Jeriq aka Jeriq the hussla is known for his fluent use of the native Igbo language belonging to the Eastern residence of Nigeria. In a short while, the fast-rising rapper has made a mark on the Nigerian Hip-Hop scene as one of the best lyrical and hardest new rappers; he released his debut album, ‘Billion Dollar Dream’ last year (26 May 2022), and now, he blessed the music world with the new second edition, ‘Billion Dollar Dream (Deluxe)’.
Previously laced with 12 tracks, this new second edition brings 6 new songs, amounting to 18 over all tracks in the deluxe. The track arrangement is pretty much similar to its original edition, except for the fact that the 6 new songs are added after the 12 former songs.
The new songs in order of arrangement, that is, tracks 13-18 are: ‘Active’, ‘Bondage’, ‘Payment Slip’, ‘Akpofegom’, ‘My Bro’, and ‘Stepping Up’. The only new featured act in the deluxe is Phyno on ‘My Bro’, marking the second time both acts have jumped on the same track together.
Just like the original version, Billion Dollar Dream (Deluxe) preaches grit, hard work, and perseverance required to make it to the top of the money chain. Jeriq makes sure to keep all songs in check, doing well to follow the original story of having to endure suffering from a young age, before finding a passion for music, and hustling to get to his present state of status in the industry and the society by large.
One thing Jeriq does well is representing his heritage dutifully anytime he has the chance while also building a connection with his listeners, irrespective of whether they understand his dialect or not; Igbo Highlife production is a sparsely used sound in the album but shined brightly because of Jeriq’s efficiency when it comes to murking instrumentals.
Hip-Hop Drill and Trap are the most dominant sounds production-wise. This matches Jeriq’s baritone voice which gives off a sense of authority anytime the rapper speaks. It also helped to give the album life and make it bouncy to the ears of non-Igbo-speaking listeners. A nice way to retain his core audience while making room for the new ones.
A standout production is that of ‘Stepping Up’ which samples the classic iPhone ringtone on a drill beat pack; an intuitive blend of creativity and skill.
Jeriq is not going anywhere until he achieves his Billion Dollar Dream. Listen to how he plans to achieve that in the new deluxe edition: