Empire Mates State of Mind

Background and recording

Banky W, Wizkid and Skales started recording songs for the album in 2011. Most of the songs were recorded at E.M.E headquarters. Banky W told Beverly Bryan of MTVIggy that living with Skales and Wizkid made the album easier to record. According to an article posted on YNaija.com, Banky W commented on the release and buildup of the album, saying: "We’re very proud of the EME Album. We took our time to put together a fantastic blend of our talents as a collective, while also showcasing what each artiste is able to do individually. It felt like the right time to drop this record; each artiste is bringing his/her A-game, and the production quality is out of this world. There’s something for everybody… songs to dance to, songs to listen to, songs that make you think… We’re very excited about being able to share this with our fans worldwide, and we hope that we’ve been able to live up to and/or surpass their expectations of us. Our work is done. All that remains is for y’all to sit back, relax and press play…"

Spinlet

Empire Mates State of Mind was released exclusively on Spinlet, one of Africa's premier digital distribution platforms. As a means of promoting the album and its brand, Spinlet gave away 100,000 copies of the album to its subscribers. Moreover, the album was made available for free digital download to the first 75,000 people who downloaded Spinlet's official mobile application. Nigerian Entertainment Today posted a 'step by step' tutorial on how Spinlet subscribers can download the album.

Initial release date, track listing release, and album launch

The album was initially scheduled for release on June 12, 2012. Instead of releasing the album on June 12, 2012, Empire Mates Entertainment released the album's final track-listing. On June 15 and 16, 2012, the record label organized a listening party/album launch to celebrate and promote the release of their compilation project. The listening party was held at the Deuces Bar & Lounge in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Singles

On April 2, 2012, "Baddest Boy" was released as the album's lead single. The song was produced by Legendury Beatz and features contributing vocals from Wizkid, Skales and Banky W. Its music video, directed by Clarence Peters, was uploaded onto YouTube on July 18, 2012. "Dance for Me", the second single from the album, was released on July 25, 2012. The song was produced by Sarz. Its music video was directed by Sesan. "Get Down Tonight" was released as the third single from the album. The song was produced by Sarz. The music video for the single was shot in London and directed by Moe Musa. The release of the music video marked the end of E.M.E Wednesdays. "Ko Mo Le" was released as the fourth single from the album. The song was produced by Sarz. The music video for "Ko Mo Le" was uploaded onto YouTube at a total length of 4 minutes and 22 seconds. It was shot by 1st Impression in Washington DC during EME's U.S Tour in the summer of 2012. "Sun Mo Mi" was released as the fifth single from the album. The song was co-produced by Masterkraft and Banky W. Its music video was shot in Lagos by Clarence Peters. Wizkid, Niyola, DJ Xclusive, Iyanya, Flowssick, Iceberg Slim and Slim T, among others, made cameo appearances in the video. "Don't Delay Me (Don't Go There)" was released as the sixth single from the album. The song was produced by Spellz. Its music video features cameos from Lynxxx, Gbenro, Dammy Krane, Skales, ShayDee and Dj Xclusive. "Change" was released as the seventh single from the album. The song was produced by Spellz. It touches on some of the plights Nigeria is currently facing. The music video for "Change" was directed by Clarence Peters.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the album received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Tayo Ayomide of Nigerian Entertainment Today gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, adding: "The Empire Mates States of Mind album is one directional at times, with its emphasis on party music. What makes the project work is the way each artiste brings their own style to each song. This ends up saving the project from not being too repetitive."

Ogaga Sakapide of Tooxclusive gave the album 3 stars out of 5, adding: "Monotonous, tired club-beats, under-usage of Niyola, too lengthy, are some of the adjectives or phrases that can be used to describe ‘Empire Mates State of Mind’.Wizkid, Niyola and Wellington stood out from the pack; that said the album is pretty solid."

Wilfred Okiche of 360nobs gave the album an overall rating of 7 out of 10, stating: "The hard hitting hip hop beats may become repetitive at some point despite the variety of producers involved, and the record may come across as lightweight, plus you might eventually get sore from all the getting down low required of you but it is unabashed in owning up to its motives."

A writer for TayoTV gave the album 8.5 stars out of 10, adding: "Being the Head of EME, I feel he [Banky W] has done a great job assembling this team, he has focused more on Wizkid thus not giving the rest of the crew equal attention. Weeezy [Wizkid] needs to cut down on the Jamo/Raggae theme and go back to the old Wizkid we fell in love with. He [Skales] needs to work on his bars if he really wants to be a rapper, as per singing he has proved himself. His [Shaydee] voice is unique as in one track he sounded like Slim and then switched it up in other tracks. Niyola is no doubt the 1st lady of this camp."

Accolades

Empire Mates State of Mind was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.

Track listing