The Good, The Bhad, The Terrible
BHADMAYORS—an acronym of sorts for “Be Hard And Determined Rulers”—officially entered the mainstream with 2024’s breakout “Free My Mind (Remix)”, crafted alongside NSG and AlorG. With their debut EP The Good, The Bhad, The Terrible, the Ghanaian duo find a sweet spot between hiplife, Afro-house and Afro-pop aesthetics. Guided by producer Ugly & Tough, the twin outfit uses these melodic touchpoints to navigate familiar themes of the come-up, relationships and the trials of life and faith. With both vibes and storytelling at the heart of BHADMAYORS’ infectious expressions, the mellow album opener “Fourteen” details the loneliness of pursuing success, while “No Concern” advocates for safeguarding one’s inner peace. The cautionary tone of “Friends”, meanwhile, is echoed in the circumspect lyrics on “Move”: “Telling me who go bring me down/I know them/Who’ve been killing we soft?/Our own friends.” The duo explore their interiority further as the brooding “Nylon” houses the threat of a betrayal more intimate, which is only offset by the impassioned “Perfect Face Card”. That romantic aspect of the EP is transferred to a love for life and its pleasures over the breezy “La Vida Loca” and triumphant log drums of “Lifestyle”, where AlorG reprises his collaborator role alongside KOJO BLAK. Between its groovy instrumentation and catchy melodies, this EP derives its charm from BHADMAYORS narratively exploring all of The Good, The Bhad, The Terrible moments that have accompanied their rise to the limelight.
