Blaqbonez explores Polyamory on new album Sex>Love

Somewhere in the midst of successful and failed conservative relationships, there is a growing interest in the concept of romantic relationships devoid of the numerous restrictions of a monogamous one. Stereotypes on what a relationship should be are being questioned and while some may see it as moral chaos, to Blaqbonez, it’s one of the freeing ways to be who they are…unapologetically.

Blaqbonez’ definition of love blankets everyone; from family, friends to special attachments to people and things. But the one form of love that sounds alien to him and merely sounds like a bag of erratic and forced responsibilities is romantic love.

Blaqbonez is a Nigerian rapper who burst into the Nigerian hip hop scene with witty and attention trapping freestyles and skits. Soon after his virality on the internet, he got signed to M.I Abaga’s Chocolate City and dished out hard-hitting bars, drenched in wit, rhythm and flow on his s 2019 release, Mr Boombastic, which debuted at #1 on Apple Music’s Top Album Chart. The rapper is not one known shy from the public eye and has always adopted a brilliantly abrasive way of keeping the fans involved and in the loop of his new releases. It is no surprise then that his debut album Sex>Love is a vulnerable yet truthful invitation into his romantic life.

From thinking there was something wrong with him in all his past relationships, it took a while to come to the realization that the fact that he was checking out mentally a week into new relationships did not make him weird. It just meant he had different preferences. And for the Nigerian musician, that means non-exclusive relationships – better known as polyamory.

Like Blaqbonez, there are many polyamorous people who are either still struggling to adapt to monogamy or have embraced this side of themselves and are meandering through life boldly standing by their ideals. There are also those who have tried monogamy, hated it and have sworn to make sure they never experience it. It is for this group that Blaqbonez made his debut album, Sex over Love (Sex > Love) for. The album represents his truth on matters of love, sex and relationships; The perfect take on modern relationships.

“That’s my reality,” BlaqBonez admits,  “I just have to be myself and make music that is true to me. Loverboys make their love songs. When I make love songs, I cringe. I have realized that is not who I am, so I have to make my own music about my own choices and that is what Sex>Love is. If you give me the chance to choose between sex and love I will choose sex 5 billion times.”

Consensual sex, for everyone who engages in it, is an exciting intimate affair meant to be enjoyed and Blaqbonez does not hold back in sharing his experiences and thoughts on the explicit 14 track project, Sex > Love. From touching on brotherly love and loyalty on Zombie to singing and rapping about women, money, and sex …the gospel according to Sex > Love preaches one thing: freedom in one’s self.

Monogamy may be the default or ideal form of relationship for people. but there are many who refuse to stay true to themselves and choose instead to sneak around and do the one thing every exclusive relationship considers the ultimate abomination: cheating.

“People are just deceiving themselves because exclusivity is impossible! Even people who eventually do it are setting themselves up to be miserable,” preached Blaqbonez,  “You can try to be loyal, but you are just living a boring life at the end of the day. Being loyal is boring. You are just deceiving yourself. That’s what I think. See my album as my case to you. I have made my case, and I believe that the world is gradually opening up too…more people are realizing that you can’t fight non-exclusivity. Eventually, 10 years from now everyone will be like ‘Omo I no go fight who I am this is who I am.”

“It’s just like ‘you dunno what you have until you lose it.’ The thing is…until you see another kind of life you’ll never understand that the one you are living is nonsense. So good luck to everyone trying their best to be loyal. You are wasting your time. I’m just here to tell you that.”

For Blaqbonez, cheating and hurting partners can easily be avoided if people were honest with themselves and what they want. He’s quite blunt and insists that partners are easy to find anywhere but the key thing is, you have to be honest with what you want.

“Lowkey people like someone who is truthful. For me I’m not coasting through love I am not forcing anything. I don’t fall in love, I never feel that shit… so if you don’t fuck with what I say, how I want to move… there is the door. It’s not hard for me. I’m living my life simple – no stress no wahala.”

Sharing his thoughts on sex and love on his album, Blaqbonez got to relive some of his past experiences in his songs. Oparaji, off his album, is based on an experience that happened over 8 years ago and gives some in-depth into what he really thinks about romantic relationships. On Heartbreaker, his verse is inspired by a recent disappointing intimate encounter with a crush from Uni.

Most of these stories are relatable because it’s the reality for most people.

“Sex over Love is a different side of me,” He explains, “This is the Blaqbonez people haven’t heard enough of. It opens me to a different market and conversation, and I found it very freeing recording my experiences for the album”

Naturally, there might be a few people who will look to his project with scorn and wonder what the devil is forcing into young ones of today but this is Blaqbonez. He’s oblivious to it all and only cares about the people who will connect to the album. He’s exceptionally excited over how he packaged these stories to fans: a versatile collection of diverse genres and features carefully put together to add to the sonic experience. From being known as a hip-hop artist to being considered alté, Blaqbonez flaunts his versatility while speaking his truth on Sex > Love.

“What’s important for me is anytime I cough I want you to feel like I’m offering something different. I don’t want you to hear the same music every time, so I try to adapt try to upgrade, add a different sound. I dunno what I will do on my next song or album but I know that I am going to do everything I can to make sure I add more layers to my music.

The layers to Sex>Love are definitely evident in the hot singles and riveting features. From the trending new single, ‘Bling’ with Amaarae and Buju, the project is fronted by Blaq’s viral hit single, ‘Haba’, which birthed the ubiquitous #StreamHaba social media campaign, and sports features from a number of high-profile artists including Nasty C, Joeboy, Tiwa Savage, Bad Boy Timz, Laycon, Cheque, A-Q and others. The project’s production was handled by household names such as Spax, DJ Coublon, Type A, Blaisebeatz, BeatsByJayy and Ten amongst others. The artwork for the album feature was designed by artist Anthony Azekwoh in his signature style.

With Blaq leaning heavily into his Afrobeats, Trap and Hip-Hop influences on songs like ‘Don’t Touch,’ ‘Bling’, ‘Fendi’ and ‘Faaji’, it is another display of his versatility and willingness to experiment with, and diversify his sound. Not leaving out his core hip-hop fan base with tracks like ‘Heart Breaker’, ‘Oparaji’ and ‘Zombie’.

Speaking on the release of the project, Blaq was in a reflective mood saying, “I hope it (Sex > Love) completes my transition to the mainstream line. I want to be convinced that I am a blown up artist. Like I am on my way right now but I am not there yet. That’s what I am working towards, and that’s what I am hoping for.”

Stream Sex> Love below: