16 Wives is the third full-length studio album by Cameroonian rapper, composer, and producer, Jovi. Released on Bandcamp on February 16, 2017, the 16-song album was produced by Jovi under his pseudonym, Le Monstre. 16 Wives was recorded, mixed, and mastered at New Bell Music Studios in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and released on his record label New Bell Music. The album was listed as a best-seller on Bandcamp during its first week of sales, and released on iTunes and other digital platforms on February 24, 2017.
Background and promotion
16 Wives contains lyrics in Pidgin, English, French, Douala, and Ngemba. The album follows the style of Jovi's previous 5 EPs and 2 LPs, which he calls "Mboko", characterized by mixing traditional African rhythms and instrumentation with contemporary genres such as hip-hop, RnB, pop, and electronic. On November 16, 2016, Jovi released "Mongshung", the first video to promote the album. On December 7, he released the cover art for the album. Jovi released the second video "Ou Même", on February 17, one day after the album was released.
Critical reception
16 Wives was generally well received by music critics in Cameroon and internationally, particularly the production of the album. According to Koko Aldo Tsague of Le Bled Parle, Jovi's "epic production of the album perfectly combines African musical traditions with contemporary hip hop". In reviewing the album's single "Ou Même", Sebastian Bouknight of Afropop Worldwide states that Jovi "combines his witty social commentary with premium production skills to craft a unique sound that has roots in hip-hop, trap, R&B, and local bikutsi rhythms." In Jeune Afrique, Mathieu Olivier states that Jovi uses his engineering skills "acquired in India, to deliver a high-quality, technical album". Paris-based Oodar Africa reviewed 16 Wives and called Jovi "one of the best producers on the African continent". The tone and lyrical content of 16 Wives has been described as more sensitive than his previous two LPs. Jovi sings more on the album and addresses more personal subject matter in songs like "Free Music" which talks about love, and "Mad Love/Hospital Bills", which tells a story about the death of a girlfriend. This Is Africa contributor Nchanji M. Njamnsi agrees that in Jovi's previous albums looking for tenderness is like "looking for a needle in a haystack," but he states that the experimental sound "poses the danger of narrowing his audience to only a small group of connoisseurs and people who have a rich musical culture like himself."
