NMIXX – RudE TaLK

That spelling is the first thing I noticed. The random capitals make the title look like a message typed in a hurry, maybe an angry text or a comment someone regretted later. It gives the whole thing a cheeky, slightly dramatic feel before a single line is sung.

Then there is the subject. Rude talk is something we all know. It is the sharp reply in the group chat, the market woman who will not let you finish your sentence, the friend who says “I’m just being honest” and then says the most hurtful thing possible. In Nigeria, a well-placed insult can become a whole drama within an hour, so the idea is easy to relate to.

NMIXX are a JYP Entertainment girl group, and I will be careful not to describe the production in detail, since the title is the clearest guide I have to the mood. What it suggests is confidence, attitude, and a speaker who is not planning to soften anything for politeness.

That is the part I find most interesting. Plenty of songs deal with heartbreak or romance, but fewer take on the way people talk to each other. A record built around that has room for humour, anger and a little swagger all at once, and it feels like something you could play when someone has just tried you.

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