Jiggy Forever explores themes of love, hustle, heartbreak, and grief, serving as a bold declaration of Young Jonn’s identity. But it falls short of delivering the emotional depth and lyrical prowess expected from such a debut endeavour.
By Hope Ibiale
John Saviours Udomboso, known as Young Jonn, was still a teenager when he decided to move to Lagos to pursue his music dreams. His time in the church choir had equipped him with basic music knowledge that fueled his decision to forge a path as a music producer. This hunger led him to Hit Factory Studios where he began working with artistes like Jaywon and Sexy Steel.
A few years later, he would produce Olamide’s “Story for the Gods” accompanied by the producer’s tagline, “It’s Young Jonn, the wicked producer” — a tagline that would precede most of the records released in the 2010s. But while producing for other artistes, Young Jonn was also working on his music. He would release his debut single “Incase” in 2020 and follow it up with 2021’s “Dada”. After delivering the 5-track EP, Love Is Not Enough in 2022, followed by Love Is Not Enough Vol.2, the artiste makes another entry in his discography with Jiggy Forever.
Jiggy Forever is his debut album, released for the purpose of uncovering the artiste’s identity. It captures Young Jonn’s perception of love, hustle, and how he generally navigates life. While listeners may expect the singer to expound on life experiences and be more emotionally inclined, he casually sings about heartbreak and escapes all struggles by enveloping himself in cheeriness. Young Jonn wants listeners to see his music as a universe where difficult topics like one-sided relationships and searching for happiness are transformed into danceable melodies where in the end, one might forget whatever plagues them.
Young Jonn starts off the 16-track project by blowing his horns on “Tony Montana”. Here, the artiste compares his grace, fashion style, and success to the popular titular fictional character. With the infusion of street lingo, like “Idan gan gan”, and easy lyrics, “Tony Montana” has the potential to become a fan favourite.
From the album’s title, and right off the bat with the first record, it is obvious that Young Jonn curated the album to reiterate his musicality, personality, and essence. “Tony Montana” is a personality check he wears confidently with lyrics like, “Idan gan gan Tony Montana lo mo na. See the swagger won darun, everything jeje opa won”. The track blends log drums, invasive drum kicks, and shakers, creating a sonic atmosphere that doesn’t require much from the artiste. Some might argue that “Tony Montana” is not a worthy album opener because of the lax manner with which the singer approaches the record, but this artiste doesn’t need buck-swaggering delivery to take a stance, he simply allows the music to carry him. However, the artiste’s approach to the song contrasts with the persona he embodies.
Erhu, a Chinese musical instrument, begins the next track, “Pot of Gold”. Young Jonn’s choice to layer the song’s production is closely linked to the cultural significance of gold in China. In Chinese culture, gold is associated with power, wealth, longevity, and happiness, which is the overarching theme in this record, as the artiste continuously repeats “Will I ever find this pot of gold?” Aside from the combination of log drums and the Erhu, nothing spectacular comes from the record. The writing feels like a repeated formula that can be seen across some of his songs. In “Bahamas”, Young Jonn continues his search for love and pursues a life of ease.
The Magicsticks-produced “Aquafina” is a refreshing addition to Jiggy Forever. Originally released in 2023, “Aquafina” mirrors Young Jonn’s perspective on love. Unlike most people who intend to fight for their love affair if it is ever challenged, Young Jonn does quite the opposite here. He sings, “Even-eventually even if you don’t love me again You should just tell me like this (o like this) Cause tomorrow if my feelings start to change, you go know I don tell you before”. The songwriting is elevated a little as his words portray his emotions and capture a turbulent relationship.
In the next record, “Big Big Things” Young Jonn is extremely passionate about the subject matter, even if it is a woman’s backside. He is aggressive and unashamed as he screams the line, “Big big things ni mo like”. He enlists Kizz Daniel and Seyi Vibez for a standout collaboration, as Yung Willis’ expert hands blend each artistes’ diverse delivery into an exciting record that might just be the hit record from Jiggy Forever. Kizz Daniel sweeps into the record with his ever-confident delivery and impressive wordplay, “One time no fit do me to follow for threesome/emi o’te le omo mummy baddie m’ani mo like”. Two things that make this record striking; the individuality of each artiste stands out, and the way Young Jonn’s signature style shines through to make the record a perfect blend of different elements. The sound engineer and Yung Willis did an impressive job. “Bucket List”, which comes next, is the artiste’s love letter to his love interest. He compares their love affair to a wish fulfilled, like ticking something off a bucket list. He relies on cliche nursery rhymes and words like “Eminado” and “Toyin Tomato”, using “the age is just a number” narrative that may remind a listener of a childhood crush, but as adults, it might not have the same effect.
