Although experimental, Asake’s ‘Lungu Boy’ comes across as the least of the trio
Unfortunately, the Afrobeats star could not match the overall quality of his last two albums.
The neo-fuji singer has shown intense dedication since he fully came into the spotlight, churning out four projects in three years, two in his debut year. With these three projects: his self-named EP ‘Ololade’, his debut album ‘Mr. Money With The Vibe’, and his sophomore album ‘Work of Art, the singer has gone on to become one of the most exciting Afrobeats acts to break out in the modern Nigerian music era since Wande Coal & Wizkid. The YBNL-Empire singer and performer has sold out the iconic 02 Arena in the United Kingdom, the Barclays Centre in the US, and the Scotia Bank Arena in Canada, all of which have less than 19,000 capacity.
The title “Lungu Boy,” is a description of the singer’s identity and roots, regardless of where he goes or how far he travels. “Lungu” is originally an Hausa word meaning “shortcut,” “dark alley,” or “dirt road”; however, it has become a popular slang, especially in Southern Nigeria, contextualised as the “Ghetto” or the “hood.” In a broader sense, it means the “streets,” which attest to why Asake might be calling himself a “Lungu boy.” If you are not a “nepo baby,” having to strive for yourself and “enter the streets” to get things done without support or soft landing, you can be accorded as a “street child,” hence “Lungu child.”
Also, Asake is from Lagos Island in Nigeria, an urban area of the early Lagos that has now largely become a “Lungu,” therefore every allusion to the singer’s identity based on the album title ticks. Although a “Lungu Boy,” Asake on this album documented his so-far-gone lifestyle and how international he has become, with hip-hop influences in his music, skating, face tattoos, western fashion, etc., which are dominantly foreign entities.
The album kicks off with a soul-soothing sampling of Asa’s classic ‘Eye Adaba,’ a powerful and prayerful song that is perfect to start your day; your journey. Asake starts the album on this note, creating the impression that the album is about to take the listener on a surreal journey. The one-minute, twenty-one-second intro had the Asa sample run for forty seconds before Asake took over with a “step on the gas” delivery, accompanied by a switch in beat from being solemn to a slightly fast tempo. A good intro that warms you up for what is to come.
The highly anticipated collaboration with Wizkid titled ‘MMS’ follows. When the tracklist dropped, one would have wondered why a heavyweight like Wizkid would be quickly introduced on the album instead of the usual way of delaying the big features to a later time on the album. However, listening to the highly enjoyable and introspective mid-tempo song, one would see why Asake made it the second track. After the soothing Asa sample, it only made sense to follow it with such a feel-good song. As expected, the mid-tempo tune with an R&B feel was a familiar ground for Wizkid to deliver smoothly, strictly staying on topic too.
The tempo in the album increases with ‘Mood’; although not in party mode, it was just enough to have you nodding your head. It’s another feel-good song that was perfect to follow the previous one. The fourth song ‘Heart’ kicks off with a Spanish guitar to usher in a love tune that saw French-Gabonese singer Anäis Cardot give an impressive bridge and noticeable back-up vocal to sweeten the song. The song switches from time to time from its Southern American feel to a Kanye hip-hop type beat, and knowing that Asake flows almost like a rapper, his delivery on the song was good. It is a decent song, but not exceptional. ‘Worldwide’ follows, although a familiar log drum-based tune that speaks on how “blown” Mr. Money has become. The delivery, production, and overall quality of the song seemed lazy.
The already-released ‘Active’ is a high-energy tune that seamlessly blends Afrobeats and hip-hop, showcasing the unique sides of Asake and the featured act, Travis Scott. Another catchy composition deployed by producer Sarz on the song is him interpolating Adewale Ayuba & Jazzman Olofin’s ‘Raise the Roof,’ which ended up being a major highlight of the song.
The tempo is again dropped with ‘Suru’, another introspective tune themed on being patient in life, featuring English rapper Stormzy, whose verse was delivered seamlessly. “Ise oluwa ko seni to ye,” a familiar line from Apala maestro Haruna Musiliu Ishola, saw the need for a traditional feel to the song, which was not properly executed and represented with just gan gan drums; other traditional components should have come to play.
The western influence on Asake was shown with ‘Skating.’ The mission-impossible-action-film-like beat was dominant throughout the song; however, the singer struggled with thematic depth and delivery when singing about his newly found hobby.
