Format: EP
Length: 8 tracks, 24 minutes
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Release: 21 November 2025
Label: Outlawville/Encore
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Features: Don Jazzy, Olamide, Terry G, Shorae Moore
When Victony returned in 2024 with his debut album, Stubborn, the project felt like a reclamation, following the aftermath of a near-fatal 2021 accident that had become a musical treatise on ambition, pain, and reinvention. But does the sequel EP ‘ Very Stubborn’ leave a lasting impact?
Very Stubborn, released 21 November 2025 via Outlawville/Encore, is the smaller but sharper sequel: eight tracks, 24 minutes, and a deliberate narrowing of focus.
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Track by Track
1. Way Home (feat. Shorae Moore)
The opener establishes the EP’s emotional temperature, quiet, wounded, and contemplative. Built on sparse piano chords and atmospheric pads, Way Home plays like a whispered confession.
Victony’s lines, “They no fit understand what I’m made of” position the track as both an origin story and a defence against public misinterpretation. Shorae Moore doesn’t compete; she stabilises the song with gentle harmonies that function almost like a grounding breath. It’s the EP’s moral centre and one of its most cohesive compositions.
2. E Go Be (feat. Don Jazzy)
A modern-day resilience anthem. Don Jazzy’s appearance is subtle but effective: a rare vocal contribution underscored by his signature melodic structure and rich lines. Together, they turn a simple refrain into a communal statement, a reminder that destiny still bends in favour of the persistent. This track gives the EP its party vibe.
3. V.S. Freestyle
Short, sharp, and unfiltered. This track feels like Victony thinking aloud a stream of consciousness on resilience, industry pressure, and the stubbornness that keeps him moving forward. The production is intentionally skeletal, leaving space for his cadence to take precedence. While brief, it functions as a thesis update: Victony is done apologising for his ambition.
4. Tanko (feat. Terry G)
Chaos meets craftsmanship. Terry G’s return to mainstream collaboration is notable in its own right, but his presence also reconnects Victony to the raw, unpolished energy of mid-2000s street-pop. Sirens, frenetic percussion, and Terry G’s erratic ad-libs create a thrilling sense of unpredictability. Victony’s melodic discipline balances the track, proving he can navigate even the wildest sonic terrains. This track embodies stubbornness, as it’s loud, risky, and a necessary jolt of energy.
5. Skido (feat. Olamide)
The EP’s engine room is rhythmic, grounded, and unmistakably street-informed. Olamide delivers a commanding verse laced with gratitude and grit, while Victony uses his hook to reinforce the idea of staying present amid success. The beat blends Afrobeats bounce with trap sharpness, making Skido both reflective and movement-inducing. It’s the most “outside-ready” moment on the EP.
6. Ordinary thing
Here, Victony speaks about being unmotivated by both the ordinary and the extraordinary, while maintaining the EP’s rhythmic pattern and staying true to the lyrics.
7. Gangsta Cry
A standout cut and possibly the EP’s emotional peak. Here, Victony breaks the façade of strength that fame demands. He sings about emotional exhaustion, trust wounds, and the contradictions of being “gangsta” yet vulnerable. The trap-R&B production—moody 808s, distant synth echoes—frames his voice like a diary entry. It’s the project’s most revealing moment, showcasing growth in songwriting and emotional articulation.
8. Amen
A transition track that introduces a prayerful undertone. Over soft percussive lines and subdued pads, Victony adopts a prayerful posture, asking for protection, clarity, and preservation, while highlighting his personal struggles and vulnerabilities.
Review
Victony’s ‘Very Stubborn’ feels like flipping through an artist’s private notebook. Although one would expect the EP to live up to its name, it seems more reflective than anything suggestive of what stubborn could mean.
From the start, Victony makes it clear that this EP is more about clarity than spectacle. Sometimes that simplicity is powerful; other times, it makes a few songs sound unfinished, as if they were ideas he never fully expanded. And in a couple of places, his vocals settle into one tone for too long. However, even with these limitations, the EP still manages to entertain and effectively convey a range of emotions.
The themes sit close to the skin. Victony sings about the pressure of being watched, the strange guilt that comes with success, and the tightrope walk between staying relevant and staying true to yourself. It’s introspective without being overly dramatic, the kind of honesty that feels rare in today’s Afrobeats scene, where shiny production often hides the cracks.
READ ALSO: MUSIC REVIEW: Tems doesn’t need noise to reign, ‘Love Is a Kingdom’ makes it clear
The guest features are carefully chosen. Don Jazzy brings polish, Olamide adds street depth, Terry G shakes things up with his wild energy, and Shorae Moore softens the edges with emotional contrast. None of them steals the spotlight. They strengthen what Victony is already doing.
Across the EP, one thing becomes clear: Victony isn’t trying to dominate playlists or chase global trends. Very Stubborn is intentionally quieter and more focused than the Afrobeats mainstream. Probably a reminder that he’s just as interested in telling a story as he is in making a hit.
While the EP swings between emotions, it doesn’t become monotonous. However, the title might bring some high expectations; anyone who hears ‘ Very Stubborn’ would anticipate some kind of exorbitance. Although the lyrics, when not introspective , seem to be overwhelmingly deliquescent. Although not all tracks strive, when they do, it stands out impressively.
Verdict: 6/10
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