“Showcase” is another dull record in this project. The bland lyricism makes this a forgettable record. The recurring chorus “Showcase showcase, make dem leave me make I showcase”, makes me wonder what exactly Young Jonn wants to showcase. Blaqbonez’s appearance on the record seems like an exciting feature but adds little excitement to the record.
“Jeje” is a love song that shows Young Jonn’s viewpoint of love. In this record, he promises to treat his lover like a queen and describes how enchanting she is. With “Stronger” the artiste pays tribute to his mother. He describes his mother’s best features, and for the first time on this project, Young Jonn confronts his pain.
Sean Paul’s distinguishable patois delivery starts “Hold On”. Together, Young Jonn and Sean Paul deliver a memorable sensual song reminiscent of Wizkid’s “Essence”. “Hold On” is one of the brightest spots on Jiggy Forever. The smooth layers of the song’s production will definitely draw listeners into the soundscape both artistes create. The guitar strings and violin create a highly sensual atmosphere that is elevated perfectly by both their evocative vocals. The sensual atmosphere in “Hold On” trickles down to “Maya Maya” where the Ya Levis feature is a smart move. He delivers a verse that will give listeners enough reason to return to the song because of how the Congolese artiste navigates the record delivering to make a memorable verse.
The Afropop record “50 Billion” comes on next with Zlatan’s adlibs ushering listeners in. With this song, Young Jonn delivers a party jam. As usual, Zlatan’s added adlibs that consist of a language only the artiste understands is both a comical and exciting feature. Altogether the song switches up the pace of the project, but it doesn’t make as much impact as the singers may have intended. By the time we get to “Full My Tank”, Young Jonn has exhausted everything in his lyrical arsenal. The verses on most of the records begin to sound alike and get clumsy, and it almost feels like the same technique is regurgitated in each record. Don Jazzy hops on “Full My Tank” with a juvenile verse, focusing more on merging words that sound symmetric. But just because the lyrics are symmetrical does not mean it makes any sense.
“Shine Shine” is an ode to Young Jonn’s resilient spirit, while in “Sharpally”, the artiste boasts of his ability to solve the problems of his lover. The same technique of mashing sweet words together and cliche rhymes seen in previous records like “Jeje”, “Bucket List”, and “Showcase” appear once again.
The project ends with “Go Hard”, a song dedicated to brotherhood and hard work. Young Jonn delivers a relatable record that documents the struggles of young men in a society that stereotypes them or pushes them to a life of crime. Here, the artiste embodies the persona of a disadvantaged young man who has dealt with life’s sharp edges. The accompanying music video portrays Young Jonn and Lil Kesh as young boys hustling on the streets of Lagos. But like characters in Jade Osiberu’s Gangs of Lagos, their innocent path to making an honest living is derailed.
Jiggy Forever explores themes of love, hustle, heartbreak, and grief, serving as a bold declaration of Young Jonn’s identity. But it falls short of delivering the emotional depth and lyrical prowess expected from such a debut endeavour. Throughout the album, Young Jonn’s approach to various topics, from love to ambition, is marked by a casual demeanour and a penchant for catchy melodies. For an album that houses 16 tracks, listening to the same predictable pattern gets tiring. Despite the moments of brilliance, such as the collaboration with Kizz Daniel, Seyi Vibez, Ya Levis, and the sensual allure of “Hold On”, the album struggles with predictability.
Jiggy Forever is Young Jonn putting a strong foot forward as an artiste, but the album falls short in terms of lyrical depth and replay value. As he states on “Bahamas”, “I don’t want to do too much. I’m in my element”, he doesn’t exactly put in the effort. His intentions are clear and this reverberates throughout the project, yet less is not enough. The same lacklustre delivery and sparse lyrics on the project rob Young Jonn of the glamour and excitement expected from a debut album. As Young Jonn navigates his path as an artiste, there is a clear need for refinement and evolution to captivate audiences.
Lyricism – 0.6
Tracklisting – 1.4
Sound Engineering –1.9
Vocalisation – 0.7
Listening Experience – 0.7
Rating – 5.3/10
Hope Ibiale is a writer and journalist. She has a keen interest in music, film, and literature. You can connect with Hope on X @hopeibiale and via email: hopeibiale@afrocritik.com.