1. Intro
2. Big Boy Rap
3. Talking To You ft. Banky W
4. Spartans
5. Your Girl
6. Kick You
7. Follow Your Heart
8. Hip-Hop
9. Imperial
10. Fiyah Burn
11. My Skin Is Black
12. Bush Girl Tush Girl
13. Forbidden Love
14. A Hero Comes Home
15. Nine
16. Crazy
17. Mathematical Sege
18. Green Passport (Remix)
19. The Game Needs Me
20. Still Love You
21. Outside
22. Death Blow (Coup De Grace) Part 1

REVIEW:

This is certainly the most anticipated album since the birth of Hip-Hop in Nigeria. And just about the time fans started singing praises of M.I’s chart burner album, Modenine released “The Paradigm Shift” to change topics on forums and blogs from M.I is the best to Modenine does it better. Currently the album is receiving so much response sales wise from real hip-hop heads in Nigeria and Modenine himself was quick to point that out on his myspace page ID. That is an indication that people hasn’t been passing on this magnum opus. The era of hip-hop touch carriers fearing album sales is over because Modenine’s album is selling like hotcakes. The album might have not sold 30,000 copies in 30 minutes but it is surely moving units and it appears to be doing well on the charts.

The Paradigm Shift is all about changing the face of hip-hop in Nigeria and the correction of emcees misrepresentation of the art form. Modenine rebelled against the exploitation of the culture by commercial artists who has diluted the music with their solvent choruses. All the way from track 1 – 22 the album takes a radical stand against gimmick in hip-hop. You can’t help it but to bend an ear to the words that keeps bouncing off the kicks and drums of a five mics production. The album is certainly a blueprint for upcoming emcees, a dummies guide for wannabe rappers in the industry. Unswerving is the perfect word to describe his unchanging approach – a blend of creativity with dexterity, something he uses astutely when he express himself while delivering his sometimes hard to comprehend messages.

The album is also a game winner for Modenine with tracks like “Death Blow” and “Talking To You” differentiating him from his adversaries. The metaphors on the aforementioned tracks hit hard in the face without hitting below the belt. His wordplays will drop your jaws like that picture a baby setting eyes on a perfect cleavage. “Death Blow (Coup De Grace) Part 1” is the track Modenine used to settle the score between him and his eminent rival “Ruggedman”. He wasted no time in spreading out some of Ruggedman’s dirty clothes for the world to see. He also laughed at Ruggedman’s usage of head warmer in Nigeria; we all know head warmers are used to cover the head in order to retain the heat we normally lose especially those in the cold temperate regions. Modenine is probably waiting for a reply from Ruggedman before he dishes a part two of the track.

The paradigm shift has an element of change on almost every track. And it seems the will be United States president “Barack Hussien Obama” has a little bit of influence on the album. Modenine was calling out for change; a change that hip-hop really does need before it extinct without an evidence of existence. Just like Barack Obama reached out to every race on the face of earth so did Modenine reached out to his International supporters with the track “Outside”.

The album starts with “Big Boy Rap” a track that laid out Modenine’s master plan of putting Nigeria on the hip-hop map. Skillery was the word Modenine invented while in the process of firing his verbal artillery, I am sure within a short space of time that word will be added to the urban dictionary. “Talking To You” followed and it shows that Modenine can be rough and rugged when forced to speak out about his quiescent industry wars. The track sure does put a halt to all the bellyache that Modenine is being discreet when it comes to mentioning names of his adversaries. “Spartans” will remain on the playlists of hip-hop heads with the rapid release of lyrical bullets over a 300 sample. The track should not be referred to as the Battle of Thermopylae that was retold in the 2007 epic movie.  “Your Girl” and “Bush Girl Tush Girl” showcases Modenine’s flirt other side that isn’t seen on the daily basis and he also referred to himself as a bed room bully, I guess ladies will have to pay Modenine a visit to find out if Modenine is truly what he claims he is. “Kick You” , “Nine” and “Crazy” put imposters in check and he also issued a strongly worded warning to might be haters that he is battle ready for whatever they bring his way. “Follow Your Heart” deals with the entrapment of artists in the music industry and how artists dumb it down for sales and in return lose their initial identity. The tempo of the song is a bit soulful with the pleasant-sounding voice of Eve on the background.

“Hip Hop”, “Imperial”, “Fiyah Burn” and “A Hero Comes Home” all reassure hip-hop die hard fans who believe lyricism is getting replaced with a lot of repetitive verse-chorus slush. An interesting note on “The Reconstruction of Hip-Hop” and most importantly what must be done before hip-hop ends up like a train wreck. Modenine also portrayed himself as the savior of the culture from the hands of ringtone artists. The combination of the three tracks makes you feel like you are in a court session witnessing the sentencing of ringtone rappers for committing musical crimes.

“My Skin Is Black” conveys a message against inferiority complex something that has been programmed into the brains of the black nations since the slavery era. He tells black people to be proud of their blackness and that they should be able to stand up anyway and represent the color of their skin. And that black people should stay firm because we are in the black years.

“Forbidden Love” talks about how Modenine receives mad love from the female fans even when most are unacceptable mainly because they are underage or married to their heartthrobs. A smooth track that shouldn’t bore you, it also a 3 a.m worthy track something you listen to with your eyes closed while under the duvet.

“Green Passport (Remix)” has all the information’s of how Nigerians are treated by foreign embassies in Nigeria. The track that was used by Modenine to share his travel experiences, a common thing that happens to every Nigerian and how immigration officers at entry points of western countries treat holders of the green passport.

The production on “The Paradigm Shift” can stand shoulder to shoulder with any mainstream material out there. Its lyrics can also be cavernous for those that can’t relate to what he is saying. Modenine is definitely a force to reckon with as far as hip-hop goes in Africa; you must have noticed that Modenine likes to cross boundaries, mingling hip-hop with reggae with a clear intention to exercise his musical knack. The paradigm shift is a typical example of how lyrics should be written and how it should be delivered to bring on different states of mind. The usual metaphors, punch lines and wordplays you’d expect from a Modenine album are all present in this masterpiece. The only different thing is that Modenine set the bars so high for his industry counterparts. Jesse Jags production was outstanding and the album stands out in the midst of other competitive albums.

The Paradigm Shift has sure made Modenine a household name in the game. The word “change” can be use to describe Modenine’s revolutionary spirit. And every lyric on the album defines Modenine as a wordsmith. He put forward to the listeners the issue of gimmick in hip-hop and what needs to be done to revive originality. The album felt the magic hands of talented producers that help to get his messages out successfully. The Paradigm Shift is an instant classic something that was designed to remain in CDs and MP3 players for a very long time, and the effect it has on its listeners will be discussed from decade to decade.

RATING: 4/5