Nigerian sensational star-act, Adedamola Adefolahan, recognised by his stage name Fireboy DML, has released a hot single featuring the fast-rising artist and record-label mate Ahmed Ololade Asake, popularly referred to as Asake or Mr. Money.
Produced by P. Priime, Bandana is a sneak peek at what to expect from Fireboy’s third studio album slated for release this week tagged Playboy. Since its drop, Bandana has had over 250 million worldwide streams, which beats the record set by his previous release Playboy, which had a stunning 35 million streams worldwide. Bandana is one in a plethora of the artist’s many hits – there are several other remarkable singles, the likes of Vibration, Champion, and Peru.
Fireboy has become a household name, his style is one that always stands out and Bandana is no exception. With only a few years in the industry, he has become a globally recognised name.
Fireboy recently bagged a BET Award nomination for Best International Act and gave an outstanding stage performance of his hit song, Peru making him the first African artist to perform on the main stage at the Black Entertainment Television Awards.
Bandana lyrics. Credit: YouTube
Asake, while being fairly new on the Nigerian music scene, has had quite a good number of hits with his most recent Peace Be Unto You garnering a whopping 8.5 million views on YouTube and more than 2.8 million streams on Spotify. The combination of Fireboy DML and Asake is obviously going to be a match made in heaven.
The lyrics of this track are one of the things that stand out about it. This song goes deeper than being upbeat. It tells the story of this artist’s rise to stardom in a mix of skillful rhymes and lyrics that is sure to keep listeners hooked. Lyrics like…
Lowkey
All of them don dey notice
I’m not joking
All my guys dem, dem know me
Since ’06
I’ve been writin’ this story
I no be OG
But, if you ask dem, dem know me
…emphasise how the artist is slowly but surely gaining global relevance backed up by a mid-tempo jumpy pop beat followed by effortless vocals.
Considering that Fireboy DML became the first African artiste to perform live at the 90,000-seater stadium in Wembley where he performed his hit single Peru alongside Ed Sheeran at the British singer/songwriter’s concert, it is no surprise how easily he bodied this song. His talent is undeniable and this shines through in Bandana.
Asake aka Mr. Money also delivers a masterpiece on his chorus, he uses end rhymes to give a resonant tone to his chorus, a rhythm that blends with the beat and gives this track a feel that makes listeners want to sing along or at least hum along; more importantly, bop their heads and maybe even dance.
Fireboy DML and Asake sure did not disappoint. They managed to make musical magic in this smooth afro-fusion. Bandana is that firecracker every afro-playlist needs.
If you’re a huge fan of mid-tempo Afrobeats, Bandanna is the perfect song for you. Considering the quality of singles dropped off the highly anticipated Playboy, Fireboy DML’s third album, it’s easy to look forward to the next set of songs Fireboy will be dropping because one can’t help but feel there’s still so much more to come.
Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.
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.
