MartinsFeelz Taps Up the Hustle Spirit For “Ishe”

Martin Feelz Ishe

Adeyemi David

Within Afrobeats, street-hop is a way of life. As a sub-genre, it is the soundtrack to the bubbly underbelly of urban cities. It has always existed within its niche in Afrobeats and has evolved progressively over the years in tandem with the genre as a whole. Street-hop music, though, maintains its identity as the collective voice of the people that speaks on what it takes to survive when you come from less than enviable circumstances.

MartinsFeelz understands that perfectly as he teams up with Kayzmoore for the record “Ishe”. The record portrays the trials and effort that comes with creating opportunities for oneself against the odds. With an aspirational tone, “Ishe” captures the essence of street-hop in its 2:44 minutes. The duo takes turns trading their perspectives on personal advancement backed by catchy, kicking production.

The record is pushed forward with drums and kicks, and they serve as the background around which other elements of the production revolves. MartinsFeelz finds home in this, crafting a simple cadence that helps his verse to progress nicely. Simplicity was MartinsFeelz’s strategy for the songwriting of “Ishe”, and it allowed the listener to appreciate the value of the instrumental. The result is a sincere record with a subtle bounce and simple lyrics that can lead a listener to burst in a singalong.

Mr. Vonn crafts a progressive structure with the “Ishe” instrumental. This allows MartinsFeelz and Kayzmoore to weave cohesive verses between the production’s bars. Their performances are significant and indicative of their undeniable talent as songwriters. MartinsFeelz, Kayzmoore and Mr. Vonn have crafted a record that adds to quality on show within Street-hop and Afrobeats as a whole.

Performances like these from the trio expands the boundaries of what is possible within Afrobeats. The evolution of the genre is down to songs like these that explores new instrumentation while retaining the essence of the genre. The elements of sound and production which Mr Vonn communicates through “Ishe” keeps me confident that the Afrobeat genre would always be in the forefront of international appeal.