DREADY CHRIST WILL LIKELY BE CAMEROON’S BIGGEST URBAN ACT.
If that title caught your attention it is surely because of one of three reasons. First, you are probably asking who the f-word Dready Christ is. Secondly, you know who the f-word he is and you probably do not agree. Third, you are probably telling yourself “at last! PoiseSocial is finally talking about Dready and giving him the accolades he deserves.”
The title of this article is no doubt one of the boldest things I have ever said in a very long time and I am ready to bet something valuable on it. I am no soothsayer but I clearly remember meeting Tenor’s first manager, Dex Willy, just barely two years ago when Tenor was doing gigs at snack bars in Essos Yaoundé and trying his best to book radio appearances. I told Dex Willy Tenor was definitely going places. My spider senses had tingled when I had listened to a number of Tenor’s songs. And it happened; Tenor has been going places.
My spider senses have been tingling for the past 6 days since I discovered the Dready Christ and have been listening to his music. And it didn’t take me to listen to more than 5 songs on his EP to know that Dready Christ, with good management and good career choices, will possibly be as big as Wizkid. That’s a bold assertion, I know.
And I weigh my words very carefully. Simply because…
Dready Christ is good!
It was only after I went back and forth on a few YouTube videos that I realised that I had seen him in a song before. The song was “Ici au Camer” by the now-defunct hip-hop group ‘PIM BOYS’. Some of you may know that Ko-C (who was the center of discussion on this platform on Monday) was a member of that group before it split. The song also has one of the best videos I have seen from a Cameroonian director (Dr Nkeng)
I remember that when I watched the video for “Ici au camer” barely two years ago, I was blown away by Dready Christ who went by the name of ‘Dreaded Christ’ back then. He sang the hook in the song and rapped as well.
Dready is a talented individual. It doesn’t too much listening to his material to see the evidence. But the most interesting about him is how much of MULTI-LAYERED artiste is. He glides easily between different styles; rap, trap, dancehall, Trap’n’B and a slow-influenced technique which alone seems to master.
What is intriguing about him is the fact that he does not appear to be a dilettante with these different music styles. He masters each one! His rapping is GOOD! He has great lyrics, a good flow, good technique and a style of his own! I have long refrained from comparing one rapper against the other on this platform but I can assure you that many of the popular rappers out today are not fit to tie Dready’s sandals.
On the song “Too long” he shows his singing ability in a dancehall/trap/soul influenced song which is my no doubt my coup de Coeur on his EP. Too long is soulful trap/dancehall ballad where he cries for a loved one with piercing lyrics and vocals; a testament to his writing abilities.
I played his EP the whole weekend and I am amazed at the talent that we have in Dready. I am no music expert but I do listen to quite a lot of music and I can honestly confirm that if we were to have one true, international urban act that could collaborate with a wide array of musicians from diverse musical backgrounds (Afropop, Afrobeats, Caribbean dancehall and reggae, Trap’n’B, and rap) and make his mark, it would be Dready. His versatility, slickness, and skill in these different genres place him a good number of paces ahead of everyone else already.
Another thing I like about him is his apparent eccentricity. I’ve watched him in four music videos and seen a few pics of his on Instagram and his dressing conveys a lot about who he is as an artist; an unconventional one. Which is something, I think, plays in his favour if he is going to spread his talent across a diverse number of fields and work with people from different musical backgrounds.
For now, I hope he keeps working on his craft and keeps honing his skills and keeps being him; carefree, eccentric, unconventional. I hope the right people cross his path and lead him to where he I personally think he ought to be.
If you want to discover this talented artiste, I have three YouTube links for you. I chose these 3 songs specifically because each song is a different genre and shows his skill in that area.
MI&MICLIQ (me and my clique) - Ragga & Hip-hop
Too long – Trap’n’B and Carribean Dancehall slow
