DJ Wallace Hits Sublime Heights With ‘JAYE (Flex)’
By Emmanuel Daraloye
Released yesterday (January 11, 2023), DJ Wallace’s JAYE (Flex) arrives blazing hot, a reflection of its sheer energy and cultural appeal. The four-minute-plus track, featuring Cerro Muziq and co-production work by Lumeviie, builds on Wallace’s evolving sonic architecture and reaffirms his place as one of the most inventive Nigerian-born DJs working today.
This isn’t Wallace’s first time working with Lumeviie. The two first collaborated on DJ Wallace’s A Decade EP in 2022, where Lumeviie co-produced the standout track Wonda.
Their relationship, which began in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria remains strong. Since relocating to the UK, Lumeviie and Wallace have reconnected to continue their collaborative journey. Now, JAYE (Flex) reunites Wallace, Cerro, and Lumeviie in a compelling statement of artistry, pleasure, and pride. Together, they’ve created something that feels both rooted and global, nostalgic yet fresh. It is a track that celebrates not just sound, but the power of connection and creative growth.
The beat leans heavily into the bounce and basslines of South African Amapiano, laced with rolling log drums and bright percussion. But it doesn’t settle there. You can hear traces of trap, Afrobeats, and even UK street sensibilities in the transitions. It’s polished, but never slick to the point of sterility. It breathes, grooves, and moves with intent.
Cerro Muziq, the Southern African Amapiano Rockstar, brings infectious charisma to the performance. Her style of delivery is rhythmic, chant-like, and fluid. Wallace backs it with a production that gives space for every line to land with clarity and weight. Their chemistry drives the track’s addictive pulse.
From the get-go, the lyrics declare intent: Can’t get enough of the kid, Tell me they loving the drip, This ain’t no regular shit. The Yoruba phrase Beat yi dun ota ta ta (ota ta ta), translated loosely as this beat slaps, is more than just a flex. It’s a truth the track upholds. The song thrives on multilingual fluency, blending Yoruba, English, Nigerian Pidgin, and Southern African street slang into one seamless vibe.
Lyrically, JAYE (Flex) plays in the space between bold affirmation and slick defiance. Iyalayayin your father (your papa) is less insulting than performance art, a sharp, irreverent flip of the tongue that solidifies the song’s streetwise soul. Ma Ma Manager I manage things, showcase clever wordplay, and a refusal to play by standard rules. The chorus locks in as an anthem of pure indulgence: I love the money, I love the girls, I love the bimmer, Good life, big paps, Get high, get drunk.
The repetition in the outro, Just dey play (you hear), Dey play, dey play, dey play borrows from a viral Nigerian meme, already resonates, giving the track a wink of familiarity and layered meaning. It works both as a taunt and a warning: while others waste time, the real ones are rising.
JAYE (Flex) does more than entertain. It unites cultures and sounds from Lagos to Johannesburg to London, blending shared hustle, coded joy, and lyrical fire. DJ Wallace isn’t just crafting music, he is building something bigger. And if this is how he’s starting 2023, then 2024 better be ready.
