Some refer to him as “the Quavo of African Trap” but to most of the people he was won over into his sizeable fanbase, his name is OG SNYPZ. The young and talented Anambra indigene has set up camp many miles from home in the city of Lagos. He has earned himself a reputation in the underground rap scene by winning many rap battles in Yaba, Surulere, and Festac, and the wins have contributed to a solid social media following. He hasn’t put out too many official releases but his 2021 single “Alert” enjoyed rotation on many radio stations in Lagos. So it only made sense that he dropped his first body of work as soon as possible. And as 2021 wound to a close, he did exactly that.
“Bag Chaser” is the title of OG SNYPZ’s debut EP and it is a body of work made up of 4 songs. The culture of trap music has deeply infiltrated the hip-hop scene in Nigeria and OG SNYPZ is a beneficiary of the movement and a believer in the sound. This EP contains tracks that are trap songs through and through, from the instrumentals to the lyrics. It’s always nice to see young artistes stick to their style despite pressures to conform to the popular sounds and that’s exactly what SNYPZ does on this project.
The serving of trap music starts with “Baker”, a track studded with heavy bass on the 808s. As is a norm with songs of this genre, SNYPZ is relentless with the braggadocio, talking up everything from his sex appeal to his bank account. The project moves along to “100 Degrees” where the young rapper switches to a melodic flow. The braggadocio is still present, but the subject matter is more about his focus on and dedication to getting the money and fame he craves. Up next is “Up”, a track that returns us to the style and delivery witnessed on the opening track but continues with the theme of the second track. He saves the hardest beat for the last track as the project rounds up with “Benzo”. The song functions as a warning to anyone with plans to oppose his quest for stardom and is a fitting end to the chronicle of the bag chaser.
OG SNYPZ doesn’t do much wrong during the course of this project. He matches his flow well with the beats and the variations in them, going hard when the instrumental demands such and riding the pace of the beat other times. “Benzo” is arguably his best performance of the project. Its neat flows, catchy hook, and expert delivery are exalted by his rich baritone voice. “100 Degrees” was a welcome display of versatility and perhaps another song with that melodic rap would have been a nice addition to the final tracklist. SNYPZ gets a lot right on “Bag Chaser”, but the obviousness of many of his punchlines is a major minus and greatly weakens the effect. His delivery is strong enough to cover up many of the lines, but today’s rap faithful are keener for clever, deeper bars than what SNYPZ offered here. He seemed like he was intentionally dumbing down his lines for the benefit of his audience. If that observation is right, one can only hope he unloads his arsenal of actual hard bars in subsequent releases.
Verdict: 7/10
“Bag Chaser” is a good listen, all things considered. OG SNYPZ is a rapper that still has time and room to grow and evolve so things could get really exciting for him in the coming months. But you shouldn’t wait till that happens for you to get on his wave. The EP is available on all streaming platforms, head over to your favourite DSP and enjoy some good trap music.