Headie One’s new mixtape explores the conflict between two distinct parts of himself: music and road. “I was just trying to make the people dem proud‘, Headie confides on the mixtape’s opener. The track takes gospel-like chords and combines them with a rap beat. As the 2-part harmony from the choir hums in the background, it sounds like the soundtrack for a prodigal son returning to church, asking for both redemption and forgiveness. The raw opener sets the tone for the rest of the mixtape.

Headie lives in a constant duality of Music and Road. Throughout the mixtape, he narrates attempting to get them to exist as separate entities. On Both, he proclaims the two can’t exist in isolation ‘Counting up this money from O/Money from shows/Mans Counting up Both’. It’s as if road serves as a source of inspiration for music and vice versa. Both samples Ultra Naté’s 90 hit, Free. Nastylgia and 1Pjbeats take the infamous guitar riff melody of Free and gives it a more electric-melancholic feel.

The need for music and road to exist separately increases when they take a toll on his personal relationships. On Home, Headie samples Faith Evans – As Soon As I Get Home, and this sample couldn’t be more sonically or thematically fitting. Headie apologises profusely to his girl for the danger they’ve been put in ‘Remember that time I pulled up at yours when the gun boys had me cutting‘ and thanks her for staying despite the prison stint and the stress he’s caused. For Headie, she is the integral peace to his home thus he seeks to make things better with holidays and gifts ‘We can causally visit Rome or Phuket’.  With a fastened tempo, a pulsating bass-line and an eery string ostinato,  iLl Blu transform the 90’s classic to one which perfectly suits Headie’s drill sound.

On this mixtape, Headie attempts to achieve a more eclectic sound. He’s been dubbed the King of Drill and when 18 Hunna ft Dave soared to number 1 this year, it solidified that proclamation. On this mixtape, he pushes the boundaries musically. He explores other sounds on tracks like Rubbery Bandz, Swerve ft Stefflon Don & Nav and Interlude: 100 Bottles. Though Interlude: 100 Bottle’s presence on the mixtape sounds superfluous and disjointed, but by experimenting with other genres, Headie shows he isn’t solely contained by the rap sub-genre. As he put perfectly himself ‘They say I’m the King of Drill, but I’m doing it all’. At the end of Rubbery Bandz, he slots in his own interlude. Saying his o’s as a’s, he comically mimics the accent of his Ghanaian roots.

Drill is a contentious genre. The government has made several attempts to censor and ban the genre as they believe it incites and promotes violence. Despite Headie recounting many of his illegal escapades, the mixtape is far from a glorification of drugs and crime. On Both, it’s as if he shudders as he relays his experience in prison “Jailhouse, scrambling eggs in a kettle, just wishing I could have it with toast”. 

Following his infamous response on NFTR, Headie was dubbed a man of few words. But on Music X Road, he speaks in great lengths about his experiences. Music X Road is its best when Headie peels back the curtain, revealing a more vulnerable and honest side.  Headie breaks the monotony of drill-beats with captivating lyrics and throwing in other genres. Music X Road is an introspective body of work in which Headie tackles the causes and effects of his lifestyle.