On “too slow” he teams up with vocalist K Soul and together they deliver this sublime afrobeats-infused love jam that blends West African elements with contemporary afropop. Over the deep bassline and undeniable percussion-driven groove, K Soul leads the charge with her sultry melodic runs. Kofi also comes through with his distinct melody-infused raps that dwell on keeping his partner satisfied. The guitar-driven “lifeguard” continues Kofi’s love theme run as he once again brings forth his melodic side. The track has a summer vibe and sees the rapper pontificating on that special someone who he has his eyes on.
“anno domini” sets off the later part of the project with its dark synths, moody pads and snapping trap drums. Here, Kofi addresses some issues that have been plaguing him, from the never-ending life cycle of struggles, faltering faith and the desire to be successful. He shows resilience with lines like“Came from a broken home like Pinnochio, I was willing to lie for this/I was willing to die for this/ Are You willing to die” but doesn’t shy away from his inner troubles with lines like “My mind’s so clear but I still hear demons on the radio”. “don’t lie to me” makes use of a playful synth lead-driven bouncy groove and follows Kofi’s experiences as love between him and a lady blossoms. Here, he doesn’t shy away from being vulnerable with matters of the heart. The final track “purple lights” is an autobiography of some sort as Kofi details his past life and how his immediate environment affected him for better or worse. From lacking purpose, running the streets like a wild child to developing knowledge of self and patterning up.
Overall Purple Child Blues offers listeners a range of sounds and styles that bridge Kofi’s West African roots with UK hip-hop and R&B aesthetics. Lyrically, he surely holds his own and easily crafts heartfelt and relatable songs and his ability to be vulnerable and sincere is an added plus.
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