REVIEW: Kohen Jaycee – WENA II

By @TheCountMarkula

In 2019 (before covid), Kohen dropped the WENA EP. The Project had a number of crowd-pleasing bangers like “Twala Nze” and “No Letting go,” as well as the Gem that is “Ndi Naawe”. Kohen came through swinging and instantly had us looking forward to what else he had up his sleeve. After that, we did not get as much music as we expected, but he always released a song or two to remind us of the fire that he had in store. It feels like forever since he dropped his “Tellin’ me” single, but there have been a couple of more recent releases, such as his feature on Adrenalyn Muzik’s “Sukali” or on Cxnrvd’s “Love Me”

I remember when I first saw a tweet from Kohen letting us know that he was going to release new music. I was worried about getting my hopes up and ruining my listening experience with my expectations. I am a BIG fan of his music so naturally, I have big expectations. Luckily, the music on this WENA CHAPTER 2 project was more than enough to cater to whatever expectations one might have had. A couple of the songs on the project carry their weight, and then some!

The WENA II project starts with the familiar feeling of a Kohen x Axon collaboration. This makes it easy for us to get in the zone, strap in and take on the journey that is ahead of us. Once our guard is dropped, Kohen does not waste any time. He immediately hits us with yet another Axon collaboration, where the two show off their great understanding of each other’s musical needs and deliver “Siganye,” which is clearly an early fan favorite. It is only slightly over 2 minutes, so most times I have no choice but to play it twice just to maximize the epicness.

Kohen did not take his foot off the gas with the next song. So many smart choices were made on this one. I like that Kohen understands his voice and knows how to play within his range in order to make good music. Throughout the project, this sentiment stays true. Back to “EVA”! I could not help but rush to the credits to see who was behind the production. Everything about this song was vibrant from the writing to the vocal layout to the instruments. The energy was right. The whole thing was flames. I will not even talk about that Fire ending…

I have listened to the project as a whole over 20 times (not even exaggerating), but one of the reasons it has been so easy for me to do so, is the strength of the first three songs. The second half of the project was not too bad either. Kohen brought the features on board this time. He could have easily stayed in his comfort zone, but, with tracks like “Crazy Stupid Love” and “Look My Way,” he took a couple of risks and reminded us how versatile he is as an RnB artist.
Personally, the second half of the project was not as easy to listen to as the first, but the songs continue to grow on me and I can’t help but sing along. Kudos to Kohen for a job well done (Yet again).

I hope Ridym is in the kitchen cooking as well, because… We are ready!

Check out WENA II here