NazB: “When We Were Young” – warm keys and lifting vibes

As a child growing up in Nigeria, NazB was surrounded by the music of his native West African homeland. With members of his immediate and extended family playing instruments and singing, music was a part of his upbringing. His persistence and perseverance eventually gained him the nickname Nazodobas, which eventually evolved into NazB and became his rapper alias. Now based in Zurich, Switzerland, NazB has been performing, recording and releasing hit songs, almost at will, since his debut album “Money In Da Game”, dropped in 2006. His brand of music blends hard-hitting urban beats, funky bass driven rhythms, and African flavors, which he carefully translates via R&B and Rap tunes. Currently riding the crest of the wave with his latest, nineteen track album, “Lion”, NazB has also released two singles and supporting videos, “When We Were Young” and “Gimme Some More”, taken off the aforementioned album.

The track “When We Were Young” is as welcoming as it is laid back, you feel obliged to unwind and relax with the rapper-singer himself, obviously the intended reaction with its warm keys and lifting vibes, and the nostalgic lyrics about lost youth.

The bass, piano lines and strings are appealing as the melody is deep, slow-burning and reflective. It has a feel good hook and an uplifting vibe, as NazB has a knack for delivering tracks with memorable choruses.

Urban music always has prized larger-than-life icons whose alchemy of skills, style and swagger enabled them to scale the charts. And with rap and R&B finally submerged in the waters of the mainstream, it’s only inevitable that many new potential hit-makers would make their way through from the underground into the brighter shining light.

NazB is clearly on that list. He boasts an impeccable flow, but his greatest achievement is his understanding of how to stay within the music, never overwhelming his tracks. And this is never more evident than on “When We Were Young”.

“Gimme Some More” is swathed in mammoth R&B hooks, baying hip-hop adlibs, and an excellent drum beat. There’s an almost geometric symmetry to its pop precision, one that lends it an unrelenting efficacy and anoints NasB as the premier Swiss, urban music, underground superstar, on the rise.

This one is a party song, so there is no time for sitting down and looking back, as on “When We Were Young”. If you want some music to motivate you and to push you a little harder across the dance floor, then “Gimme Some More” will get the job done.

NazB follows his usual recipe on these tracks, smart verses and soaring choruses, with well-thought out beats. He makes a groovy kind of catchy urban music that stays in its lane, and does what it’s supposed to do.

And that’s a whole lot more than many other artists are capable of doing. Just the sheer fact that he doesn’t gurgle or mumble makes his music ten times better than the average Hip-hop or R&B out there at the moment. NazB’s place in the music scene is well deserved.

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