Shiny Object Syndrome by Modenine
Initial Impressions: My initial impressions of Modenine’s album Shiney Object Syndrome are that the rhythm is euphoric, the lyrics are powerful, and the tone is passionate. I was surprised by how much English there was in the lyrics as I thought there would have been more additions of Nigerian languages like Yoruba, Hausa, and more, as well as French. My initial thought regarding the beat of the songs is that they remind me of “old-school rap,” with a mixture of chill and “vibey” elements, as the beats were strong but not intense and powerful, with euphoric undertones. I can picture listening to this song when I need to focus, for example, while doing an assignment or after a long workday when I want to feel energized but not overwhelmed.
Modenine is a well-respected English-born Nigerian Rapper who has been in the rap scene for over a few decades. Modenine has expressed in interviews that music, but most importantly rapping, has always been a very important part of his life, upbringing, and self-development. Moreover, Modenine attributes his love for music, especially rap and hip-hop hop, to Grandmaster Five Flash and the Furious Five, a famous and impactful hip-hop group from the Bronx in New York. Modenine released his first album in 2006 called Malcolm IX, and since then has released several other albums and mixtapes and been featured on other artists’ albums. Many of his albums and songs are about social and political problems that black people, specifically Nigerians, face in the industry and the world.
Modenine has won the Headies Lyricist on the Roll award seven times, proving that his lyrics continuously break barriers throughout his albums and songs. It is clear that Modenine has made a very significant name for himself in the rap and hip/hop community in the UK and Africa, and the release of Shiny Object Syndrome is a testament to his persistence in creating and releasing music.
Shiny Object Syndrome is an album that dives into Mondenine’s mind. When I listened to each song, it felt like I lived inside Modenine’s mind, as each song brings up aspects that appear to be individualized to his life experiences. Overall, the album has a story theme that allows the listeners to learn more about Modenine and the motivations that led him to choose the lyrics and beats that he did.
The lyrics in this album are very interesting and provide perspective to Modenines’ life, career, and experiences. In his song “One Kind,” he elaborates on his life experiences, and the lyrics “Alhumdallilah, I saw my time” are a perfect example of how Modenine uses several different aspects, like religion, to diversify his lyrics and provide an even broader meaning to his words. The word “Alhumdallilah” means “thank god” in Arabic, as it is a phrase of prayer commonly used in the Islamic religion and the Arabic language. Combining his English lyrics with solid and religious Arabic words signals the importance of diversity and meaning in his lyrics. Another lyric that I found super interesting is in his song “Adidas” when he says, “It goes, uh, black and white checkers, fresh out the rocks you can check my track records, for a rock in my bootleggers, this is way chee your playing checkers.” What is interesting about these lyrics is how well the rhymes are, even though there are different syllables and beats behind them. It all sounds very cohesive and smooth, which is very impressive to me as I struggle with liking the rhymes of many American millennial and Generation Z rappers who do not rhyme as well as him.
The first track of the Album, “One Kind,” stood out to me because of the constant use of the Lyric “Alhumdallilah, I saw my time”. This stood out to me because, upon research, I did not see that Modenine had an Islamic/Arab association, and I thought that in a time where Islamaphobia is some of the highest, it stood out that an artist that has no ties to the phrase would include in their lyrics.
Another track that stood out to me is “Poet”. I really enjoyed this track as it reminded me of the “old-school rap” that my parents would show my siblings and I when we were younger. Something else that stood out to me from “Poet” was how Modenine would talk down new rappers who consider their lyrics poetic and call them “hello fresh rappers,” which, to me, means two things. The first is that they are young and “fresh” to the game, meaning they do not have as much experience as him. Second, the phrase “Hello Fresh” is a company that often uses famous people as ambassadors, but it’s for clout, which points to a broader image of rappers in this generation only doing things or saying lyrics for clout.
If I am being honest, I have not listened to much rap and hip-hop before taking the Hip Hop in Africa course; however, to compare it to the ones we have divulged thus far, it seems a little bit mainstream and not as connected to African roots as other albums. In terms of lyrics, this album compares very well to others in this genre, as the lyrics are impactful, cohesive, and transmit a story.
Overall, I enjoyed listening to it several times and will listen to it again and show it to my music-lover friends. I’m still determining if I would show this album in particular. I feel some of his other albums bring up more social and political challenges, like Malcolm IX, as I am interested in how art impacts it. I do wish there were a greater incorporation of Nigerian beats and afrobeat.
