“The PlayMaker was a musical journey of self-discovery and learning to master my craft,” Phyno tells Apple Music. As his sophomore album, it cemented his status as the vanguard of Igbo rap. Led by the rags-to-riches anthem “Fada Fada” with Olamide, it saw the rapper sing and rap fluidly over contemporary highlife, trap, pop and gospel sounds. The praiseful “SFSG (So Far So Good)” embodies the project’s spiritual inclination, while the high-octane trap of “Abulo” meets the Afropop rhythms of the 2Baba- and Flavour-assisted “Okpeke”. Further appearances are made by Tidinz, M.I, Decarlo, Mr Eazi, Burna Boy and Zoro across the 20-track offering. It’s the heartfelt “Ochie Dike (Mama)” that takes the mantle as stand-out collaboration as it features the legendary “Elegant Stallion” Onyeka Onwenu. With emotions and lyricism combining brilliantly throughout the album, Phyno is remorseful on “Mistakes”, encouraging on “Ino Nma” and unwavering on the bar-heavy “Best Rapper”. With its musical diversity and crossover appeal, The PlayMaker saw Phyno rhythmically package his message and localise hip-hop, as the rhyming over indigenous percussion and Igbo chants on “Obiagu” displayed.