For years, Abuja-based artist and producer Suté Iwar has built a reputation as a fierce MC capable of rapping circles around his colleagues in one breath. However, on his 2021 release ‘199X’, he seems to have traded his off-the-cuff raps for silky, smooth numbers that accurately depict poignant stories of love, pain and loss. Over the course of 17 tracks, the singer covers the misfortunes and excitement that comes with loving and losing with help from his brother, Tay Iwar and Nigerian rap newcomer, SGaWD. Opening track “Pulp Fiction” is an earworm addressed to a lover that he can’t seem to get off his mind, setting the scene for what’s to come. He carries on ruminating about love on the Tay Iwar-assisted “Swayy” and “Winter Cold”, which are packed with sharp observations about navigating young romance. But it’s not entirely a love album—Suté manages to strike a balance between the ever-longing romantic and the jaded rapper as he stays true to his rap sensibilities on songs such as the trap-leaning “Mushy Girl” and “Fantastic!”. Throughout the entire project, stellar futuristic production and tightly-worded verses leave a lasting impression about the depth of his artistry. There are no mistakes–this is an artist incapable of fitting into any stringent boxes.