Jah-Femi Telewa – “Swollen Beast” / “GOOD Man”

Jah-Femi Telewa – “Swollen Beast” / “GOOD Man” – Singles Review

For sure, I’m interested.

I’ll tell you this with complete certainty though…I don’t think in my twenty-five years of music journalism that I’ve ever come across a song that’s barely over ninety-seconds in total length that comes with like, two pages of information to break it all down like Jah-Femi Telewa’s “Swollen Beast” has online.  Don’t get me wrong, I come from the generation where liner notes were my favorite reading material, and you don’t really see too much of that out there in the digital realm by comparison.  While it’s clearly a very lengthy write-up on what “Swollen Beast” is about, and the multiple perspectives that it’s been written with, you can take comfort in the fact that if you wanna learn more about it, the information is definitely out there.  What I love more-so than the raw data over-analyzing music in a situation where the people listening are just gonna internalize what they hear and make it about whatever means something to them anyway, is that at least you can tell that Jah-Femi spends a significant amount of time immersed in his craft and considering the words he chooses.  That matters a lot in the world I’m coming from y’all.

Anyhow.  I really like what I hear in “Swollen Beast” and felt like this track was a stellar introduction to the music Jah-Femi is making.  It’s artful, it’s poetic, and it’s really well thought-out stuff.  From the opening Q&A that takes place as the music begins with such a noticeably curious vibe, to the slickness and fluidity of the beat that gets revealed from there as the music carries on and Telewa shifts gears from Spoken Word to Rap, to the immensely interesting way he approaches his bars with such natural character – “Swollen Beast” got my attention immediately.  I tend to like a lot of Spoken Word cuts in all kinds of various forms, and I love how much of that is included into this first impression, even if Jah-Femi does take “Swollen Beast” into distinctive Rap terrain as the song plays on.  Don’t get me wrong, I dig that too – I’ve got lots of love for Rap, Hip-Hop, Trap and more…if it’s done right, of course.  Where Jah-Femi scores a big win on “Swollen Beast” isn’t by flexing a whole lot of verbal variety in terms of his delivery, but rather through the personality he brings to the bars and the brilliance of his penmanship.  I don’t think you could listen to the words of this track and not come out with an appreciation for how much effort he’s put into his lyricism – Telewa proves to be quite the modern-day poet on “Swollen Beast” when it comes right down to it.  He spits clearly, confidently, and professionaly…all that good stuff – but again, where he’s getting his biggest wins is in committing to the moment itself, and really allowing himself to connect with the material.  Hence the extensive liner notes y’all…you only get content like that from an artist that is really engaged in what they create, and through the addictive blend of substance & style on “Swollen Beast,” you can really understand how connection yields results.  Jah-Femi kind of reminds me of Stormzy with the level of art and dedication he applies to his material.

As far as “GOOD Man” is concerned, you’ll find Jah-Femi takes a step back from the center of the spotlight on this second cut from The Hard Way EP, bringing in an anonymous singer to sing his words.  Still at the helm of his work for the writing and vocal arrangement, I think one of the real hallmarks of visionary artists is that they know when it’s the right time to try something new, and they also tend to be more than willing to experiment with their creativity.  At the end of the day, there’s really no room for ego in the creation of art, and I think it speaks positively of Jah-Femi’s personality & professionalism to see & hear in a track like “GOOD Man” that he doesn’t need to be in complete control of every single thing.  Sharing the spotlight, or simply seeing what else can be done with your material through different collaborations, can be some of the most satisfying and rewarding things we can do in the art of making music – and between you & me, it’s also one of the smartest ways to evolve your own skillset in the process.  You level up naturally as an individual by working with others; we take pieces of what works from every experience, learn from them, and continually refine our work as a result.  “GOOD Man” still possesses that highly poetic approach that Telewa brings to his music, and I felt like the singer that he found to bring his words to life on this song was very much the right choice.  I mean, I’m gonna be real with you as always and tell you that I’m not necessarily arguing that “GOOD Man” has the degree of accessibility that’s gonna be easy for the masses to absorb – because I don’t feel like that’s the case – but I do believe that the kind of uniqueness you’ll find in the performance is the kind you’ll remember.  As I spun my way through “GOOD Man” for the first time, I wasn’t fully convinced that Jah-Femi had found the right voice for his words – but that’s often the case when you’re really hearing something new.  It takes a moment or two on the listening end to adjust and appreciate what we’re hearing in situations like that, and the proof is always in the pudding, as they say – by the second spin you’ll really start to appreciate the specialness in the artful way the singer sings, and with each subsequent spin from there, “GOOD Man” continues to prove its allure has a sound that is guaranteed to bring you back for more.  Dig the vibe, dig the content, and by the time I ended up writing this review, I really felt like I came to the conclusion that, not only was the singer the right choice for this song, it was an outright insightful choice by Telewa to bring her talents aboard.  She’s stunning to listen to, and much like what I loved about “Swollen Beast” beforehand, it’s a reflection of what real commitment sounds like, and artists that are capable of surrendering to the moment, giving it everything they got, and going where the song is genuinely trying to take them.  I’m highly impressed by both these tracks from Jah-Femi Telewa – they’re anti-typical for sure, but they’re fantastic to listen to & a significant win for audible art.

Find out more about Jah-Femi Telewa from his official website at:  https://jahfemitelewa.com

Fun fact – did you know some of the most capable minds and amazing musicians you’ve ever known STILL can’t find the right way to submit their music to us?  You’d think it’d be easy, given that it’s right there on the main page of our site, yet the battle still continues!  Click here to be the next up on our pages – it’s really that simple!