Show Dem Camp: The Dreamer Project [Album Review]

Just as their moniker implies, the duo of Ghost and Tec are straight up exhibitionists. On their debut album which has taken some time to drop, Show Dem Camp gladly show you what their blend of rap is with no reservation and little embellishment. If you like your rap music raw and straight from the heart then The Dreamer Project is your cup of tea.
They belong to that school of Hip-Hop music that is revered and respected and are smart enough not to fall into the same trap that many rappers before them have fallen into, which is the notorious pit of rapping just for rap sake. With solid production backing them up throughout the LP, they deliver tracks that are very layered and well thought out.
On ‘Talk About It’ which features 2face, while Ghost talks about the nation’s woes and change ‘what’s the use of our natural resource when people never get to use it/we claim Africa’s giant of course, I still say that we need to prove it, Tec ends his commendable verse with these lines ‘so I ask 2face how he deals with the fame/trying to take the advice ‘cos we are new to the game/how he deals with the haters, how he deals with the snakes/and we put in a song so that you can relate’ . Of course 2face delivers on the hook. Another heavy collabo on the set is All Eyes On Me features Nneka and MayD. MayD has another scene stealing verse (the first being on SDC’s single Farabale), Nneka’s soul singing style permeates all over the track while the boys deliver verses that differ from today’s rambling free form verses which sound flashy but with little meaning.
Being kids of parents in Nigeria’s upper class they chronicle their struggle and love for Hip-Hop on ‘Once Upon A Time’. On this track Tec spits the most poignant lines, ‘there’s nothing worse than when your family doesn’t believe in you/and your girl loses faith and she’s leaving you/you feel you should have locked that omo long time/but when you are broke every moment is the wrong time’ and finally getting the better of Ghost.

Ghost and Tec should be commended for doing what most rappers in Nigeria are afraid of which is rapping from their heart and not totally neglecting their style of music just to suit radio play. However they are still human and get lost while trying to get those radio spins on ‘Waiting for You’ featuring Lucci and ‘Getting You’ featuring Benny P which are straight misses. They however do make amends on ‘Wetin I Go Do’ with a sick bass line that makes you wonder if the legendary Afrobeat musician Tony Allen laced it and on the rousing ‘Get Up’ featuring Bad Man Floss where the guys floss and ball without restrain.
With 20 songs deep, Show Dem Camp has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in today’s rap game. Ghost (most especially) and Tec deserve to be in the Top 5 right now not only because they have produced arguably the best rap album since M.I’s MI2 (some might say since Dagrin’s C.E.O) but because they are really good rappers that don’t rely on gimmicks or a hot producer which is rare in today’s pop crazy world. I think they already know this judging from Tec’s opening line on their classic single Dreamer feat M.I, ‘you are now listening to Nigeria’s finest’. Even though the album is called The Dreamer Project, this record is nothing to sleep on.