The underlying factor that has propelled Asake to the heights he’s attained in the Afrobeats landscape is consistency, every other contributing element is rather secondary. His introduction to the music scene came with a one-of-one sound that blended his fuji-inflected melodies expressed in multilingual lyrics, choir effect call backs poured over swelling Amapiano, and Afrobeats production with Fuji leanings. That was his style, and he stuck to this template because it worked just fine. He soon garnered a huge following for it; the novelty of his music brought a sonic relief long thirsted for in the music scene. Asake’s unique style offered him feats that artists in the music space can only dream of. His rise to the zenith of his career happened so quickly that he didn’t have plenty of time to dream.
There has been a demand for a shift from the dominant sound of Amapiano, which has grown weary, to something inventive. To ideally return to the original state of Afrobeats, which is inherently a genre that fuses elements from other genres and even cultures. A genre that allows listeners to surmise what a record might sound like before pressing play, but not without much uncertainty about its approach. On his third studio album, “Lungu Boy,” Asake does a brave thing by choosing to leave his comfort sound and escape the risk of sounding monotonous. Asake abandoned what apparently worked for him and had been the norm for the vast majority of his followers to explore a different, more experimental path.
Unlike his debut album, “MMWTV,” and his sophomore album, “Work of Art,” Lungu Boy underscores the freedom of approach that comes with being an artist doing afrobeats. On Lungu Boy, Asake modified his songwriting and expressed himself in multiple languages, a little more than he had done in previous offerings.
Since his meteoric rise to a global stage, there is a demand for catering to the newly acquired fans, particularly those in diaspora. The consecutive album drops solidified Asake’s place at home and fairly earned him global superstar status.
Lungu Boy is aimed at catering to target listeners and exploring multiple markets. This is evident in the production of the material and strategic assists from guest artists like Travis Scott, Wizkid, Central Cee, Stormzy, and Ludmilla, who all have a cult following or something similar. And 24 hours after its release, Lungu Boy claimed the first spot for the biggest first-day streams with 5.88 million streams, unseating Davido’s “Timeless” album record of 4.91 million streams.
Lungu Boy kicks off with “Start,” and listeners first hear a sample of “Eye Adaba” by Asa, one of Nigeria’s most iconic and highly revered singers. Asake sets the idea for Lungu Boy in motion, “Original boy from Lungu to space/New sound I’m feeling cool,” and as the LP progresses, these lyrics come alive. The production, primarily steered by P.priime and Sarz, explored new techniques without straying too far from the scope of Asake’s previous albums. The choral effect, log drums, multilingual lyrics, existential musings, emotional expressions, and tuneful cadence that characterise Asake’s music are present in Lungu Boy, but now more subtly executed. “MMS” is a reflective record with percussions, prominent chord progressions, and expressive woodwind instruments that stir the moody essence of the song.
On the track, Asake talks about how he discovered his sound and reminisces perhaps about his days at the University of Ibadan as the “Joha” crooner. Wizkid is not new to conjuring emotive verses; his verse is vulnerable, like a short letter to himself. “Mood” is Asake’s chronicle of how he’s felt, presumably since “Work of Art.” The Lungu Boy world is not a facade, as some have come to believe. Mood is a track that gives implicit details of why the singer cut his hair and acquired new tattoo placements. The language switch to Spanish in the second verse, which expresses the same lyrics as in the first, is the high point of the track.
On the first verse of “My Heart,” Asake sings on dreamy guitars and Anais Cardot’s euphoric vocals; the delivery is uncanny. He takes a swing at Afro-R&B and doesn’t miss. By now, it’s more than evident on “My Heart” that the sonic direction of this project differs from his previous offerings, in spite of how fundamentally similar they are.
Lungu Boy is a record of Asake’s personal reflection of his journey from his early beginnings as a Lungu Boy to becoming an international sensation, which a track like “Worldwide” conveys. “Active,” featuring Travis Scott, was produced by Sarz and Mike Dean and is a fusion of two worlds: fuji and hip-hop. High praise to the producers, the production concretised both worlds, and listeners could sense when they slipped from one world to the other or when they experienced both.
In an alternate world where Asake sticks to the sound the bulk of his following fell in love with, tracks like “Ligali,” “Wave,” and “Fuji Vibe” render what Lungu Boy would’ve sounded like. There’s no track on the LP that suggests extreme experimentation or strays far from the essence enjoyed on Asake’s debut and sophomore albums. “Skating” appears to be the one underwhelming song on the project, best considered as a filler track. It lacks soul with a lazy attempt at a chorus, and this may be because skating isn’t genuinely a part of Asake.
On this LP, “Mentally” is this writer’s personal favourite and where Asake peaks. “Mentally and “I swear” are both lifestyle anthems and mantras for go-getters. A track like “Suru,” featuring Stormzy, puts on full display Asake’s knack to sublimely deliver on transcontinental collaborations, which is an unprecedented rarity for a Nigerian indigenous singer. Like his appearance on Sarz’s “Happiness,” the finished product of the cultural exchange record is borderless music. “Uhh Yeahh” is a fusion of eclectic sounds from multiple genres. “Whine,” featuring Ludmilla, is a dancehall-leaning record. Both tracks are intriguing products of Asake’s capabilities. It makes one wonder what it’ll be like if Asake took on more challenges to explore the abundance of sound across the globe and what the end result would be if he continued on this path as a sonic nomad. After all, Afrobeats is inherently a thieving genre.
Clearly, there is an evolution of sound in this third chapter; it’s jarring for some, especially homegrown fans, but it is a necessary development for Asake as an artist. Asake has charted a new course, and the result is a sufficient answer to the longstanding question of his range. A message to Lungu Boy: to more daring sonic explorations and far-reaching, inclusive experimentations. The world is your Lungu.
Rating 8
