Adekunle Gold is taking Afropop back to its foundations. On Friday, the singer released his sixth studio album, Fuji, a project he describes as a tribute to the ancestral rhythms that shaped him and millions of Nigerians.

“That sound is the soundtrack of Lagos. It’s everywhere. That sound gave birth to Afrobeats and all the things we hear right now,” he told AFP in Paris, reflecting on the percussive genre that defined Yoruba street culture for decades.

Fuji is not new to Nigerians. The style emerged in the late 1960s, built on Yoruba Muslim traditional music and carried into the mainstream by the late Ayinde Barrister, who famously named the genre after Japan’s Mount Fuji. 

With its rapid drum patterns, big ensembles, and socially conscious lyrics, Fuji soundtracked Lagos streets, motor parks, and family parties long before Afrobeats became Nigeria’s biggest export.

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Gold, a descendant of the Kosoko royal family, grew up with these sounds. Now 38, the Afropop star has built a career on blending tradition with global pop. His latest album draws heavily from Fuji’s energy, fusing it with contemporary R&B melodies and Afrobeats polish. “You listen to it and it makes your body move. It’s magical,” he said.

Like Burna Boy, Davido, and other stars of his generation, Gold is bridging the past and present for an international audience. His viral 2023 single, “Party No Dey Stop,” a collaboration with Zinoleesky, has already racked up more than 29 million views on YouTube and marked his first major U.S. chart breakthrough. The visuals, full of vibrant outfits, boat rides, and the celebratory spirit of Lagos, introduced a global audience to the joyous excess of Nigerian pop culture.

But Fuji goes beyond dance music. Adekunle Gold threads personal stories into the record, drawing from moments of loss, love, and family. “I talk about my grief when I lost my father. I talk about my love life, my daughter, about being a family man,” he explained. It is, in his words, an emotional journey anchored in both memory and identity.

The album also reflects his ongoing role as a cultural ambassador. Though now based in the United States, Gold insists his “heart is in Lagos.” His mission, he says, is to spread Nigerian culture globally, “talking about my heritage, talking about tradition.”

That mission extends beyond music. Living with sickle cell disease since birth, Gold has been outspoken about the need for awareness and support. Earlier this year, he launched a foundation dedicated to funding treatment and helping local charities, a move that cements his role not just as a performer but as a voice for health advocacy in Nigeria.

Still, Gold does not shy away from Nigeria’s challenges. Nearly 60 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line, and for him, progress requires more than government intervention. “There have been steps in the right direction,” he said, “but it is not enough for the government to do everything. We must also do what we can as citizens.”

With Fuji, Adekunle Gold is doing his part, reviving a genre that shaped modern Afrobeats while carrying Nigeria’s culture to the world. For him, the beat of the talking drum and the rhythms of his ancestors are not just sounds of the past; they are blueprints for the future.

Cynthia Nwanonyiri