Wordsmith Vector conveys heartfelt tales of pain as he teams up with Cracker Mallo to confront the racing thoughts in his head. He flutters between various themes like the skewed relationship between clergy men and their flock . Rather than a case where they serve and guide the people, the order reverses. They preach a message of hope while they feed fat of the sweat and coins of their congregation ‘like how does the man of god become the god of men, rich leader in a poor crowd’.
He moves on to the subject of building collapses with victims including children. This brings your mind quickly to the seven story building collapse at Lekki on the 4th of September, 2022. Greed and corruption are major causes of building collapse in this country. Regulatory bodies do not do their jobs. Buildings that shouldn’t be approved are approved, no proper monitoring of constructions and developers make use of sub-standard products all in a quest to make sky-high profits. At the end of the day, innocent people pay the price with their lives.
Most Importantly, he doesn’t forget to touch on the constant harassment of the youths which set the backdrop for the #ENDSARS protests which swept through the country a year ago. 20-10-2022 was the one year anniversary of the Nigerian government opening fire on peaceful protesters fighting for their right to life. This song is in memory of the event. As Vector recounts his real-time observation of the injustices in this country, they induce in him a sleeping disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep, hence the title of the song ‘Insomnia’. In a state of bewilderment, he asks ‘ what the fuck you mean end sars, don’t you care about lives lost x2, don’t you love your own children, how would you feel if they left yours, the way I feel when you shoot the boys, assault rifle, shoot the toys, how did you feel when you saw it, the videos, and you saw a few more’
Cracker Mallo offers a top-notch rendition on the chorus that evokes feelings of sadness, maybe anger or despair for others. Ayodeji Olowu, popularly known as Cracker Mallo, is a prolific Nigerian music producer and singer. Born on the 18th of August 1996, he hails from the Lagos Island region of Lagos state, Nigeria. Over the years, Cracker Mallo has contributed to the production of a number of hit songs that have won awards, such as Seeed’s “Ticket” (“an Award Winning, High Profiled 11 Man-Band based in Berlin, Germany”), Ricky Dietz’s “Don’t Touch My Face,” Olamide’s “Wonma” and “Pawon,” Tiwa Savage’s “Dangerous Love,” Fireboy DML’s “Jealous,” “Sope” by Mayorkun; “ZZZ,” “Oloun,” and “Antidote” by Mr. Real, “Mad” by Vector the Viper and a host of many others.
Watch the video to Insomnia here, directed by Olu The Wave and tell us what feelings this song evokes in you.
