UAX’s “Love and Hustle” Is A Masterful Blend of Emotion and Energy

Seyi Akinlade, or UAX, is a long-time connoisseur of the arts. He’s done it all, from being a professional photographer to directing music videos for the likes of Lojay, Rema, and Tems, to even dancing. Now, his debut album arrives, solidifying his new position in music that he formally began two years ago with the release of Safe. The album firmly projects the music UAX wants to be known for in his time in the industry: warm, tonic melodies, an unhurried RnB pace, and soothing vocals. 

A big part of Love And Hustle‘s magnetism is in its pacing. Nine songs squeezed into twenty-one minutes means there is hardly any time to waste. UAX addresses both the titular themes on Love and Hustle, but the album’s balance invariably tilts to the former. He goes through several stages of love and attraction on the project, beginning with an earnest yearning for companionship on Sweet Time, in which he admits that he’s been “waiting for love and it’s taking its sweet time/ Still here no I won’t throw off the peace sign.” On the next track, Everseen, he reveals that he has now found that love and is looking to keep it for as long as possible: “I want to carry you go meet my mother/ I go dey for you forever.”

For a man only making his pivot into writing and recording music, UAX’s ability to capture relatable interpersonal relationships in songs is commendable, and even more so his creativity in painting a project that shows multiple sides of romance. This includes, of course, the ugly side to it that can fester after a relationship has crossed its tolerance limit, and UAX is meticulous to include this too. He does this on Too Proud To Beg, where the somber guitar notes and slower pace in the intro reveal before he does that his honeymoon is over. A few seconds later he confirms this—“You said your promises will last forever”—over a slow-winding beat provided by the duo of TMXO and Lexi. 

TMXO serves in the capacity of executive producer, so his fingerprints are all over the project, from production credits on all its tracks to co-creating songs like Nothing Compares and Lagos 2 Crazy, where, it may be noticed, the usually excellent production on the album becomes truly flawless. Other producers include UAX himself, Nonso Amadi, Chillz, Lexi and Illithagreat. They contribute to the album’s sonic foundation, on which UAX can craft a complete experience. 

The themes of love vs hustle compete for UAX’s attention on Lagos 2 Crazy. Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve center, is famous for both its potential for great financial and romantic exploits, but infamous for its ability to wreck a person in both ways. All of it is too much for UAX, who prefers instead the slower pace of Abuja: “Lagos too crazy so I stick to the ‘buj/ Nighttime, catch a flight connect Abu Dhabi/ These streets too crazy, men don’t play by the rules.” A few lines later he swings to the romantic: “Met this girl last week and she still on my cruise/ Sunday come, she thank the Lord that she found me.”

His version of romance is more tender affection than a red-hot passion, but it allows him to maximize the medium that his soft AfroRnB provides, creating a context where his music can be the soundtrack to slow couple dances. When he, however, draws from the hustle section, it allows him to diversify his album’s soundscape and tap into a little spoken-word rap. On Nightshift he references dark days before he could scale up his income: “I ain’t shadowboxing, I’m just fighting demons/ They hold me down but now and then I get up,” and a little later ”fighting with my thoughts and it’s a fucking night shift.” When the drums come along, they signify the change of fortunes that his present condition has brought: Commas, the album’s interlude, dabble in the same territory, as UAX speaks over a formless production: “I’ve been doing better got my team strong/ I’ve been seeing commas on my income.”

Love And Hustle is thus UAX’s manifesto for the present. It takes a gritty, hustling spirit to make so many career changes in such little time and still maintain the quality required to succeed in each one, and UAX’s debut album reveals he has enough talent and drive left in the tank to bring his music career to a similar level. It’s quick-paced yet soothing; cohesive and yet diverse enough to not feel repetitive. UAX’s music career is off to a phenomenal start, and it remains to be seen if he can prove himself as a master of multiple creative domains.