Masterkraft pays direct homage to his Eastern Nigerian roots on “Hi-Life,” one of the most culturally meaningful solo records on “Party Starter (PS2).”
The title is not a generic genre reference. For Masterkraft – born Sunday Ginikachukwu Nweke in Ajegunle to Enugu State origins – Highlife is the music that shaped everything before he became the producer behind Wizkid, Flavour, and Bracket’s biggest records. So “Hi-Life” on a 2026 solo album carries personal weight that goes beyond a stylistic exercise. It is a producer reconnecting with the sound that built his musical instincts before the Afrobeats era defined his career.
The production reflects that rootedness. Warm guitar textures, melodic piano arrangements, and rhythmic patterns drawn from Highlife tradition give the record a different texture from the more contemporary Afropop entries elsewhere on PS2. But Masterkraft never makes it feel nostalgic or backward-looking. He builds “Hi-Life” with the same sonic quality that runs through the whole project. So the cultural reference lands as a celebration rather than a history lesson.
Solo records on PS2 consistently show Masterkraft using the space to make personal statements rather than simply filling gaps between collaborations. “Tonight” carried party energy. “Yoh!!!” went pure excitement. But “Hi-Life” goes somewhere more reflective – a producer looking back at the tradition that made him while proving he can still do it full justice in 2026.
For Nigerian music fans who follow the Highlife tradition across its modern iterations – from Flavour and Umu Obiligbo through to producers who carry the sound into contemporary formats – this record from Masterkraft belongs in that conversation.
Stream “Hi-Life” off “Party Starter (PS2)” and tell us – is this the most soulful moment on the entire album?
DISCUSSION