Gangster Romantic EP Review
Gangster Romantic Album Review
On the Gangster Romantic EP cover, Lojay looks away from the camera and stands against a bright red backdrop. A miniature ice blue heart is surrounded by fragments of shattered glass, which form a spider web across Lojay’s chest. The heartbreak imagery is difficult to miss and the bright red background creates a dual connotation of heartbreak and vibrancy. The cover art pairs well with the music and provides a clear understanding of what Gangster Romantic is about. It is an EP which expresses romantic heartbreak in an unfiltered way, while presenting playfulness and enjoyment as an escapist tool to cope with life’s painful experiences.
Through the 7 track EP which was released on 3rd March 2023, Lojay delivers a mix of songs which serve varied purposes. The Amapiano inspired records, ‘CANDA’ and ‘AVAILABU’ are meant to make you dance and forget your problems. On the other hand, ‘MOTO,’ ‘IYD,’ and ‘OVA’ tackle the difficulties of dealing with a breakup. This duality is something we often find in contemporary Nigerian music, with many afrobeats and afropop artists expressing vulnerable emotions while simultaneously delivering club bangers on their projects. This is evident through Zinoleesky and Pheelz’s respective EPs – Grit & Lust and Pheelz like Summer. Lojay builds on this formula by presenting a project where sad emotions are followed with amapiano inspired bliss, as seen through the placement of ‘MOTO,’ flowing seamlessly into ‘CANADA.’
In 2021, Lojay delivered a joint EP with Sarz called LV N ATTN. Monalisa was the last song on this EP and it became an instant hit. Since then, he has delivered strong contributions to songs such as Automatic with Smallgod, Your Love on Showdemcamp’s Palmwine Vol III and Running with Ayra Starr. Lojay did not release a solo project in 2022, but he still felt visible and impactful to the current state of afrobeats because of his numerous features. Although Gangster Romantic is fairly short, the EP shows that Lojay is more than a ‘singles’ artist. It also proves that he is capable of delivering a strong project on his own. Asides from ‘CANADA’ which features DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small, Lojay has no other collaborations on the project. Gangster Romantic is clearly his way of proving that he is more than a one hit wonder or a safe feature option to enhance the songs of other artists.
In his decoded interview for CLASH magazine, Lojay explains and acknowledges the diverse musical influences on Gangster Romance and credits his vocals as the thread which ties the whole project together: “There’s such a variety [of musical influences ranging from afrobeats, R&B, amapiano and hip-hop on Gangster Romantic] that I can’t say I stuck to melodic sounds or heavy drums because there are some songs on the project that don’t have heavy drums…and there are some songs where the beats aren’t melodic but I bring the melody. If there’s anything that’s constant it’s my vocals and that was the point. The point of the project was the words and the things I’m trying to express.”
