Review: Crayon Tracks His Evolution in “Trench to Triumph”

Artists usually take pleasure in using their music to project experiences, be it personal, social, physical or spiritual. Crayon is no different, as his latest album Trench to Triumph hosts heartwarming and heartrending effusions. Here the English word “trench” assumes a  Nigerian meaning of  “existence in the slums”.

Before his breakout, Crayon had it rough. Emerging from a humble background, he lived in his birthplace Orile with his parents and siblings in their one-room apartment. Then, the family relocated to a self-contained apartment in Ojo.  As he grew up on the streets of Ojo and chased his music dreams, he tried unsuccessfully to gain admission into the university. On his fifth attempt, while writing his post-UTME into the University of Lagos, he suddenly stopped and left the hall. It was a leap of faith: he had previously met record label boss Don Jazzy. His decision to shelve academics for music paid off.

Crayon’s life-changing decision was followed with an improvement in fortunes. In 2019, after signing for Blow Time Entertainment, a subsidiary of Mavin Records, he released his debut project Cray Cray EP. Two years later, he consolidated his arrival with his sophomore extended project Twelve A.M. With Trench to Triumph being the artist’s first full-fledged album, Crayon explores his evolution from rags to riches, during which his identity morphs. Often, while he provides bits and pieces of his background and existence, he shares valuable advice with whoever cares about charting a meaningful life. In the thirteen-track album, seven songs clearly deal with Crayon’s personal struggles. But the artist maintains an overall positive ambiance, deliberately avoiding a monotonous rehash of themes as he prioritizes his current prosperity and dedicates the remaining six tracks of his album to his romantic fantasies. 

Crayon begins his story with the soulful Calvary Kid where he talks about having “fought so many wars” and “stand through many storms”. Apart from its association with the crucifixion of Christ, the calvary also represents a period of intense mental suffering. As in the case of the Bible where Christ’s crucifixion on the Cross of Calvary led to salvation,  Crayon’s initial challenges have led to a career breakthrough.

As Crayon moves on to Trench Kid with Oxlade, his story becomes specific and clearer. He talks about experiencing depression in 2015, a moment captured in the moniker “a broken crayon”. Crayon’s memories also include treks from Ojo barracks to Iyana-Iba and having to transit by hanging onto small yellow commercial buses known as korope. When it’s Oxlade’s turn, the guest singer’s verse slips into a past street life of squatting with an acquaintance, trekking, and keeping sleepless nights.

The firstborn in an average Nigerian family is bestowed with the responsibility of shouldering the burden of the family, as well as being a pacesetter and role model for younger ones.  Drawing comparisons with that of olori ebi, the Yoruba term for “family head”, the firstborn holds a sensitive leadership role in the family.  Both Crayon and Oxlade acknowledge this reality in Trench Kid, but it is Oxlade who delivers firepower in the simple lines: “As the firstborn of the house/ My mama no go lack bread ooo”. 

The romantic side of Crayon first emerges in Ngozi where he is kept company by label mate Ayra Starr. Fellow Afrobeats stars Victony and Ktizo hop on Belle Full, another hit that thrives on romantic overtures. In the opening verse, Victony’s vocals are sultry and patronizing, as he uses the image of football to show his commitment to his object of affection. “I go like to be your number 9/ Say na only your post I go shootin’ my shot/ Even De Gea no fit save am,” he croons. The rest of Crayon’s amorous gestures are fulfilled in Super Woman, Adey, and the Magixx-featured You vs You.

Crayon taps into Amapiano in The One (Chop Life) where he flaunts his wealth and indulges in fun and frivolous activities. It’s a groovy, club-standard hit. Featuring Mozambican music trio and custodians of Amapiano Yaba Buluku Boyz, the singer takes a sonic position that is sure to give him a cross-cultural appeal.

As much as Crayon wants everyone to relate to his growth process, he tries not to sound narcissistic. There are moments in which he shelves his ego. In Ijo (Laba Laba), for instance, he wants to lend a helping hand. His empathetic side drives the chorus: “Gimme your hand and shoulder/Kosi isoro get up”. Also, in the groovy hit Modupe, the artist accords praises to his creator for facilitating his rise to stardom. When he says “we no look like where we come from”, he drops another cue on his rough upbringing. 

The singer uses one stone to kill two birds in L’Eko. In this survivalist song, he provides few details on what it takes to succeed in Lagos. Being a product of the city’s hectic landscape, he advises anyone who cares to “Waka jeje waka/No go too dey gbala”. His recommendation for survival in the renowned sleepless city is best summed up this way: a sprinkle of street madness, and a sprinkle of caution. 

Crayon is at his sage-like best in Wetin Go Be, his lyricism beholding his fortitude. He unleashes a series of advice: be humble, pray for grace and work, stay strong, avoid envy, trust no one—including the government. It is evident that these points have been instrumental to his success.

All of Crayon’s personal crises are resolved in the final track Good Day, it appears the artist has more hedonist concerns now than ever before.  One cannot blame him because with a change in fortune for good comes the urge to live out all of one’s fantasies.  There are allusions to American singer-actress Faith Evans in the line “stay hopeful, like Faith Evans/Captain Hook never surrender”, Nigerian-British footballer Saka in “dribble like Saka” and Nigerian actress Mercy Johnson in “Bum bum na kaya/ Mercy Johnson”. Through these relatable images, Crayon creates chemistry with his national and international audiences. His artistry gets an intriguing outlook,  one suggestive of the Afrobeats crooner’s willingness to go beyond his immediate environs in search of inspiration. Now, with hardship perennially confined to his past, Crayon revels in his current affluence and fame, a reality that comes with being able to afford any luxury. 

Crayon’s Trench to Triumph is a sturdy Afrobeats project enhanced by instrument-backed RnB and Soulful vocals, with stories and references that are just as expository as they are psychologically enriching.

Rating: 7/10