Big O made this album in his London home studio and didn’t announce it to the world beforehand, which is kind of nice for a change. He handled all the production himself, pulling inspiration from people like Madlib and J Dilla, but the end result sounds like him figuring out his own voice rather than copying anyone.
“Relaxing My Emotions” blends Afrobeats, hip-hop, and R&B together pretty seamlessly. The whole album sits in this relaxed space that still keeps your attention. Nothing’s overworked or unnecessarily complicated. IB Delight and Jeronimo G contributed to a couple tracks, but Big O’s fingerprints are all over this thing.
You get the sense he was trying stuff he hadn’t done before and just seeing where it went. Some experiments land better than others, but that’s part of why it’s interesting to listen to. He’s clearly moving away from his usual comfort zone and the results are worth checking out.
If you want to stay updated on what Big O does next and catch more of his work as it comes out, follow him on Spotify because this album shows he’s willing to take his music in unexpected directions.
