Lagos-hailing singer and MC WAVE$TAR is hardly the first artist to wield arrogance as a super power but when he’s in his bag, few are as believable. “Small time I started singing/Mótí, mótí, money, and alcohol drinking,” he raps on Swagstar’s “STORY OF SWAG,” an allusion to a meteoric rise that began from home recordings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Production is likewise a priority on Swagstar. On “LEAN,” a jaunty, jittery piano riff loops in shifting rhythmic meters, lending order and bite to his altered state of mind. Dynamic catch-and-release percussion keeps the energy high on “RIC FLAIR DRIP,” where the MC turns a compact refrain (“drip drip”) into an addictive hook within a deliberately narrow vocal register. On “GOVERNMENT MONEY,” swagger becomes an audition for political office: “Na me be the minister of swag affairs.” Opening with eerie siren synths, an operatic vocal chop, and a chittering electronic pulse, the track treats state power like another designer accessory. The chorus lands on a bone-dry punchline—“playing with the government money”—delivered so deadpan that the flatness itself becomes the critique: In this world, the looting of public coffers is utterly mundane. On “PRADA BBY,” he proves far readier to spend than to listen (“Say what you want I’ll pay”). As the album’s production reaches its zenith on “CLOUD 9 (GUCCI BBY)”—unruly amapiano log drums, darting flute motifs, and a flurry of synth fills—WAVE$TAR flexes entertainment wisdom beyond his years, making an exit while the demand for his presence is still high. “Can’t stay too long at the function,” he spits. “I’m a superstar I need some sleep.”