First Album Brings the Beats
by Drew Barber | Class of 2024 | Feb. 10, 2021
If you have ever wondered what it’s like to listen to African music mixed with pop, I have the perfect album for you: Nico & Vinz’s Black Star Elephant.
When Nico & Vinz first started making music in 2014, they were aiming for more of a rap style as both of them grew up rap fans in Africa. But, instead of just sticking to their roots, they turned this album into more of a pop style. They show that the two types of music can mix well together.
One song, “Am I Wrong,” did especially well on Nico & Vinz’s very first album. It even reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and some have said it got this ranking because of lyric quality. The lyrics were good, but in my opinion, the beat and music was much better.
The album is pretty underrated. Other than “Am I Wrong,” no other song was widely talked about. However, this album is much better than the bulk of its reviews. All of the other 17 tracks always make me want to dance because of how good the music is combined with the beat.
After listening to the album a couple times, I started to really enjoy it. I would say my two favorite songs from the album would be “Another Day” and “Miracles.” Those songs are as good as “Am I Wrong”, maybe even a little better.
I would definitely put the album on your study playlist, just listening to music playlist, and even your workout playlist, it’s on mine.