of hit releases spread across 4 EPs and 1 LP, he has enjoyed success and endured the complexities of life at the top that have further shaped his artistry and personal life.
These experiences define Bella Shmurda’s sixth album, ‘Sanity,’where he embraces the full spectrum of sounds that have shaped his career and the lessons he has picked up along the way to create his most expansive project yet.
On ‘Sanity,’ the singer, now a father and successful label boss, cheerfully celebrates his wins and higher status in the game, contemplates the struggles, mourns bitter losses, and shares a hope for a bright future through a combination of sounds that find a common identity in his dynamism.
“I hype myself cos I have tried,” he sings over the folks drums of the Wizard Chan’s assisted opener ‘Appraisal’, where he evaluates his journey and success, and expresses gratitude in celebration.
When Bella Shmurda sings on the mid-tempo, tingling drums of ‘Verily,’ it’s with a confidence of my man making music that speaks to his state of mind. His desire for wealth on the Magicsticks-produced ‘Turn Me On’ is conveyed with the air of luxury of a man basking in the good life.
Bella Shmurda is having a great time, and he invites listeners into his world with party starters and feel-good jams that give that sregnthen the album a warm build-up. He links up with King Promise on the Fuji music-style drums of ‘Magdalene’ to promise beautiful women a good time with graphic details that leave little to the imagination.
He combines with the era-defining hitmaker Seyi Vibez to bring the street energy with ‘Bounce,’ where their punchy pop rap flows complement the stinging beat. The album’s expansive sonic framework takes Bella Shmurda to Indigenous music territory, where he features the genre’s icon, KWAM 1, for party-starting log drum punctuated ‘Fuji Fusion’ and taps Apala music icon Musiliu Ishola for ‘Apala Fusion’.
Being one of the artists whose impact is felt on the street and on the streaming algorithm, Bella Shmurda caters to the urban market through pop records that embrace Afrobeats’ global adventure. His vulnerability shines on ‘Bygone’ where his melodies, defined by his Yoruba tonal inflections, are complemented by CKay’s emotive vocals.
He links up with Ugandan star Joshua Baraka, who is currently one of Afropop’s most exciting voices, for the sensual Dancehall rhythm ‘Pretty Girl’. Before celebrating his wins next to his signee and rave of the moment FOLA on the sweet melodies of ‘Dangbana Riddim’.
Bella Shmurda’s personal growth and success aren’t only reflected in his confidence and the quality of his compositions, but also in his ability to convey the broader picture of his life as a star, father, partner, friend, and mentor.
On ‘Run From God’ featuring TI Blaze, he embraces his role as a leading street prophet to share his faith and a message to every hustler that eventually pays off. After 13 tracks, the album reaches another peak with the Konto jam ‘My G’, where he sends a message of a better tomorrow to the street as a true symbol of hope.
On ‘Pain,’ he steps into the familiar Konto music territory to share the pain of love that doubles as a message to the vacuum left by a lover and the demise of his bosom friend Mohbad.
When he wraps up the album with the Reggae record ‘Family,’ it’s to send a message that the version of Bella Shmurda on this album is no longer the carefree young hitmaker on his 2022 debut album. He’s now a man who is embracing more sense of responsibility that comes with success and age. His life is now expansive, and so is his music.
• 0-1.9: Flop • 2.0-3.9: Near fall • 4.0-5.9: Average • 6.0-7.9: Victory • 8.0-10: Champion
Pulse Rating: /10 Album Sequencing: 1.8/2 Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.6/2 Production: 1.8/2 Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.6/2 Execution: 1.7/2
