The evolution of street hop favours the evolution of Harteez. A genre whose place in the Yoruba tradition sprang from the Lagos mainland, it has become an important influence within afropop, for its stark language which depicts street narratives with unflinching density. On the other hand, Harteez is a rapper with a flair for storytelling, showcasing this central quality since he started music around a decade ago. On his new EP, Milestone, those attributes are yet pristine, but manifesting with even more verve and maturity.
Harteez’s entry into the chambers of the music happened just before 2020, that period of colourful invention and the minting of new superstars into the afropop scene. Among others, the likes of Oxlade, Fireboy DML and Omah Lay were making in-roads into mainstream pop. At the same time, a bold voice was rising through the Lagos mainland, possessing the audacious lingo of Dagrin and the hit-laden ear of Olamide, who he mentions as an early influence of his.
Since then, he’s collaborated with street hop luminaries like Bella Shmurda, Idowest, Seyi Vibez, and the late Mohbad, who featured alongside Harteez on “Cashout 2.0,” a remix of his most popular song. Drawing on the lo-fi inspired sonics that has permeated the Lagos mainland for some while now, and refined by better-equipped producers, the 2022 record’s affirmative stance was in sweet sync with the boisterous yet measured sound. Mohbad’s distinct baritone advanced the melancholic poise of the record, but also made more bold the return of Harteez after his verse, striking triumphant in the hearts of listeners.
Colloquially referred to as afro adura, prayer and positivity are cornerstones of street hop. Thus it’s no surprise that those are parts of his sound which Harteez has honed into, further colouring its celebrated tradition with his uniquely brazen perspective. A project artist, last year saw the release of EPs Scripture and Revolution, in April and June respectively. Short, but sufficiently capturing his ethos of valiantly pushing through the struggles of life and career, both tapes were warmly received by his expanding fanbase. As though in appreciation, a second volume of Revolution was released later that year, underlining the prolific nature of the Lagos-born artist. It also revealed a more melodic side to Harteez’s expanding vision.
Milestone is no different. Its three songs feature FOLA, Lil Frosh and Portable, reaching just over eight minutes in total. The title suggests an opulent vision and the cover affirms it, a bright image positioning him amongst the serene thrills of nature. What does Harteez do with this direction? He plays it cool, taking that visual template into a summery soundscape. Even with the tender flourishes in the sound, his background in rapping still shines through, as it does on “Make it out,” the opening record.
FOLA’s inspired singing gives soft landing to Harteez’s rather straightforward chart of the good life, giving the song a balance it benefits from. The aforementioned lofi sound tends to be the sound adopted here, audible in the first two records. “Baba God,” the latter of those, has Harteez switching delivery in-verse with Frosh, revealing a sonic chemistry that suggests they’ve been familiar to their respective styles for some time now. If that is the case, then Harteez makes the good decision of keeping his features intimate, choosing the essential rather than the outlandish.
Outlandish surely comes though, in the lithe form of Portable who appears on “No tata 4 yanyan”. Ostensibly the biggest feature in the tape, he delivers on that accord, his scrawny melody introducing the song as well as elucidating its choice of title, which in this context is synonymous with the Pidgin English saying “no time to check time”. A cocktail of a record, it’s quite audibly the best produced record on the EP, blending melancholic lo-fi strings with a drill drum base and some sprinkle of juju in its rhythmic production.
Rapping with as much verve as Portable brings, Harteez brings a fitting end to the project. Sometimes the best offerings are not long; they’re rather direct in the evocation of their thrills, as Milestone does. And in this unpretentious, assured evocation, Harteez strikes us as a voice that will be here for a long time.
At eight minutes and some few seconds long, one would have expected Milestone EP to be more than this. Perhaps, Harteez was following the keep it short and simple saying. From Afro-Adura to talking about his struggle and the earnest prayer for success, one would have expected him to touch on other topics. Topically, this EP is constricted, it failed to show the sonic range of Harteez, maybe, subsequent music releases would put things in proper perspective.
Right now, Harteez is the new addition the Nigerian music industry has been looking for. He sings so well, his cadence is neat and brilliant, a good label and the right connection would change the magic for him in years to come.
