Asake has burst onto the scene in an impressive manner. The new YBNL signee has been the hit of the week with his unique fusion of Afro-beats and Fuji in Sungba, spawning many a TikTok video and dance challenge. It is no surprise that Sungba is the featured song of the week.

With a very bassy under-beat, a steady hook, and a glib-filled song, Sungba skirt the line between the traditional Fuji sounds, with the profusion of percussion and the more mainstream Afro sound of catchy beats and easy-to-sing ad-libs. The spanking new hitmaker previously released Omo Ope, a song that featured his YBNL boss Olamide and is much in the same style as Asake. It was a hit in its own right but Sungba seems to have surpassed the success of the former.

Mixing raw, street-infused lyrics, the song begs a lady who “carry baka like ah Philo” to not be shy because he has money to spend on her. The lyrics don’t disappoint after that, following much the same theme as Asake plays the part of an over-eager lover who does not want to waste any time in securing the woman of his dreams.

Asake released his first EP Olalode Asake. Compared to the songs on his extended play, like Trabaye and Baba God, Sungba actually stands out as arguably the best song in his body of work. His smooth delivery and immensely catchy beats linger in the mind of the listener long after the song has stopped playing.

Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.