Blueprint Hakeem's 'Excuse My English': A Recalibration of Standards
A detailed review of Blueprint Hakeem's 'Excuse My English' EP, praising its production and vocal performance while offering pointed criticism of redundant thematic content. The writer argues that an artist of Hakeem's stature should use his platform to inspire youth across multiple dimensions of life, not concentrate on romantic themes.
If you are wondering why it too me so long to write a review for this EP, the reason is it is so damn good, I had too take a while to wrap my head around it. If I wrote this earlier, it would have been a song of praise but the thing was so good, I just had to be harder on the boy; you know, I just couldn't hold him to the same standards I have been using before.
I can’t say any more without taking my hats off to Blahk Santa for his production on this project. I was particularly impressed with the production of ’Time’ and ‘When I blow’ from Mic Monsta’s EP and I didn’t think I’ll hear production in that sonic space again for a while but then this came. All the instrumentals on this EP are top qual and intricate.
One issue I take with this EP is the fact that ‘Rain Drops’ and ‘Murder’ are on the same project. They are lyrically too similar- basically the same subject. Murder did it already and we did not need ‘Rain Drops.’ Listen closely, you’ll realize it's the same story. Raindrops had to be on a different topic- I can't stand a grand frere to the youth taking two songs out on a 5 track project to talk about his love affairs. For a rapper of his caliber, he has the right to speak on his love life once in every project, on the rest, he has to be lighting up the hustle spirit in these youngins. I know we all believe getting the women to vibe is a good strategy but being a G is the essence of hip hop.
I have always thought Young Fame was a better rapper than Hakeem but Hakeem meant business on The Business - Fame received some slight damage (I can't say he got bodied). Maybe Fame just had to respect the Big bro on this one and chill small.
On Switch Up - “Savanna Street and Old Town they gon hear me today” - we needed more of the local references to make this a total home run. The flow on this song though - can’t find the word - for now let's go with dapper.
Hakeem needs to sing more - that Murder Hook is just the IT. Murder is the Poise favorite.
I can’t even apply our five factor (Production: 10, Lyrics: 10, Flow: 10, Message/Memorability: 10, Relativity: 10) rating system to this EP because it warrants a whole different conversation -the fact that this EP was done in English means a lot for the culture. More on that will be coming soon in separate article. In fact this EP will be the subject for many discussions ahead.
-Tino Foy
This review arrived in 2017, when Cameroonian hip-hop was consolidating its identity and English-language releases were still being consciously marked as cultural statements. The piece reflects a moment when local rap was measuring itself against both regional precedent and its own responsibility to shape the listening youth.
The review models a particular kind of critical listening—one that raises the bar for artists it respects and interrogates the ethical weight of creative choices, not merely technical skill. Its closing note about the cultural significance of rapping in English suggests a deeper conversation about language, authenticity, and reach that remains live in Cameroonian music discourse.