With Still The Mayor, Mayorkun stages a bold return, reaffirming his place in the Afropop hierarchy. The album arrives as both a response to doubters and a reminder of the hitmaker’s enduring talent, signalling that despite the industry’s shifting tides, the mayor is far from stepping down.
In 2018, Mayorkun assumed office. With a stinging debut album filled with memorable pop anthems, the then DMW signee boldly declared himself the Mayor of Lagos, a position that remains uncontested. On the 14-track album, he displayed his knack for crafting dance-heavy hit records and rhythmic love songs. With hits like Posh, Che Che, Mama, Bobo, and Fantasy, he ignited dancefloors across the country, provoking wild reactions as his music blared from speakers.
Since then, Mayorkun has proven himself to be a prolific hitmaker, scoring massive hits like Betty Butter, Holy Father, Geng, Of Lagos, and Up To Something, to mention a few. He has also proven to be a competent dance partner, delivering noteworthy performances on record like Jamopyper’s If No Be You, Camidoh’s Sugar Cane, Davido’s The Best, Joeboy’s Don’t Call Me Back, Bad Boy Timz’s MJ, and Keys the Prince’s Left Right. He not only delivers on these records; he propels them to hit record status.
On his sophomore album, Back In Office, he refined his approach, stepping away from the lambda-driven Afro-pop records for more coherent lyrics and themes as he attempted to position himself for crossover success as the Afrobeats-to-world movement picked up serious momentum. The album wasn’t a grand success despite delivering some bangers.
While he has remained active in the Nigerian music scene, Mayorkun has not necessarily been a major player in the scene, at least in the last three years. His status makes for a fun listening experience. Across 12 songs, Mayorkun flexes his ability to craft resonating pop anthems, and the music industry has been anchored by the strength of his earlier works, his inability to score a crossover hit in recent years seems to have muddied the perception of him, at least on the internet.
“2024 taught me a lesson/They want to look at me less,” he sings on the album’s heavy-hitting opener. Keep on rocking, referring to Twitter users who tried to put disrespect on his name. “Sosokuso for Twitter,” he remarks, firing shots at his critics before turning to the Lord to save him from these brothers. He offers words of advice to his listeners with lines like “Keep on working/Plus you put your trust in God,” setting the tone for the 31-minute listening experience.
Long-time producer Speroach is behind the board for the Fireboy DML-assisted Innocent, ushering listeners in with melodies borrowed from Burna Boy’s timeless record 23 for the opening sequence before showing his hand with a threatening log drum-driven Afropop instrumental. “I’m just like you, I’m not innocent/Can you come into my residence, inside of my room?” Fireboy sings as his velvety voice cascades over the beat as the duo preach romantic love to their love interest using sex as a vehicle.
He repeats similar sentiments on 3:45 featuring Nigerian-American singer Rotimi, this time using money as a tool to make his proposal more viable. Can I put it in your ‘aza aza aza’ / ‘Make everything dey biza biza’? He sings on the hook as he continues to woo her.
Fireboy DML and Speroach return for a second round on the Afropop and Trap fusion Diamonds. It’s a smooth record that instantly grabs and retains your attention as the duo display their chemistry, trading verses back and forth, painting pictures of the glamorous and flashy lifestyle that awaits their love interest, using their wealth as bargaining chips to win her over. It’s a seductive pitch.
The BMH-produced Konko Below feels like it was inspired by Joeboy’s Contour. It’s a vibrant dance and Lamba-driven record where Mayorkun invites his damsels to the dance floor to bend low and dance. The first half of the album is brought to a close by Mayorkun alongside long-time collaborators The Flowolf and Dremo. Industry Girl is a no-holds-barred yet playful commentary on ladies who drift through the entertainment scene chasing money and clout by throwing themselves at popular artists. The trio deliver verses that mix playful jabs with hard truths, revealing the frustrating aspects of superstardom that are never talked about.
Davido and Mayorkun have proven to be competent dance partners when both of them have appeared on records together, and their track record speaks for itself. That said, Blessings on Blessings is the collaboration between them. The up-tempo record injects pace into the album as the duo takes a victory lap, celebrating wins and good fortune. The song serves its purpose on this album while woefully failing to rank higher than any of the previous records they’ve released together.
In Reason 2 Japa, the mayor offers commentary on the harsh economic realities of the Nigerian state, which have sparked a wave of emigration as Nigerian youths seek greener pastures. The upbeat nature of the record downplays the seriousness of the situation. The record is built on familiar and tired log drums, and Mayorkun fails to inject vibrancy into the record despite employing sticky lyrics, even interpolating lyrics from Khaid’s No Time.
Ghanaian acts King Promise and Olivetheboy join the stellar cast of features Mayorkun recruits for this album. Hold Body is an introspective heartbreak song that explores the complexity of staying grounded in the chaos of emotional loss and eventually letting go. Like Reason 2 Japa, the song is built on tired log drums that fail to communicate the depth of the situation. A more sombre offering would have better served the purpose of this record.
This writer can’t help but feel like Mayorkun asked Dibs to reimagine Seyi Vibez’s Different Pattern for the beat of Woman, as elements of the latter are present in the former — a tender love song that celebrates the joy of finding the one. He closes the album on a swaggering note with the log drum-driven Jiggy, where he once again reminds listeners who he is — the ‘freaking’ mayor.
The Still The Mayor album makes for a fun listening experience. Across 12 songs, Mayorkun flexes his ability to craft resonating pop anthems, with the album housing a considerable number of bop-heavy joints. The album’s concise structure makes for a smooth listen, up and down the album. The production is significantly better on this album than its predecessor, even though its deployment of log drums across the second half may tire the ears, as Mayorkun’s quest for a hit record — he genuinely needs one at the moment — forces his hand. Yet, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this album is a return to form for the mayor and a reminder that he is still in office.
