Feffe Bussi's new album, ‘The Paragon’, consisting of a whopping 16 tracks, has elicited excitement among fans, who are wondering what package the album entails.
For starters, a paragon means someone who is a model of perfection in some quality or trait. Given the title, Bussi gives fans very high expectations of what to expect.
For an artist going by the moniker The Smallest Rapper, and also a multiple hip-hop award winner, one would perhaps expect The Paragon to be the perfection of his renowned rap skills.
The album opens with Feffe Bussi as a taxi tout/ conductor hailing: “Wandegeya, Kamwokya, Bukoto,” Bussi calls out, capturing Kampala’s public transportation hustle and bustle. He metaphorically invites listeners to his album before quoting Tupac Shakur and chest-thumping.
This intro serves its purpose, setting the mood like scented candles at a romantic dinner.
In the second track on the album, he features Lillian Mbabazi on a soothing love song titled, “Beautiful to Me.” Soft and laid back, the two combine perfectly in a love symphony. Mbabazi weaves in Ikinyarwanda in her lyrics here and there, giving the song that extra spice that could strike a chord with our Southern brothers and sisters. It’s a beautiful piece.
In Tell a Friend, loud drumbeats and fast-paced rhythms typical of Ugandan-ragga dancehall songs commonly known as Kidandali, take over. This is the high-energy sound that dominates the album for the better part of the remaining songs. With a huge hit song potential for the Ugandan charts, Tell a Friend is about celebrating success.
Feffe gives hip-hop fans a dose of his lyrical stamina in Most Wanted as he authoritatively takes on the mic, declaring himself the best in the game. As soon as he drops the mic, he takes listeners back to Raga, with Tayagalika renewing the debate about a poor man never getting love and appreciation.
Guest features
He maintains the high tempo on Jigi jigi with Ykee Benda, the first guest feature on the album and follows the same script on Nobody, Mama Naki, Skia Disco and then delivers a trap/ rap song in Rose.
Another guest feature is Party Culture with Nina Roz, John Blaq, Coco Finger and Karole Kasita maintaining the dominance of dancehall on the album. He features Nubian Li in Ghetto, a song about the motivation, hustle and struggle for a better life.
My favourites off the album
In Mbabalira, Bussi delivers perfection. One of the songs that could be a favourite on the album has a strong afrobeat influence. He closes the album with Bestie, featuring Karole Kasita, yet another soothing song that will definitely elicit excitement. Tell a friend is another to tell a friend about Paragon.
My overall take
The Paragon is an album that highlights the sacrifices rappers have made for music business relevance and sustainability in respect to mass market demands.