#ybnl

"Dull" starts and ends with choir-like renditions, a trademark that will immediately be identified by any keen or even casual follower of his music. The track is less than two minutes long, and before Asake spends most of it chanting, repeatedly, "I swear I no o dull" he begins with "Oke agba ni mo gun yi o, e ma jen jabo/ Eyin agba mo be yin o, mi o shako" earnestly calling on ancestors, the deities of African traditional religion to guide his path and ensure he doesn't regress from his new found stardom. These moments of vulnerability, when Asake fears for his longevity, add a new and welcome dimension to his public personality, making a change from most of this year when he appeared as the classic gangster, with videos depicting him as the leather clad, motorbike riding and even gun sporting tough man.

And these themes of prayer and emotion run through the entire album. His songs released previously were a bold affront on the charts, and they capitalised on fast spinning beats to create music that was always dance-ready. The spaciousness an album brings allows Asake room to diversify from this somewhat, without losing his inherent style. Songs like 'Nzaza' and 'Ototo' utilize the heavy log drums and choir sounds that Asake is known for, but these are repurposed and slowed down, so that the songs can hold more spiritual, emotional value. The latter constantly digs into the spiritual, repeatedly mentioning "Oluwa" (God) as he begs for more money and blessings. More important than anything, though, he does not want to lose his quickly gotten relevance. The Nigerian music scene is highly competitive, and so many that attempt to crack national fame are not able to, and not for a want of talent. Perhaps even worse, it isn't uncommon for a new act to burst into the scene with a few hit tracks and sadly fade into the abyss forever, to be remembered only on occasions when people ask "where is X now?". This is Asake's biggest fear, and so he spends these tracks (and the opener) taking it to God in prayer.

The biggest fear of his fans, coming to this album, was not that. After releasing a series of hit tracks set in the same sonic range, many wondered how he would cram an album with enough diversity without losing a sense of who he is. It is on this point that Mr. Money With The Vibe is most successful, and elevates this body of work from very good to having a shout for album of the year. While many still believe that honour goes to Omah Lay and the sorrowful yet sexy Boy Alone, it is impossible to not credit the innovative ability of Asake and Magicsticks, who helmed production for the entire album. It is on a song like 'Dupe' that this quality shines brightest, for it borrows from Asake's formula, and is able to sound unique at the same time. Backed by a sax, Magicsticks gives the song a carnival, dancehall feel, as Asake urges you to let go of worries and be happy for where you've come so far.

On some other tracks, though, Asake sticks to the formula that has kept him visible for the best part of a year- crafting amapiano-inflected, danceable songs. 'Joha' and 'Organise' could easily have been part of his singles run this year, and expectedly they take the early lead in the chart rankings. Once more, Asake has given less attention to lyrics, leaning on Magicsticks' exquisite production to weave catchy melodies. He trades message for grooviness, so that though you may exit the songs without knowing what exactly it was about, you are sure to have had a good time listening to them. Magicsticks also flexes this ability on 'Sumonmi', which has stripped off Fuji elements from the rest of the album and doubled down on Amapiano origins. Asake gives the producer front seat in this track, his only contribution coming in the form of a simple sentence 'baby sunmo mi", repeated for its entirety, and it is left to Magicsticks to bring Amapiano to life with all the authenticity of its South African originators.

Asake's debut album is not the most cohesive unit, neither does it explore deep thematic material, but no one tuned to this album expecting much of either. The aspects you would expect, party starting music, memorable melodies and incredible (incredible!) production feature, and they are enough to push this album past mediocrity and into excellence. Asake was under massive pressure after that incredible run, but he has lived up to the billing on his first album, proving that the drive with which he began this year is very much alive.

Stream or Download: Asake - Mr Money With The Vibes