“I’d call my music colourful music. I can do trap…dancehall, reggae, juju music. But right now I’m just focused on Afrobeats,” were the words of Charles Chibueze Chukwu, who goes by the moniker Crayon, in a promotional video. But what the artist failed to reveal was the kind of Afrobeats he practiced: The Wizkid-patented type. More on that later.
Born to a family of four, the fresh-faced singer is signed to producer Baby Fresh’s Blowtime Entertainment, an imprint of Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records.
Earlier, in May, alongside ‘Dumebi’ crooner Rema and the quartet of Korede Bello, DNA and label head honcho, Don Jazzy, Crayon made a strong showing on the anthemic ‘All Is In Order’ and, a month later, provided a serviceable hook on Mavin’s wordsmith Ladipoe’s ‘Based On Kpa’. Those songs, though worthy of a pass mark, weren’t veritable platforms to give the young singer’s talent full appraisal. We needed to hear the man on a track – alone.
Enter the Cray Cray EP, on which Baby Fresh and Ozedikus share production credits.
The six-track EP kicks off with ‘So Fine’, a mellow and bouncy Afro-Pop song that Crayon floats effortlessly on as he compliments a love interest. The tune sets the right mood and the listener is left itching for more fineness.
On ‘Unusual’, Crayon jettisons romance as he ogles an “unusual figure 8”. The logicality of the object of his heart’s desire aside, ‘Unusual’ is an upbeat, feel-good bop made for dancefloors. ‘Gock Am’ continues Crayon’s appreciation of the female anatomy.
‘Confidence’ is a chest-thumping number aimed at Doubting Thomases, and ‘Bamiloke’ is a celebration of the good things of life.
It’s on the EP’s finale that Crayon shines brightest. ‘Aye O’ is an Afrobeat-inspired song that imbibes the spirit of hard work and positive thinking in the face of harsh living conditions. Also, it’s on this song that Crayon’s songwriting prowess is fully realised.
Now back to the earlier point: For a fresh, up-and-coming artist like Crayon, it rankled that while listening to the EP, one found it hard to shake off the odd feeling of familiarity that soured what should have been a blissful experience: every melodious chanting, every cadence, even the sometimes chaotic lyricism, all pointed to the influence of one man: Wizkid.
To be fair to Crayon, it is no fault of his that he showed up in an era when Wizkid has perfected and inadvertently laid down the blueprint for—for want of better words—Afrobeats singing; but it would do the budding singer a world of good if his style of delivery were wholly his. After all, he’s Crayon, why have all those colours and not paint a world of his own?
Artist: Crayon
Album: Cray Cray EP
Label, Year: Mavin Records/Blowtime Entertainment, 2019