Hip hop, in Nigeria, has a new face and it is perfectly crafted by the likes of Zamir, plumbing depths with an experimental range rife with head nodding and culture-defining trap sounds. Although he started out as the next rapper with a dream, Zamir has since evolved to a budding trap savant with a commandeering presence, stemming from his ability to weave menacing persona-defining narratives into his signature heady sounds. In 2017, Zamir was a bold-faced rapper with structured rhythms on Xxiii, his debut EP. Still, as bold-faced as ever, he moves with a stronger grip on experimentalism, one that unlocks the otherworldly dimension he dwells in on FLOWERBOI4000.
A ten-track ode to this personality that now plays host to some of the finest trap sounds to come out of Nigeria, FLOWERBOI4000 is a range in itself. Every subject that matters to the rapper makes it to the project. The sharp distinction between self-awareness on the earlier released introductory track A. Iverson, featuring dndsection and his unashamed declaration of love on Amnesia, posits him as a bad boy with a good heart and human emotions, this helps smooth out the jagged edges his menacing aura creates.
With his humanity now on full display on FLOWERBOI4000, Zamir does not hesitate to share his space with industry like-minds. From Mannywellz, who helps to blur out the technicalities on FLY, to Tay Iwar, whose smooth vocals perfectly juxtaposes Zamirs’ on Pretend. SGaWD, who matches him bar for bar on BAD AF and Deto Black’s feistiness that serves as the perfect accompaniment for his on STAN, the collaborations enhance the project’s cohesiveness.
Rappers usually follow the same path, from start to finish of their careers, depending on their storytelling abilities and unwavering fanbases, for Zamir however, on a project like FLOWERBOI4000, he indirectly steps out of these confines, dropping his rapper title and opting for artist instead, one that encapsulates who he is at the moment.