Projexx: ‘Queen Hill EP’ Album Review

Projexx has released his EP, a neo-soul Reggae seven-song assembly, titled Queen Hill, in tribute to his hometown. An insight into the 21-year-old’s childhood and growth, Queen Hill ranges from sex, youthful love and lust and even a touch of hardships and motivation. Though Queen Hill is a smooth, sensual show of the young artist’s unique, ‘genre-less’ sound, with a more intentional sequencing of the songs, and even a more themed EP cover, a better narration of the artist’s hometown could have been had.

With three features from other distinct youthful voices such as Jamaican rap star Bakersteez, Dancehall popstar Toian and Nigerian Afrobeats crooner Ruger, Projexx not only placed his hometown on display but shows aspects of his travelling childhood, as he resided between Queen Hill, Kingston and Brenton, Canada.   With these distinct voices, he aims to put in the limelight the modern mixing of sounds and genre-blurring that is currently defining new-age music.

Opening Queen Hill with Sidepiece sets the tone for youthful lust with an ode to infidelity. Projexx unique sound serenades us with sultry tones and salacious lyrics, glorifying his affair with his sidepiece. Giving us the infectious hook, “She tie me she tie me she tie me she tie me”

Rather unflattering is his choice of putting both Sidepiece and its remix with Nigerian Ruger, as he closes out the EP with the remix in an attempt to come full circle. With both the original and the remix being prereleases in advance of the EP, the remix alone would have sufficed. Ruger’s remarkable feature creates the perfect mix of Afrobeats and R&B, almost a reprise albeit an alternative of Projexx’s work on Wizkid’s True Love.

Other features such as Bakersteez—rapping on Bigga League—and Toian—adding a pop flair to the EDM inspired Unda Pressure—added to the diversity of the seven-song compilation, while also merging young Jamaican sounds.

Gliding effortlessly through different genres, Projexx moved from R&B on Sidepiece to rap on Bigga League, to an EDM-inspired Dancehall on Unda Pressure then to a neo-soul Reggae on one of the project’s standouts Another Day featuring now Grammy-nominated artist Jesse Royal. Complimenting the pure love and lyrics outpoured in Another Day is the well-styled and directed visuals. Captivating our eyes with the beauty of black love and filling our hearts with Jesse Royal’s voice on the mesmerizing hook, ‘I don’t wanna wait another day…’

In Brace it, Projexx teases us with sentiments of hardcore Dancehall, both in lyrics and production. Staying true to his roots being the son of producer Lloyd “John John” James and grandson of legendary Dancehall producer Lloyd “King Jammy”.

The penultimate song My Town pays homage to the album’s namesake, Queen Hill of Kingston, which in for a more ordered sequencing, omitting Sidepiece original, the remix should have opened the EP followed by the suite of songs focused on love and lust and then closing out with Bigga League and My Town. Such an order would have created a more intentional narration and smoother flow of songs while adding more significance and connection to the title of the EP.

Nevertheless, Queen Hill is a satisfying play of smooth, effortless genre-blurring music, showcasing the work of a young artist with a distinct sound and vibe, bent on creating his own space and standing in a shape-shifting industry.