
Victor Oladipo shoots his shot with his album, V.O.
“I swear sports and music are so synonymous
’cause we wanna be them and they wanna be us” – OluwaDrizzy
That quote rings ever so true for basketball players as many of them have found themselves releasing projects in their off seasons. From athletes including Kobe, Shaq Diesel, Lou Williams, to Iman Shumpert and Damian Lillard, players have always wondered “what if” they were a rap star instead. It worked for some, and some didn’t quite make the shot (seriously whose idea was this?). However in Victor Oladipo’s case he is expressing his talents as a singer in the modern R&B realm and I gotta say, he’s not a bad singer. It’s even more impressive that him being Nigerian, Vic seems to be maneuvering through all the things his parents probably didn’t want him to be (Lawyer, Doctor, etc). Wait till his mama hears this record. With featuring heavyweights like Trey Songz, Eric Bellinger, and Tory Lanez, are Vic’s vocals going to be enough to stay on pace or will he fade away and have to get back to the drawing board (See what I did there?)
Check out my review of his album, V.O., below!
1. “Lights On” ft Tory Lanez: Within the first couple of seconds, I already feel that club vibe… that 1am at Rosebar type of feeling, shoutout to John Wall. At the 20 second mark Vic says “I make it rain on that Pu**y, make it thunderstorm everyday on that pu**y”. I was not ready for this. I thought I was going to hear Kidz Bop, easy listening, music. Instead he confirms he is indeed a Yoruba Demon and I’m here for it. Tory Lanez as a feature on this track lets me know that Vic actually knows what he’s doing and not just grabbing the biggest names he can find. Tory sounds perfect on this beat.
Mama Oladipo Meter:
2. “Just In You” ft Eric Bellinger: – One word to describe this – Smooth. That guitar riff reminds me of the classic 90’s R&B era. Vic’s vocals are easy on the ears and Eric Bellinger sprinkles a little bit of his sultry and seductive flow on it. This song is a no brainer to set the mood towards the end of the party. An additional verse from a frequent Eric collaborator and fellow Yoruba demon, Wale, would have solidified this track though.
3. “Forward” – Victor Oladipo might be a point guard but on this track he’s aiming to but balls in the basket and in your #wcw. “Off the court I’ll send your panties down to your heel”. This man is holding nothing back. His falsetto is nearly flawless and he flexes his range to the perfect point where it doesn’t seem like he’s trying too hard. This is song is purely about sex and I can only imagine Mama Oladipo listening to this song at home fasting and praying at this point. This song is a three point fade away to win the game.
Mama Oladipo Meter:
4. “Connected” ft PnB Rock – This song sounds like he recorded this after the Pacers loss against the Rockets. It sounds he’s trying to serenade a woman with his crooning but the production gives it a gloomy sound. He needed an assist and PnB Rock was not the one, as I have no idea what he’s saying. Skip.
5. “First Chance” – This is how I know Victor is a freak. Artists don’t usually put that “splash” sound effect unless they’re about that life. Don’t ask me how I know. He also mentioned running into Rihanna at a party, and my ears perked. What kind of life is this Yoruba King living? From Bria Miles to “meeting” Rihanna. My Naija brudda, I hail you. Nice rebound from the previous track.
6. “Drown” ft Trey Songz – From the title alone, you can tell this song is pretty self explanatory. Vic’s opening lines: “What if I was made for you to enjoy, and it’s just for you and only you, your sex toyyyy”. Mama Oladipo is definitely skipping this one for sure. For the rest of us heathens, this is an instant repeat. Trey Songz is a good feature but also would have been equally as great with just Vic. Swish.
Mama Oladipo Meter:
7. “Testify” – This track, Vic decides to really show how well he can not only sing, but also construct a quality song. Everything from his lyrics, to the way he sings on certain pockets on the production, his layering, this was an impressive short 2:41 track. I could see Rotimi on this as well.
8. “Funny thing about Love” – Whew chile…these vocals. Oladipo may have a 45% FG percentage this season so far, but he’s definitely making all the shots with his vocal range. Great way to close out this 8-track effort.
Mama Oladipo being proud of her son anyway:
4 shots out of 5