“These niggas don’t know me/Let me go on and tell my story,” AQT’s sing-rapping usher in the opening track, “Journey”, off his just-released debut album, Olarenwaju. Shuffling between ambient violin chords and breezy Hip Hop percussion, the song sets a melancholic, introspective and celebratory tone for the 11-tracker album.
AQT spins off Olarenwaju (loosely translated as ‘my wealth is progressing’) as a memoir of his grass-to-grace sojourn, with each track navigating diverse experiences and perspectives gleaned from his hustle to stardom. On the surface, Olarenwaju is a vastly aspirational album that glimmers with vulnerability and emotive deliveries that help to unlock catharsis for the listener.
However, beyond its catchy thematic direction, the 30-minute spin shines brightest for its depth of hyper melodic, genre-fluid Afro-Latino-American fusions that spotlight AQT’s versatile artistry. It combines indigenous melodic Rap, Chill Trap, R&B, Pop-soul, Afrobeats and Amapiano into a hybrid sound that complements his equally eclectic vocal styles and intonation.
The entire album breezes with a linear sequencing that showcases AQT’s versatility as a melodic rapper and singer, while still retaining an overall energetic tempo that pulses with dynamic delivery. The album is layered in a stairwell of sonic fusions that mostly combine African rhythms like Apala, Amapiano, Fuji, and Arabian scales and pop-fusion/melodic rap cadences.
Still on its arrangement, the album drifts on a very clever tonal balance that rings off as a mid-tempo dance that combines his Afro fusion chill trap with an Amapiano-led Afrobeats dance groove.It spins off with AQT’s Apala-toned chill trap (or lofi-rap) in the opener “Journey”, to the euphoric Afrobeats/Fuji/Chill trap fusion in the third track “My Time”, to a similar groove in the third track “On Fire”, and an Amapiano-led fusion in the fourth track, “Story For The Gods”.
By the fifth track, “Americana”, AQT switches into a Latino pop-led groove that smoothly highlights his Yoruba intonations, while maintaining an accurate Latino cadence. He repeats this Latino switch in the groovy seventh track and Pop-RnB/Dancehall fusion, “Dagger (with Leonardo Yukawa)”, strategically positioning his eclectic fusions towards the US, Africa and Latino markets. The rest of the album rings with either soulful Afro Pop-R&B fusions (“King”, “Many Inspirations”) or Amapiano-led party starters (“Hold On”, “Outside”), and Afro Chill Trap (“Smoke”). Overall, the entire arrangement rings with riveting cultural and hypermelodic fusions that showcase catchy lyricism and a tempered tonal balance that allows for easy listening and recall.
Another interesting highlight of Olarenwaju is AQT’s stellar use of singing techniques, distinguishing his cadence and pace with vocal dynamism (“Americana”, “Dagger”, “On Fire”, “Smoke”), melismas (“Hold On”, “On Fire”), backing vocals, refrains, and crescendos. His delivery on the album elevates the emotional duality on the record, layering the hypermelodic fusions into mostly a soothing lounge Trap groove and a hyperactive Afrobeats dance-pop jive.
Still on AQT’s delivery, his clever use of spoken word interludes (nostalgic self-recordings) — as a mood-setter in the intro “Journey”, and as a transition in the outro of “Outside” — enlivens the entire playback with a cinematic feel. Reverberating in AQT’s Apala-toned intonation, the monologues unfurl with a catchy appeal that boosts the song’s shock value.
Apart from its stellar composition, thematic direction, album sequencing and delivery, the album also glimmers with sparse-but-apt collaborations. In the Amapiano-led Afrobeats bop, “Outside”, AQT tag teams Nigerian singer Ichaba in a verse assist and in the Pop-RnB/Chill Trap bop, “Dagger”, he syncs with Swedish singer Leonardo Yukawa, acing both duets with a strong synergy and vocal blending.
Flipside, the album’s intro (“Journey”) and outro (“King”) ring as its weakest deliveries. Several off-key moments slice through AQT’s delivery on both songs. Also, considering the sensitive nature of both song positions (intro and outro) in the album, both records ultimately connect as underwhelming placeholders. AQT’s delivery also lagged in both songs, most especially in the outro, where his enunciation sounded a bit distorted within the victory-lap anthem.
Again, he struggles with enunciation elsewhere on the album, precisely in the Afro Chill Trap bop, “Smoke”, although blurring its overall impact with the shock value from the stylistic arrangement on the song. The same thing happens with the album’s waning opening and closing; despite their lags, the album compensates with an overall groove that pulses with vibrant pacing and catchy sonic fluidity.
Cohesively, the album feels like an escapist adventure, crafted and sequenced as a strong attention grab. With its overall depth of African-US-Latino fusions, the album introduces AQT’s distinct sound like a breath of fresh air within the Afrobeats space. It’s a spirited record, peeling with uplifting messages, unique fusions and a mid-tempo dance groove that positions AQT as one of the most thrilling new voices within the Afrobeats scene.
