The Glory is the sixth studio album by Nigerian rapper Olamide. It was released on 26 December 2016 through YBNL Nation, and features guest appearances from Davolee, Wande Coal, Burna Boy, Phyno, Sossick and Akuchi. Production was handled by Pheelz, Shizzi, Paul Cleverlee, Young Jonn, DwillsHarmony, Major Bangz, H.O.D, 2Kriss and Sossick while mixing and mastering was handled by B.Banks. The album serves as a follow-up to Eyan Mayweather (2015).
Background
Olamide announced the name and release date to the album on 18 November 2016, stating that "It’ll be a hip hop album this time, no experimenting, just rap. I’m doing this for the culture and hardcore fans." The album, released on 26 December 2016, coinciding with his third OLIC (Olamide Live in Concert) at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Victoria Island.[2]
He revealed the tracklist to the album on 17 December 2016.[3]
Singles
The album's lead single is the remix to his 2016 hit single "Who You Epp?." The remix, titled "Who You Epp? (Refix)," features vocals from Wande Coal and Phyno and was released on 26 April 2016 with production being handled by Shizzi.[4] The second single "Owo Blow" was released on 20 August 2016 and was produced by Major Bangz.[5] The third single "Omo Wobe Anthem" features Burna Boy and was released on 6 December 2016. The song was produced by Pheelz.[6] The fourth and final single, the Dwills-produced[3] intro to the album, was released on 19 December 2016. Its accompanying music video was directed by Mr. Moe Musa.[7][8]
Commercial performance
The Glory debuted at number six on the Billboard World Albums chart and spent two weeks on the chart.[9]
Critical reception
Jonathan Ekowho of Pulse Nigeria praised The Glory for its honest portrayal of Olamide's street roots and lyrical prowess, noting that "he wins for effort... and above all, he wins for the streets," though he remarked that the album still fell short of being a classic street project. He gave it a rating of 3.5 out of 5.[10]
Will Fred of YNaija praised The Glory for its thematic simplicity, strong production, and Olamide’s return to his rap roots, noting that "critics... can finally point to The Glory and consider it the one fine moment where Olamide almost had it all together."[11]
Osareme Edeoghon of Music in Africa described The Glory as Olamide's most stylish rap album of 2016, highlighting his commitment to local collaborations and themes that explore his legacy and societal issues, noting that "no matter what we do, they'll never respect us."[12]
