| Rendezvous | |
| Type: | Mixtape |
| Artist: | M.I Abaga |
| Cover: | M.I Abaga - Rendezvous cover.jpg |
| Recorded: | 2017 |
| Label: | Chocolate City |
| Prev Title: | Illegal Music 3 |
| Prev Year: | 2016 |
| Next Title: | Yxng Dxnzl |
| Next Year: | 2018 |
Rendezvous (stylized as Rendezvous: The Playlist) is a playlist by Nigerian rapper M.I Abaga. It was released by Chocolate City on February 9, 2018. The playlist features guest appearances from Cassper Nyovest, AKA, Wande Coal, Falz, Yung L, Dice Ailes, CKay, Nonso Amadi, Santi, Odunsi the Engine, Chillz, Tomi Thomas, Joules Da Kid, Ajebutter22, Terry Apala, Strafitti, Trigga Madtonic, Blaqbonez and UA.x. It also features skits from several radio personalities, including Vic-O, Charles Okocha, Douglas Jekan, Kemi Smallz and Do2tun. Rendezvous was supported by the singles "Your Father" and "Lekki".
Rendezvous was recorded after Yung Denzel and contains leftover tracks that did not make the latter project.[1] M.I released the playlist after announcing the release date for Yung Denzel. Inspired by Drake's More Life project, its release marked the first of its kind in the Nigerian music industry.[2] Rendezvous was recorded in a haphazard nature. Wande Coal recorded the chorus for "Kososhi" in 2013. M.I began working with musicians Odunsi the Engine and GMK after meeting them in February 2017.[1] In an interview on the Loose Talk podcast, M.I said he scrapped some of the tracks on the playlist after being told by Odunsi the Engine to do so, and had to switch up from doing 4-bar loops to 3-bar loops.[2] Primarily a hip hop playlist, Rendezvous combines elements of trap music with groovy R&B and lyrically-driven reggaeton. Rendezvous is not M.I's most personal project, but is considered less playful than his third studio album The Chairman (2014).
On the playlist's opener "Sunset", M.I throws a subliminal diss at N6, an on-air personality and rapper . In the energetic track "Soup", he and Cassper Nyovest recount their victories against hatred and negativity. "Playlist", a soothing melodic track, is a seductive ode to the rapper's love interest. M.I made braggadocios assertions on a number of tracks, including "Kososhi", "One Code" and "Your Father". "One Way" features a comical skit by comedian Charles Okpocha, who lectured listeners about the monetary differences between "the small boys and the big boys". The Ghost-assisted track "Popping" is a reincarnation of "Safe", a song from M.I's debut studio album Talk About It (2008). The reggae-infused track "The Crew" has been described as "groovy". The electropop track "One Time" features vocals by Moelogo. The Dice Ailes-assisted trap song "Your Father" has been described as a "juvenile, belligerent energy that fits its guest more than Mr. Abaga".[2]
The Dice Ailes-assisted track "Your Father" was released on December 1, 2017, as the playlist's lead single.[3] The accompanying music video for "Your Father" was directed by The Myth.[4] In a review for Konbini Channels, Daniel Orubo said the "Humble"-inspired video is "nowhere near as cohesive or satisfying".[5] The playlist's second single "Lekki" was released on October 2, 2018. The song's music video highlights the nightlife scene in Lagos and features cameo appearances from Nedu, Blaqbonez and Zoro.[6]
On August 2, 2019, M.I released the music video for "Playlist". It was directed by Seyi Akinlade and features retro themes, particularly a 70s-inspired look blended into a modern context. The Nonso Amadi-assisted track is a fusion of jazz and hip-hop.[7] [8]
Rendezvous received generally positive reviews from music critics. Twitter reactions to the playlist were positive.[9] Victor Okpala of Nigerian Entertainment Today described the playlist as a "decent crossroad of musical diversity" and said it "reflects a laudable degree of evolution and flexibility that not so many rappers can boast of".[10] A writer for Pulse Nigeria characterized it as "an extension of his relevance to an age and class of younger musicians and their fans", and opined that all of the acts featured on it won from a musical standpoint.[11]
Jim Donnett gave the playlist 3.5 stars out of 5 in a review for TooXclusive. Donnett stated: "Longtime M.I fans who fell in love with his reflective lyricism on Illegal Music 2 for instance, and his ironically tall posture on , would love this playlist less than his potentially new set of listeners who I expect to appreciate his syncing with their favourite alternative artistes".[12] A writer for BellaNaija, who goes by the moniker Black Boy, said Rendezvous is being celebrated because of the "transient satisfaction it offers, even though its long-term impact remains uncertain". Black Boy also said it "isn't his best project but it has enough quality to rank high on the Nigerian Hip Hop chart of today".[13] Dennis Peter, writing for Filter Free Nigeria, said the playlist is "a better repeat of the same communal tactic integral to The Chairman, with each artist and producer playing to their strengths, while still in service to a project that is Mr. Abaga's most diverse and most sophisticated fabric yet".[2]
Notes
Credits were adapted from the album's back cover.[14]