Last week, while on a long trip to Osogbo, I played Asake’s last two albums, his last three released songs in 2024, in preparation for the release of Lungu Boy.
Asake, a former dancer turned-singer, fringe actor and more, grabbed everyone’s attention in 2022, however the journey began more than a decade earlier.
Asake’s sound is heavily oiled in Fuji music. It filters into his sounds, the 2024 Tiktok video of Fuji Vibe is just a snapshot of what would happen in future.
‘Mr Money With The Vibe’ was an epilogue into his craft, the polarising ‘Work of Art’ raised the bar a little.
While Asake might have been unable to replicate his 2022 terrific run, he remains in our faces, his strategic collaboration with Tems, Ayra Starr continues to make him a staple among the music disciple.
In the late 2000s, Durella called himself King of the Zanga, an allusion to his Mushin roots. Nigeria is filled with Ghettos, artistes pay tribute to some of these ghettos with tribute, appraisal. Asake reminds me of Durella when he calls himself Lungu Boy. Beyond being a tribute to his Ghetto stories, it is also a way of reasserting his toughness, perseverance and tenacity. Ten years of struggle before blowing up isn’t a joke.
He distills little of his stories in his music. While he is not a “dull” boy, he is also quick to tell Agatha from Osapa to get out of his house. That’s Ololade Asake, the dude who breathes Fuji, marinates it in Afrobeats.
The first vocal on this album comes from Asa, the brilliant Nigerian version of Nina Simone, by the time Asake’s vocals come up, he was gyrating, flirting with the beat, a beautiful rendition. The moody MMM finds Asake and Wizkid bouncing it off. It is a retrospective tune, Wiz’s finest guest verse since Covid.
In the last two years, Asake has found joy in log drums, baseline. Amapiano continues to dominate his sound, on this album, he takes a bow, moves away and perhaps, finds Mr Money Sound as he claimed. The earlier teased Fuji Vibe is a dash between Alhaji Agba Fuji, Remi Aluko type of Fuji, the last sixty second transition comes off well. Finally, Asake embraces his core element. With the years ahead of him, more Fuji experiments would come. He makes another fantastic attempt on “Ligali, ” and “Uhh Yeah.”
A cut from Adewale Ayuba gets interpolated on Asake’s new tune. Active features US rapper Travis Scott.
Ayuba seems to take the shine on this song; while the song doesn’t wow me, I am forced to spin it again just to hear Ayuba’s interpolation. The similarity of Asake and Central Cee’s come up stories get channeled on “Wave.”
On this album, Asake is his own man. He wrote his songs himself without Olamide’s assistance, his longtime producer, Magic Stick, only produced two tracks. His new relationship with producers like Sarz and P-Prime seems to take him to a new sound frame. His is more calmer and reflective with the song almost sounding too religious at a time, almost every five lines were punctuated with submission or praised to the most high. I think this is what happens when an artiste has reached a new height of his career. Take for instance, Suru which featured Stormzy and MMM are just distant cousins. Even when Asake sings about love “My Heart”, he is less endearing and more authoritative.
With a Grammy award nomination already in the bag courtesy of his last album, Asake is going for the second, this time around , he calls on the finest from the USA, UK and Brazil. If luck smiled on him, he might finally get it .
Core Asake’s fans might find it difficult to enjoy this album. This is a grand shift from how they perceived him however it should be expected yet tracks like “Mentally,” “Wave,” “Active,” gives off the old Asake. The filler track “Skating,” makes you doubt Asake’s Lungu membership. Where ghetto boy wan get money for skate; a forgiveable offense.
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