Music is one of the most powerful art forms ever created, but its magic lies in how it’s received. For music to truly work its wonders, it needs to reach people. Sadly, in today’s world, that access often depends on how resourceful you are rather than how talented you might be. This reality places many independent artists in a tough position, struggling to be heard despite their creativity. But change is coming. A new community has emerged to give independent voices the platform they deserve — Cosamote, a creative collective built by and for independent artists, bringing together some of the country’s finest talents to collaborate and showcase their artistry. Each year, the community curates a signature project that reflects their shared vision and artistic spirit. It all began with the announcement of Files’26 — a 13-track project themed around love, curated with passion and purpose.
The album opens with “Consistency” featuring Caleb Clay and Jamz fr, a record built on heavy hip-hop instrumentals that Caleb Clay navigates effortlessly with his smooth, confident delivery. Jamz complements the energy with an R&B-driven direction, creating a seamless blend between their distinct styles. It then transitions into a slower, more tender rhythm on “One + One” featuring Musta4a and Fimi, a heartfelt piece where Musta4a leads with vulnerable vocals, delivering what feels like a love letter to his partner. Fimi unveils a new dimension of her artistry here, balancing soulful singing with her signature rap flow, showcasing both range and emotional depth.
The project’s versatility remains at the forefront with “Set The Fire” featuring Musta4a, Suurshi, and Fimi, a track steeped in ‘90s funk and dance influences. Suurshi takes charge of the vibrant chorus, elevating the tempo, while Fimi’s rap verse adds an edge to the groove. Notably, the inclusion of a bridge which is a nearly lost art in today’s music further enriches the record’s composition. The album’s collaborative spirit shines throughout, making it a multi-layered project filled with sonic textures worth deep exploration. This dynamic continues on the next record, “Set The Fire" where Creen Caesar and Caleb Clay reunite on a 90s-inspired boom bap track tinged with a nostalgic softness, leading perfectly into one of the project’s standout moments—“Sweetest Taboo” featuring Adebaby and Jamz fr. The song opens with the sound of a Chinese gong before ushering in Adebaby’s tender vocals gentle, heartfelt, and steeped in vulnerability. Together, he and Jamz deliver a touching duet about a complicated love, chanting “loving you is my sweetest taboo” Jamz’s verse, filled with emotional honesty, completes the record’s minimalist yet deeply intimate allure.
The mood shifts once again with “It’s Not My Fault (Me vs My Ex)” featuring Tiwi and Suurshi. Here, Tiwi adopts a storytelling rap style from the perspective of a woman confronting her partner’s emotional neglect. Suurshi delivers a soaring, soulful hook packed with passion and precision. The second verse flips the narrative, giving voice to the man’s side of the story as he reflects on his partner’s effort and love. It’s a cinematic, inventive record—an example of how imagination and artistry intertwine across the album. Suurshi’s presence begins to feel almost inevitable as the interlude “Take It” drifts intoba lone moment of intimacy where she stands as the only voice in the room. The record breathes through soft piano chords that feel like heartbeats in the dark, and she surrenders to their rhythm, her voice aching with yearning. With every whisper of “take it” in the background, she sounds like someone offering her heart to the fire, knowing it might burn, yet willing to feel the warmth.
Then comes “Pamukutu” featuring Musta4a and Adebaby, opening with tender guitar strings that feel like the gentle unraveling of emotion. Musta4a glides over the strings, his voice carrying the ache of a confession, telling his lover that even after all his wrongs, his desire for her still lingers like smoke after a flame. His verse sets the emotional temperature for the record, leading seamlessly into Adebaby’s reflection: “sometimes we have to get it wrong before we get it right” An admission of human flaw wrapped in the promise of growth. Together, they create a sonic painting of vulnerability and redemption, where love stands both as a wound and a cure.
“Not Enough” featuring Musta4a and Creen Caesar flips the tone entirely, replacing tenderness with bravado. The opening line“One girl, two girl not enough” bursts out like a declaration of indulgence. Musta4a’s voice dances on temptation’s edge, while Creen Caesar joins him, both embodying the archetype of the playboy who mistakes motion for freedom. It’s a lovely performance of lust as lifestyle. That same energy spills into “IJGB” featuring Tiwi and Amakah, a flirtatious back-and-forth that plays out like a late-night conversation between two people caught in the wrong kind of right. Tiwi’s bars are smooth, confessional yet confident as he makes his intentions clear while admitting he’s already entangled elsewhere. Amakah meets his tone with a wink and a whisper, embodying temptation’s echo, ready for the thrill of the moment. “Omo Mummy” featuring Creen Caesar and Fimi dives into the playful side of intimacy. Built on a lively highlife rhythm, the record brims with humor and flirtation. Creen Caesar raps with the charm of a man trying to break through polite resistance, painting scenes of desire restrained by circumstance. Fimi answers him with teasing wit, her verse turning hesitation into an art form. The story feels like a conversation between mischief and affection.
Hip-hop reclaims the stage on “In Your Dreams” featuring Reespect and Rozzz, a record pulsing with the bounce of early 2000s swagger. The beat evokes the spirit of 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg, and Reespect steps into that legacy with razor-sharp verses and unapologetic poise. Her flow moves like smoke. Elusive, and dangerous. Rozzz follows with a verse that complements her fire, together narrating the story of an obsessive ex, turning heartbreak into theatre. It’s nostalgia reborn, breathing new life into old-school rhythm.
The curtain falls with “Ololufe” featuring Adebaby and Amakah, a soul-stirring finale steeped in brass and longing. The trumpets weep softly as Adebaby bares his heart, pleading for a love on the verge of fading. His voice feels like rain on an old windowpane, steady, sincere, unrelenting. Amakah, weary yet resolute, sings of her desire to leave, to free herself from the cycle of promises. Their duet becomes a dialogue between love and exhaustion, between apology and pride. When Adebaby confesses his need and admits his faults, the song blooms into a quiet surrender. An ending that feels more like a sigh than a full stop.
Files’26 stands as a testament to artistic range and emotional depth, it's a body of work that thrives on collaboration, chemistry, and creative fearlessnes. Every moment feels deliberate yet organic, like artists meeting at the intersection of vulnerability and expression. What makes the album remarkable isn’t just its diversity of sound, but the way it captures the emotional spectrum of the said theme, Love. From desire and devotion to tension, regret, and forgiveness, the way the artists blend and collide like brushstrokes on a shared canvas and also pushing the next towards greater innovation. Files'26 is the sound of a collective in sync, building something that’s a living, breathing conversation about love, growth, and the beauty of imperfection.
