Jev. x Ibrahim Maza - Who's Watching?

“Brentford have just unearthed a gem” harks Sky Sports commentator Bill Leslie after Mamadou Sangare’s outstanding Premier League debut in a 3-0 romp of Spurs on the opening day.

Correction Bill, Lens unearthed a gem. Because it was them who brought in Sangare from Rapid Wien for a pittance. The Bees paid £40 million for a player starting week in, week out in Ligue 1 for a side who pushed PSG to their very limits in the title race. Sangare was there for all to see. Brilliant scouting for Brentford or just common sense to see what was right in front of them?

Becoming more invested in football and music is as fun as it is frustrating. Because you realise at their core, both industries aren’t the blissful ‘anything is possible’ dreamlike fairytales you thought they were. You listen to artists you think.. no, you know are brilliant. You see footballers who are blessed with buckets of ability showing their class on a weekly basis. You think it’s a matter of time before the world hears about them and sees what you’re seeing.

But nothing happens. Maybe there’s an air of impatience and entitlement to my words because things do take time. However, when you see artists dominating the charts who can’t hold a candle to the ‘underground’ artist you’ve just discovered - you can’t help but wonder. How much does talent actually matter nowadays? How much correlation does it have to becoming successful?

Because when people like Jephté ‘jev.’ Kewto and Ibrahim Maza are doing what they’re doing but nobody’s biting, thoughts race through your mind. What’s actually going on up there in those rooms where the big decisions are being made.

jev., or ‘thelonerjev’ as he sometimes referred to himself - is a Congolese-born rapper whose early life spanned different corners of the world. As well as the country of his birth, he also spent years in South Africa before eventually moving to Canada at 19.

His music embodies his eclectic upbringing. jev. cites how he realised that living in different parts of the world, people care a lot about different aspects of music. Some prioritise the beats and instruments whilst others really care about what’s being said. So he aims to perfect it all.

This results in a wide-ranging collection of sounds and beats, with extremely creative sample-flips and instrumentation. Someone who prides himself on his imagination, the 25 year old has no song that sounds the same. So intentional and meticulous with all he does, he fills his tracks with razor-sharp lyricism and socially-conscious messaging. His wordplay is fabulous and his flow draws no comparisons. Songs like ‘Black Samurai’ emphasise his technical brilliance and viciousness whilst a track like ‘WIPE MY TEARS’ reflects the more vulnerable and soulful side which rears its head on occasion.

jev.’s music career was really catapulted into life after his song ‘where’s the confetti’ went viral on tiktok in 2022. He’s opened for hip-hop legends Clipse and even big names such as Lil Tjay. It shows that his talent is certainly being noticed but he remains firmly in that ‘underground’ category. Just over 1.5million Spotify listeners per month which dwarfs the number his talent deserves but trying to judge talent by numbers is a foolish man’s game.

A foolish man’s game because Ibrahim Maza is still playing for Bayer Leverkusen whilst players such as Sandro Tonali are being sold for nearly 9 figure deals. That’s not meant to be a slight on the Italian midfielder, well maybe it is because he’s not worth that sort of money considering he’s not actually elite at anything.

Maza though, he has those raw ingredients clubs should be paying big money for and the overt idolisation he has for players such as Mesut Özil, Neymar and Messi might give you a glimpse at the player the 20 year old might be.

The Algerian midfielder wants to have fun on the pitch. He wants to be brave, tricky and entertaining. He, like jev. takes a lof responsibility in expressing himself in his craft - stressing how important it is to enjoy his football.

With an upbringing also spanning different corners of the globe, Maza has both Algerian and Vietnamese heritage pumping through his veins. German-born and raised, he recalls in interviews how he took annual trips to Algeria during his childhood. And it wouldn’t be surprising if those trips also had an effect on his playstyle because North Africa has a flair and skill steeped in its players which can be likened to that of Brazilians.

Funnily enough, Maza’s name isn’t too far off “Mazouzi” which translates to ‘golden boy’ in Arabic. He moved to Leverkusen last summer from Hertha Berlin - a team playing in Germany’s second division. He faced the tall task of being the club’s Florian Wirtz replacement and admits himself that he found the first few months at his new club difficult, citing the shift in intensity and speed of the game.

But since that adaptation period, he’s proved to be a worthy successor to Wirtz and might in fact be better. He’s just as technically great, but he’s more combative and physical which has led coach Kasper Hjumland to sometimes use him in a pivot. He’s capable of using both feet, excels in spaces both small and large, is a wonderful dribbler and and has the propensity to score a screamer.

Now in his second season, he’s Leverkusen’s best and most valuable player. Perhaps clubs have been scared off by the price the German club would likely charge for the Algerian and deem it a risk to pay a large sum with only one season of top-flight football on his CV.

But if you want to be the best, you need to think faster than your competitors. Another season like last year and Maza’s price-tag likely jumps up another £30 or 40 million, creeping into that dreaded 9 figure region.

Once again, the Algerian isn’t someone who’s hiding in the Belgian division or Japanese league. He’s one of the most important players in a major European club and played consistent football last season. In the same way, jev. has been separating himself from his competitors with his music, marketing strategy and branding but still hasn’t blown.

Who knows what goes on in these rooms. You want to build around people and personalities that will take your company forward? They’re right there in front of your face.

Backing the more experienced and reliable horse has never catalysed a dynasty.