Olu Maintain's 'Maintain Reloaded' Glittering 8 Years After

Uzo Chikere

Bottom of Form

In 2007, Olu Maintain who had split from the pop group, Maintain and left Big Bamo, dropped his debut solo album Maintain Reloaded.

After playing in the shadows due to the drama surrounding him and Tolu Maintain's pop existence, Olu Maintain re-branded himself as the overlord of 'swagger'- the contemporary slang at that time that defined coolness.

His lead single 'Yahooze' was a napalm that blew up the scene that served as the soundtrack of the notorious 'Yahoo' sub-culture that had embedded itself within the core of the youth scene at that period. It was a glittering dedication to Nigerians' love for materialism and opulence. The addictive song peaked when the former US Secretary of State Colin Powell did the Yahooze dance.

That was the impact of this album back in 2008. It was a flashy body of work that pitched itself against D'banj's high-energy and fun style of music. No wonder they were rivals back then.

While the album had other hit tracks such as 'Jedi Jedi' featuring Konga, and 'Fantasy', Olu Maintain was conscious enough to drop emotional, and introspective gems like the guitar driven opener 'Story Of My Life', and the re-introductory song '2nd Chance'. 

While the album certainly has skippable sings such as 'Aroma', 'Maintain Reloaded' was one of the best pop albums of the last decade.

It's a shame that producer Puffy Tee and Olu Maintain aren't as hot as they once was. Their combination started the crafting of materialistic pop ditties now milked by today's pop stars who sing about luxury Italian brands and sport cars.

Olu reloaded himself, and lit the fire for opulence in Nigerian pop music.