Written by Nikolai Dineros
Another breakout song in the charts, and Imperial Manila is put on notice by the South yet again.
The culprit this time is one Bacoor representative, SAJKA (Sajka Jamaiah Formaran). Though his hit single “Nicotine” is making huge waves in local hip-hop’s algorithmic sphere, SAJKA brings more to the table than TikTok-core bait.
Perhaps SAJKA’s table is one filled with residues between tiny crevices and paper rolls rather than ashtrays because “Nicotine” is thematically the farthest you can get from understanding the artistry SAJKA is trying to achieve in his latest EP, Weed&Melodies.
The EP is a reggaeton project at its core with the occasional nods to afrobeat and funk, courtesy of Southrow Music producer ODMADEIT. There is no fine print. It is mostly weed and all melodies.
Adjacencies to the respiratory system and bad habits aside, the EP is packaged, rolled, and passed along as a THC trip, with explicit references to cannabis use and its effects, and without a single care about the forces under the state’s payroll. SAJKA even takes you on a ride-along in the standout track “Masid.”
While the concept is solid on paper, showing SAJKA’s strong potential as a genre-crossing visionary, the EP sometimes falls flat in execution. As a post-release single, “Bogsame” shows signs of fatigue from its initial run, with the song having offered barely anything that hasn’t already been explored in other tracks released prior (you may also look up tracks “Up and Down” and “Masid” that capture the same vibe but better). Even as an opening track, the candidness mixed with the self-indulgence of the ‘me and my friends are high as fuck’ attitude runs its course as quickly as it was introduced, only to make a better comeback in subsequent songs.
SAJKA, however, stands out when he fully embraces his reggae calling. “Horns” and “Burnin Paradise” are great displays of the artist in his element, paying homage to the genre he’s inspired by without losing authenticity.
There is still the curious case of the EP’s journeyman single. Despite the thematic incongruence already discussed above and the subtle genre shift, “Nicotine” — a hip-hop song first, a reggae song never — is still far from being a black sheep figure in the track list. Its success in the charts is undeniable, and its placement is only to the benefit of SAJKA, as it turns people’s heads to him and his more divergent undertaking. Hence, it plays the journeyman role.
But given the state that it’s in, sticking out like a sore thumb in the track list, it is rather interesting that it even exists in the first place. With just as much grasp of information as a common listener, I can only theorize as to why that is the case, of which I have a handful: First, “Nicotine” is an early prototype of Weed&Melodies before they went full reggae, and it somehow made the final cut. Secondly, reggae — even with its hip-hop overtones — is a hard sell, and “Nicotine” was used as an anchor to make it palatable for their target audiences. Lastly (and on a less serious yet more absurd note), tobacco may simply have a larger revenue share than weed in the Philippine stimulants market with more regulatory backing, thus attracting more potential listeners from a larger consumer base.
SAJKA is on a path of reinventing himself from just another laidback rapper in Cavite’s already saturated scene with like-minded contemporaries to a convention-breaking fusion artist. With a heavy background in hip-hop and a growing appreciation for adjacent genres like reggae, dance, and funk, “Nicotine” may just be part of the equation to a bigger calling that Weed&Melodies alludes to. Who knows? It might take a few more ‘hits’ before SAJKA reaches that eureka moment.
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