Nine years after his debut Homecoming, JoulesDaKid returns with University of Lamba, an institutional project where streetsmarts, swagger, and stylistic experimentation form the core curriculum. The 17-track Hip-Hop body of work gathers a diverse class of collaborators; Prettyboy D-O, Ice Prince, Major AJ, SGaWD, Mojo AF, Tsuni, Ajebutter22, and BankyOnDBeatz, each contributing their own energy to this sonic campus. Rooted in Nigerian street nuance while leaning confidently on UK stylistic sensibilities, the album plays like both a memoir and a thesis.
The journey begins with “Orientation Day” , a cinematic skit that ushers listeners through the gates of this metaphorical university. It sets the tone for a guided tour into JDK’s worldview. From there, the syllabus kicks off with “MMTS (More Money Than Sense)” a bass-heavy Hip-Hop entry where JDK raps like someone fully aware of his own shine. He flexes with intention, laying down braggadocio not as empty boasts but as measured affirmations of a man operating in full command of his craft. The energy shifts seamlessly into “Nico Town” where JDK rides a drill instrumental with the confidence of someone straddling two worlds. He lets his Mainland identity bleed through every pocket of the beat, grounding his UK-influenced flows with Nigerian grit. His decision to stay rooted, even while stretching his sound across borders, becomes a central theme. The album’s pulse elevates on “Bo Card” featuring Prettyboy D-O. Over a heavy Amapiano backdrop, both artists glide with the ease of men who have weathered the chaos of Lagos nightlife and returned with trophies. It’s a song about money, motion, and milestones. An anthem for anyone who has ever felt themselves leveling up in real time.
Comic relief cuts through with “Course Registration Wahala” a humorous skit that doubles as a crash course in street etiquette. Its playful energy transitions into “10 Bottles” featuring Ice Prince, where the Amapiano shakers carry the record like a procession into the late-night dancefloor. JDK clearly builds this one for DJs—rhythms that reward repetition and a hook that slides into the bloodstream. Ice Prince complements the record effortlessly, almost indistinguishable from the fabric of the chorus—proof of chemistry years in the making. “Fake Love” with Major AJ stands out as one of the album’s most inventive fusions as a meeting point between Afrobeats warmth and rap’s narrative hardness. Major AJ’s cadence dances across the percussion, chanting against insincere affection, while JDK delivers a technically sharp verse layered with vivid storytelling. It’s the kind of collaboration that reveals depth with every replay.
Another skit, “Exam Day” swings the album back into its comedic undertones, an interlude steeped in the kind of exaggerated panic and coded street wisdom that anyone familiar with Nigerian culture can instantly relate to. The Amapiano pulse resurfaces with renewed intensity on “Italia” featuring SGaWD, a record that balances groove and grit. SGaWD enters like a spark, over the shakers and thumping log drums, she moulds her tone carefully, switching between sultry assurance and pointed delivery, while JDK stays nimble beside her, interpolating slick rap cadences with pop-leaning melodies. The chemistry is measured yet exciting, the kind that feels like two artists building a bridge between swagger and elegance. Drill returns with full force on “Omo Yoruba” featuring MOJO AF, easily one of the album’s most explosive pairings. Here, both rappers sound like fighters entering an arena with ironclad flows, gravel in their voices, and an aggressive synergy that makes every bar feel like a blow struck in unison.
The emotional tide of the album shifts noticeably as the narrative steps into softer terrain with “Reconnect” featuring Tsuni and “Stubborn” featuring Ajebutter22. “Reconnect” is built on airy synths and warm percussive accents, giving Tsuni the perfect backdrop to spill vulnerable truths. Her vocals stretch like silk over the instrumental, carrying the ache of longing and the desire to rebuild fractured intimacy. JDK responds with verses that feel more journaled than performed lines dipped in regret, clarity, and understated affection. On “Stubborn,” Ajebutter22 reinforces this emotional pivot with his signature laid-back charm. He floats effortlessly over the beat, almost conversational in tone, as he navigates themes of love, resistance, and emotional negotiation. JoulesDaKid complements him with introspective reflections, opening small windows into a personal life that had previously been guarded by bravado. After a curriculum dominated by hustle, masculine posturing, and street-coded survival, these two tracks gently dismantle the armour, revealing softer, untouched corners of JDK’s psyche. It’s a deliberate decrescendo, one that humanizes the protagonist and rounds out the album’s emotional arc with maturity and intention.
The closing arc begins with “Confidence Before Compliments” a top tier record where JDK peels back layers of experience. His delivery is passion-soaked, weighing personal hurdles, industry turbulence, and moments of self-realization. It plays like a diary entry written at dawn, very honest, unfiltered, and resolute. The campus tour winds down with “Finisher” featuring BankyOnDBeatz, a percussion-driven Street-pop cut loaded with lamba and nightlife energy. It’s fun, fiery, and celebratory and acts as a fitting prelude to the final skit, “Graduation Day.” Here, JDK closes the loop, awarding the listener a metaphorical Lamba degree for making it through his conceptual institution.
University of Lamba is a layered and ambitious album that thrives on its thematic consistency. JoulesDaKi constructs an entire world where skits serve as academic checkpoints, genres cross-pollinate like interdisciplinary studies, and each feature adds texture to the narrative. At its best, the album is a fusion of street wisdom, UK influence, and Lagos bravado, wrapped in a conceptual framework that gives the project both personality and purpose. This is JoulesDaKid presenting an album built as a full-fledged institution, one where he becomes professor, student, and storyteller simultaneously, guiding us through every corridor of his sonic campus.
