ASAKE - M$ney

Even Africa can feel too small once two giants start shoving each other. There's bad blood between the continent's two heavyweights: in one corner sits South Africa, its leading economy and a well-established soft power; in the other, Nigeria, a demographic monstre with symbolic capital to match its oil wealth. One might dream of a pan-African bridge, but for now friction prevails, epitomized by the "South Africa First" chants heard at the ignoble marches of the March And March movement.

There's no need to dwell on the immense cultural wealth of both countries, or on the explosive effect of an imagined synergy between them. More useful, perhaps, is to picture an ambassador overseeing the handshake. I've got a name in mind: that genius Asake, who with his "afropiano" has found the perfect balance between two musical treasures of their respective nations.

Fourth album in five years, "M$ney" conjures Nigeria's multifaceted identity starting from the cover art, an unmistakable nod to the legendary Festac 77 logo, itself inspired by a sixteenth-century ivory mask depicting Idia, queen mother of the long-fallen Kingdom of Benin. Asake feels like a prince too, and with good reason: the numbers crown the thirty-one-year-old from Lagos among the absolute stars of African music.

The title flaunts banknotes, the lyrics reek of sweaty skin, but the menu is anything but profane: wrapped in an almost supernatural sheen, the tracks shake up that cocktail of carnality and spirituality that's the law of the land in West Africa. The placid uniformity of the tracklist, ideal for basking in the sun as much as for a slow-motion dance, is occasionally shaken by acoustic touches (the woody flute of "Worship", the Davis-esque trumpet of "Why Love", the Santana-style guitar flourishes of "Asambe"), all under the watchful eye of the nation's top production talent (Magicsticks, Blaisebeatz, P. Priime, among others).

Sung in English, Yoruba and Pidgin, it should please just about everyone within Nigeria's borders. As for those of us on the floor below, the advice is to drop our defenses and surrender to Asake's creamy, deeply sensual embrace, the esperantist of a new African utopia.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

25/05/2026