Pa Salieu – ‘Afrikan Alien’ review: an empowering and uplifting return

Pa Salieu isn’t losing his second likelihood. Tipped as UK rap’s subsequent flag bearer again in 2019, the Gambia-born Coventry-raised star backed up the hype together with his boundary-breaking 2020 debut mixtape ‘Ship Them To Coventry’ and the awe-inspiring ‘Afrikan Insurgent’ EP. However, in 2022, the NME 100 alum’s rise was delivered to a thudding halt by a 33-month jail sentence for his participation in a 2018 nightclub brawl.

Ever since his launch this September, he’s been on an awesome musical run. His time inside has sharpened his essential eye, giving new depth to his lyrics and serving to form his latest singles (‘Stomach’, ‘Allergy’ and ‘Epiphany/Crash’) into philosophical gems that support the thoughts in addition to the soul. The rapper serves up much more meals for thought on ‘Afrikan Alien’ – a pleasant return that sees Salieu provide one thing increased in a lofty mixtape.

It kicks off with the transcendent ‘Afrikan Di Alien’, the place Salieu takes the position of a counsellor. He cruises over a mesmerisingly luxurious beat stuffed with playful guitar riffs and charming piano chimes, dropping proverbs all through. “Anger makes you look weak when actually you’re a genius / It’s widespread sense,” he asserts. “Eradicate any sort of power that pins you down, however reveal / The way in which you wanna win and reap your future.” As he shares these nuggets of knowledge, Ghana’s Black Sherif sweetly uplifts issues and takes you to the brink of a religious awakening together with his heartfelt supply of the music’s refrain.

There has at all times been this stability between cheekiness and philosophy in Salieu’s work, however within the mixtape’s singles, he perfects it. ‘Stomach’ – the soulful observe he used to sign his large comeback – is a laidback music that displays on the heartlessness of hustling whereas fusing Afro-pop and melodic rap to create an irresistible tune to crank your neck to. ‘Allergy’, in the meantime, is a sonic illustration of that laser focus and relentless drive as he honours the early sounds of Afrobeats with rolling drums much like the sprightly zest of highlife.

Salieu reserved some extra of these sounds for ‘Afrikan Alien’. ‘Dece (Heavy)’ lives as much as its title: the progressive Afro-grime music’s bellowing bassline and syncopated drums strike with such weighty and unrelenting precision for a kinetic mix that pulls you deep into its groove. Those that take heed to the tape can be rewarded tenfold once they uncover ‘Ya Zee’ – an earworm in each sense of the phrase. The darting synths burn in your mind as Salieu bigs up his chest (“Guess who’s again, nonetheless attractive, ya zee?”) whereas joking about being a “hippy” in his signature gruff tone. Mixing braggadocio with a little bit of comedy, it’s the right music to stunt on the haters with.

The recently-liberated star hardly ever misses on ‘Afrikan Alien’ – apart from ‘Soda’, which is a poor try at leaping on the Afro-piano wave. However, from displaying off his surprisingly angelic vocal chops on ‘Spherical & Spherical’ to delivering introspective gems birthed from his self-reflection, this tape is a fascinating glimpse into the inside workings of the rapper. This isn’t the identical Pa Salieu we knew earlier than. It is a new man who needs to be fortunately accepted and embraced again into the burgeoning UK rap scene. Welcome again, Pa Salieu.