Jericho Rebuilds ‘The Walls of Jericho’ to Drop a Classic

It’s been a while since we had an album release from award-winning hip-hop musician Jericho and with his latest offering, you can be assured that the wait has surely been worth it.

An unconventional hip-hop album that has been in the works for quite some time now, ‘The Walls of Jericho’ was due to drop in July but because Jericho wanted to tweak the production to something that he was happier with, it has only just hit the shelves.

“The album was supposed to be out earlier in the year but because I’m a perfectionist, the album got delayed. I wanted to perfect the beats, the sound and all those little things to make sure that it’s perfect for release,” Jericho tells The Weekender.

Once you start listening to the album, the intro already hits your senses with Jericho introducing his signature sound that has won him countless fans and multiple awards during his illustrious music career.

Track one, ‘Keep It Silent’, which features the talented Sunny Boy and Exit, is hard-hitting and definitely one of the best collaborations Namibian music has seen this year. Sunny Boy shines through with his witty punchlines, Exit lends a kwaito flavour to the track while Jericho’s bars are as strong as ever.

A favourite of mine, track 10 is catchy with a dancehall beat and features Mazanga. This track is sure to set dance floor across the country ablaze.

Jericho switches up his style on tracks five and 11, where he brings in house music and ma /gaisa respectively. The songs are definitely a pleasant surprise and Jericho says that the decision to appeal to certain members of the public and to show more of his musical skills led to the inclusion of these genres on this classic hip-hop compilation.

“Those songs are there because I wanted to prove a point that I can also do house. It’s also for CD sales. In Namibia people like to dance so it’s very difficult for hip-hop albums to sell or make it to the jukebox. I decided to add different flavours for this reason,” he says.

Even on the traditionally hip-hop tracks on the album, Jericho adds a different feel and beat, as he does on track nine, ‘Don’t Change On Me’, which features Ponti. This song gives off strong disco fever, with the chorus enough to take you back to the 80s while Jericho’s lyrics keep you in present times.

“I wanted to prove a point that I’m still around,” says Jericho of the album. Bringing ‘The Walls of Jericho’ out was not without its challenges, however, he reveals. “Since I hadn’t dropped an album in a very long time, many artists who were my friends all turned their backs on me. The ones I feature on this album are the ones who stood by me though it all,” he says. He pours his heart out about this on track eight, ‘Startin All Ova’, featuring Dozza.

With this album, Jericho wishes to claim his stake once again as one of the country’s top lyricists. He continues to rebuild ‘The Walls of Jericho’ which were battered throughout his tumultuous journey as a musician.

The album has just hit the market, and is available at Antonio’s Art in Windhoek and Young One’s at Walvis Bay.