No Guts No Glory (Phyno album)

No Guts No Glory
Studio album by Phyno
Released	March 20, 2014 (2014-03-20)[1]
Recorded	2012–2014
Genre	Igbo rap afrobeat Igbo highlife
Label	Sputnet Records Penthauze Music
Producer	Phyno Major Bangz Wizzy Pro Chopstix JStunt
Phyno chronology
No Guts No Glory (2014) 2 Kings (2015)
Singles from No Guts No Glory
"Ghost Mode" Released: September 25, 2012[2] "Man of the Year (Obago)" Released: March 23, 2013[3] "Parcel" Released: October 11, 2013[4] "O Set" Released: March 4, 2014[5]

No Guts No Glory (often stylized as NGNG) is the debut studio album by Nigerian rapper Phyno, released by Sputnet Records and Penthauze Music on March 20, 2014.^[1] It features guest appearances from P-Square, Omawumi, Olamide, Stormrex, Efa, Flavour N'abania, Runtown, Ice Prince, M.I, Mr Raw, Timaya and Illbliss. Phyno enlisted Major Bangz, Wizzy Pro, Chopstix and JStunt to assist with production. Initially scheduled for a November 2013 release, the album was strategically pushed back in order to capitalize on the downtime of the Nigerian Music Industry during the first quarter of the year.^[6]

Preceding the album's release were the singles "Ghost Mode", "Man of the Year", "Parcel" and "O Set". No Guts No Glory was primarily recorded in the Igbo language and Nigerian Pidgin. Critical reception to No Guts No Glory was generally positive; many critics commended the album's indigenous sound and lyrical depth.

Background and composition

On March 15, 2014, Phyno released the album's cover art and track listing.^[7] He promoted the album by rolling out several tee shirts with the #NGNG logo attached to it.^[8] Phyno narrated his life story in a hilarious manner on the album's intro. "Alobam" is an ode to his friends who have contributed to his success. The instrumental of "Alobam" is a cross between Drake's "Worst Behavior" and Olamide's "Sitting on the throne". "Good Die Young" samples Marvin Gaye and is a tribute to the friends Phyno lost to diseases, accident and armed robbery. "Nme Nme" is a groovy highlife throwback song about life's enjoyment, while "Chukwu Na Enye" is a highlife song with a gospel feel. Nigeria's rich language diversity is displayed on "Aju (She Know It)".^[9][10][11]

Singles

"Ghost Mode" was released as the album's lead single on September 25, 2012.^[12] The song features Olamide and was released to critical acclaim. It won Best Collabo at both the 2012 The Headies Awards and 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. The music video for "Ghost Mode" was released on December 7, 2012. It was shot and directed in Lagos by Clarence Peters.^[13]

Sputnet Records released "Man of the Year (Obago)" as the album's second single on March 23, 2013.^[14] The song, which was produced by Phyno, managed to win the Best Rap Single category at the 2012 The Headies Awards. The music video for "Man of the Year (Obago)" was uploaded onto YouTube on August 20, 2013. It was also shot and directed by Clarence Peters in Abakpa Nike, and features a cameo appearance from Illbliss. In September 2013, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation banned the music video from being broadcast.^[15]

"Parcel", the third single off the album, was released on October 11, 2013. The song was originally titled "Parcel (a BIG Nwa)". The music video for "Parcel" was released on February 19, 2014 and shot by Clarence Peters. On March 4, 2014, "O Set" was announced as the album's fourth single. The song was produced by WizzyPro and features P-Square.^[16] The music video for the song was directed by Jude Engees Okoye and uploaded onto YouTube at approximately 4 minutes.^[17]

Other releases

On May 22, 2014, Phyno released the music video for "Alobam" which was directed by Clarence Peters. The song, which is an Igbo slang for "My Guy", was produced by Major Bangz. In the video, Phyno paid tribute to some of his peers including Ice Prince, Flavour, P-Square, Olamide and J Martins.^[18] On September 2, 2014, Phyno released the Clarence Peters directed visuals to his "Authe (Authentic)" song with Flavour N'abania.^[19]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Nigerian Entertainment Today	[11]

No Guts No Glory was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Chiagoziem Onyekwena of Nigerian Entertainment Today gave the album 4.1 out of 5 stars, adding: "Even before that album comes, NGNG is destined to have an impact of its own – by widening the landscape of indigenous Nigerian Hip-Hop. That’s what Phyno has been able to do for the culture."^[11]

Wilfred Okiche of YNaija concluded that "Phyno makes some dubious decisions instead and dilutes the punch hinted at by the title. While the choice of songs are, understandable and maybe even necessary, ‘NGNG’ will have to settle for a different kind of honor."^[10]

Joey Akan of Pulse said: "NGNG album sure works. For a debut effort at compilation, Phyno has for the most part pressed all the right buttons. This album is way more than a compilation of songs. Its importance far outweighs the personal benefits for Phyno. It is a testament to the emerging trend (that indigenous rappers are the cool kids on the block), in Nigerian music."^[9]

Obina Agwu, whose review was posted on Premium Times, concluded that "at some point, Phyno fell for the common industry misconception that an album MUST parade big names. Overall, though, I believe No Guts No Glory is a solid debut rap album. Phyno put in serious work into the project and that much is evident."^[20]

Accolades

No Guts No Glory was nominated for Rap Album of the Year at the 2014 City People Entertainment Awards.^[21] The album was also nominated for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year at The Headies 2014.^[22]

Track listing

Notes

• "—" denotes a skit

Samples

• "Good Die Young" samples Marvin Gaye's version of "Abraham, Martin and John".

Personnel

Release history

References