Jagz Nation Vol. 2: Royal Niger Company

Background, release and launch concert

Jagz started creating the album by recording a mixture of ideas for two months. After the two-month period, his team sifted through the music and selected the album's final track listing. Jagz chose the album's title to sensitize people about their history. Jagz said he made the album for his core fans. He describes the album as two steps above Jagz Nation, Vol.1. Thy Nation Come. Jagz said he wanted to stay away from reggae influential sounds because of sentimental reasons. He hopes people find healing from the album, and wants people who are hurting to find comfort in it. On 17 March 2014, the album's cover art was released to the general public. It was inspired by René Magritte, and is symbolic of a man standing with a fruit and apple blocking his face. The concept behind Magritte's work revolves around revealing one thing and hiding something else. The man in the cover art is holding different things that symbolizes the culture of Nigeria. Jagz Nation Vol. 2: Royal Niger Company was initially meant be a mixtape and was initially titled The Transfiguration of Jesse Jagz. On 28 March 2014, Jagz made the album available for digital streaming on SoundCloud. On August 2, 2014, Jagz held the second edition of The Jesse Jagz Experience Concert at the AGIP Recital Hall. Jagz tagged the concert as "The Greatest Concert" and performed alongside a 16-man Hip Hop orchestra band.

Composition

Jagz's third studio offering starts with "Louis", a song inspired by American boxer Joe Louis. Over the song's instrumental, Jagz raps about one finding their inner strength. The song is a mixture of rap and Rastafarian styles. On "Jargo (Ain't Nobody)" featuring Tesh Carter, Jagz samples "Ain't Nobody" and raps about the dynamics of a complex relationship. Jagz also samples a popular riff from Fela Kuti on "Sunshine". The lyrics of the song contain "Loopy Bars", a J-Town style of rap. On "The Search (Radio)", Jagz blends hip hop and jazz sounds together. "Supply And Demand" is a throwback song with a New York pounding flow that is reminiscent of 1995 and the East Coast circa. On "Sunrise (Shine On)", Jagz samples a dialogue from the 1983 crime drama film Scarface. On "How We Do", a song with a menacing beat, Jagz samples spoken words from Tupac.

Singles

On May 15, 2015, Jagz Nation released the album's lead single "The Search (Radio)" featuring Jumar and Dugod. The music video for the single was directed by J.O King. It was uploaded onto YouTube at a total length of 5 minutes and 31 seconds.

Critical reception

Upon its release, Jagz Nation Vol. 2: Royal Niger Company received positive reviews from music critics. Ayomide Tayo of Nigerian Entertainment Today gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating: "The Royal Niger Company is a rap album that doesn't seek the approval of radio or Alaba. Royal Niger Company is an album for rap fans to chill and relax to, and it is a project that makes us truly wonder if Jesse Jagz isn’t truly the greatest." Brandon Bridges of Lobatan gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating: "The album plays by no rules and subjects to no compromise which may be intended for public acceptance, thereby making room for mediocrity. The general theme of ‘The Royal Niger Company’ Is not a newly applied road of thought. Jagz Nation Vol.2 is a magnificent show off, a mere statement, that Jesse Jagz is not a student of the game, but the author of the textbooks."

Track listing