Asake reunites with his primary producer, Magicsticks, who came through with the log-drum-dredged soft landing for the singer on ‘Wave’. As a way to show that the “Lungu boy” has indeed gone international, Asake enlisted another British rapper, Central Cee, for the fan favourite song.
The album experienced a noticeable upgrade with ‘Mentally.’ It was the confident, delivery-conscious, and precise Asake known to be a hit machine on that record. The run is complimented by another monster jam produced by Sarz, ‘Uhh Yeah.’ The fuji prowess of the singer came to full flesh, and it was an instant show of the “Ololade mi Asake” that we know, especially the second verse. Sarz went nuts on the production. Interestingly, the song bore a resemblance to rapper Reminise’s highly underrated club banger ‘Fantasi,’ which was also produced by Sarz. The enjoyable run ends with ‘I Swear’ another lazy attempt (especially with hook) by the singer to deliver a Lamba (a street slang for being poetic while braggadocios about one’s ability or something), a terrain he is familiar with and has excellently delivered in previous albums with songs like What’s Up My G.
Another letdown follows with ‘Ligali’, a slang that emanates from the Fuji world, especially from Fuji icon Wasiu Alabi Pasuma Wonder, which loosely translates to “mingle.” One would have expected a flamboyantly delivered Fuji-themed song flanked by all the traditional components needed to leave listeners giving it their all on the dance floor, drenched in sweat, but they rather met an Afro-fusion leaned tune, which does not necessarily do the job. As the experiment continues, Asake embarks on a Caribbean dancehall voyage with Brazilian singer Ludmilla on ‘Whine’. The singer again clearly struggled with the ragga persona he tried to embrace and, as a result, created a song that might be easily forgotten by many.
The curtain closes on the album with a bonus track. The highly anticipated ‘Fuji Vibe’, whose snippet already cemented in the hearts of his listeners, was elongated and flamboyantly performed by the singer alongside his band The Composers – like one would have expected of ‘Ligali.’ The 5-minute-long song, at a point, transforms from its Fuji stance to the new-age deep trenches sound known as Mara which encompasses dance moves like Faaja, Ogba, Mara Pupo, Scissors Feet, and a slew of others. It was engineered specifically to be performed and enjoyed live. A moment.
The production on the album was quite decent, with standout performances like Sarz’s brillance on the house-infused log-drum-dominated ‘Mentally’, the Fuji-EDM ‘Uhh Yeahh,” and the Afro-fusion laced with hip-hop display on ‘Active’. The veteran producer and DJ constantly make it known that he is a godfather in the game with his sensational productions over the years. His protegee, P.Prime, produced seven tracks off the album, with ‘Start’, ‘MMS’, and ‘My Heart’, proving to be standout productions that showed his versatility as a young producer and the immense prospect he is to the Nigerian music scene. However, songs like ‘Suru’ could have had more components to properly deliver the tune.
Magicsticks came through on ‘Wave’ as well as his contribution on ‘Fuji Vibe’ alongside Asake and the composers—two solid productions off the album. The Caribbean feel on ‘Whine’ was accomplished thanks to Haitian producer Sak-Pase, though it’s not a standout production.
Asake struggled with songwriting on this album; unlike his previous albums, many music enthusiasts have linked it to the probability of his label boss, Olamide, being absent from the process. Maybe. Away from the dominantly subpar lyricism on the album, in Asake’s bid to explore, he struggled with his delivery as well; not a lot of Lambas could be be enjoyed from the neo-Fuji act on this project.
Because of how experimental the album is, the sonic sequence was not as cohesive as his first two albums. Working with three unfamiliar producers might have been a reason, unlike the usual Magicsticks-Asake collab that has been consistently showcased over the years. The experimentation on the album resulted in a non-cohesive project, as songs were scattered all over without proper direction. However, on thematic cohesion and depth, it’s two ways: if the singer’s “Lungu Boy” is supposed to tell the story of a “Lungu Boy” still in the “Lungu,” it failed. However, if it’s to tell the story of a “Lungu boy” that has gone worldwide but still very much in touch with his roots, the choice of track titles, song themes, and sound direction tallies, although not excellently executed by the artiste.
In conclusion, Asake’s ‘Lungu Boy’ is a decent album; the artiste was bold to have experimented with new soundscapes, but the outcome wasn’t great. Although it tends to become one of his commercially biggest albums, as singles can easily propel a project in the modern streaming era. ‘Lungu Boy’ is the least enjoyable album Asake has released so far, failing to match the standard and qualities of his previously released album.
Overall Rating: 6.5
Via NotJustOk