Viral Wreckage

Bisola Olungbenga has all the makings of a new Nigerian star. Trading under the memorable name of Aunty Rayzor, she has released a debut set that justifies the effort involved – the producers and collaborators on different tracks are from Nigeria, Congo, Uganda and Kenya, as well as Japan, Brazil and France. I confess that I approached Viral Wreckage with a little trepidation: lyrics are obviously crucial in hip-hop, and I was concerned that I wouldn’t know what to make of a lady famous in Lagos for her rapid-fire Yoruba rapping. I’d still like to understand the words of the non-English sections (she constantly switches between languages), but even for a non-Yoruba speaker this is an entertaining set, thanks to her vocal dexterity and her emotional and musical range. The mood constantly changes, from the opening ‘Stuttrap’, on which she eases between brooding passages and demonstrations of her rapid-fire vocal dexterity, through to the sad and soulful ‘You Not Worthy of My Love’. Then there’s an upbeat dance track, ‘Bounce’, on which she is helped by the São Paulo baile funk exponent DJ Cris Fontedofunk, through to rumbling and threatening ‘Murder’, or the charming and slinky ‘Fall Back’, based around a slinky riff from Congolese singer, guitarist and producer Titi Bakorta.