The Chairman is the third studio album by Nigerian rapper and record producer M.I. It was released on October 30, 2014, by Chocolate City and Loopy Music. The album features collaborations with producers and guest artists such as 2face Idibia, Wizkid, Reinhard, Sarz, and Ice Prince, among others. The Chairman was supported by the singles "Bad Belle", "Monkey" and "Bullion Van". It won Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year at The Headies 2015.
Background
M.I spent two years recording the album. He describes the album as a collaborative album due to the number of music personnel who contributed to it. The album features collaborations with producers and guest artists such as 2face Idibia, Wizkid, Seyi Shay, Ice Prince, Olamide, Phyno, Reminisce, Oritse Femi, Patoranking, Reinhard, Runtown, Sarkodie, Nosa, Beenie Man, Koker, Moti Cakes, Wilson Alao, Sound Sultan, Emmy Ace, Sammy Gyang, Chigul, Milli, Frank Edwards, Nanya, G-Plus, Morell, Loose Kaynon, Pheelz, Debbie, DJ Lambo, Sarz, Stormrex, L-37, VSTOL and I.J. Its production began in 2012 and continued through the third quarter of 2014. M.I worked with several collaborators while enlisting new producers. Much of The Chairman tells the story of the rapper's journey into limelight. According to M.I's team, the album sold 30,000 copies in pre-order sales.
The Chairman was initially slated for release in June 2013, but was postponed due to the rapper partaking in other business ventures. In an interview with Sunrise Daily in 2014, M.I said Jesse Jagz's departure from Chocolate City also delayed the album. In another interview with Leadership newspaper, M.I said he was inspired to name the album The Chairman after hearing people address him as such. The album comprises 17 tracks and every track, excluding "The Middle", has an opposite. On October 22, 2014, the album was made available for pre order. Seven days later, its official cover art and track list were released. M.I held a listening party for the album at Industry Nite on the same day. He performed alongside Jesse Jagz and dedicated the record "Brother" to him.
Composition
The Chairman encompasses several layers of M.I's autobiography. On the album's opener "The Beginning/Nobody", M.I plays the role of a crazy teacher with his voice. In the Chigul-assisted track "Monkey", he raps with a gospel flow over a highlife instrumental. In "Human Being", he reminds listeners that celebrity is not all its hyped up to be. In "Rich", M.I narrates his grass to grace story. In "Brother", he enlists Nosa to help him depict the cracks at Chocolate City. "Shekpe" is a song that celebrates street life and low-cost highs. In "Enemies", M.I and Patoranking tell listeners that the world of celebrity is a land filled with haters. "Yours" is an ode to his core fans who supported him from day one. In "The End/The Chairman", M.I tells listeners that the real chairman is God.
Promotional singles
The Chairman was supported by two promotional singles. The first promotional single, titled "Chairman", was released on March 19, 2013. Initially announced as the album's lead single, the song was jointly produced by E.Kelly, Chopstix and M.I. It was launched via a Google Plus hangout, which was streamed live on Google Plus and YouTube. On May 13, 2013, the music video for "Chairman" was uploaded to YouTube; it was shot and directed in Los Angeles. According to Saturday Beats, M.I spent ₦10 million on the video shoot.
The second promotional single, titled "King James", was released on August 21, 2014. M.I describes the song as a non-profit project designed to create awareness and inspire social change. "King James" received generally mixed reviews from music critics.
Singles
"Bad Belle" was released as the album's lead single. Shot and directed in Nigeria by MEX, the song's music video features cameo appearances from Basketmouth, Mode 9, Sound Sultan, Yung6ix and Show Dem Camp, among others. The album's second single "Monkey" was released on March 26, 2015. The accompanying music video for "Monkey" was self-directed by M.I. "Bullion Van" was released as the album's third single. Its official music video was shot and directed by Mex. Kemi Adetiba shot an unreleased music video for the song at Koga Studios.