Dancehall sensation Saddam Ayire commonly known as Vyper Ranking has finally released his 7-track The Tryst Extended play (EP) which features his Winnie Nwagi-assisted ‘Take It Slow’ song, ‘Gwookya’ as well as five other well-crafted tunes.
Released on Friday, October 28, 2022, across all digital streaming platforms, the EP places Vyper Ranking lightyears ahead of colleagues for reasons you are yet to learn. The EP’s tone was set by beat maker, Nexo Beats who produced most songs on the project as Vyper shared writing credits with Mukisa Paul and other writers.
First things first, Vyper lyrically went vulnerable on a number of tracks, contrary to the notion that dancehall musicians should be ”hard-guys” and tough.
The EP portrays Vyper as a romantic lyricist, yet a true and loyal student of dancehall music. The singer is heard confessing his love for a mystery woman on his Nexo Beats-produced ‘Number One’ song which is a cocktail of Patois, Luganda, and English.
On ‘Take It Slow’, Vyper finally got the opportunity to publicly confess his affection for fellow musician, Winnie Nwagi. In his September 2022 interview with KFM’s Lynda Ddane, Vyper confessed how he and Nwagi had reached the chatting stage. Well, the singer is heard praising Nwagi’s body while switching lines with the Swangz Avenue songbird, and boy, we can only imagine how studio time went.
Lyrically speaking (8/10), Vyper earns some points for the “sick” Patois flow while maintaining meaning and decency. The singer showed his team-making skills when he bonded perfectly with John Blaq on ‘Mukwano Gwo’ and with Ghana’s Magnom on ‘Bend n Pause.’ Whether Patois still sells in Uganda, is left for the audience to decide.
Production and Mastering (7/10): The singer’s ‘10 Outta 10’ is arguably the most well-produced and mastered tune off this body of work. The smooth dancehall tune has that jazz feel and of course, the saxophone made it way different from other songs on the EP. The combination of producers Bomba, Nexo, and Malik Make earns Vyper more points for delivering quality in a range of unique sounds.
In conclusion, Vyper Ranking has shown great improvement since Controller, Kululwo, and other older songs that shaped his career. Go look for The Tryst EP and tell us what you think.
