Asake has established himself as the best new artist on the Nigerian pop scene, thanks to an innovative street-pop sound that fuses choir-like, crowded backing vocals with traditional Nigerian melodies and amapiano rhythms. Last year, he made three appearances on Rolling Stone’s Best Afropop songs of 2022 list, with “Sungba (Remix),” “Joha,” and his show-stealing feature on Fireboy DML’s “Bandana.” Less than a year since his highly acclaimed debut, Mr. Money With the Vibe, the singer-songwriter has delivered his sophomore LP, Work of Art, which is easily the most important music he's made to date.
Work of Art opens with a prayer. A choir begins with the words “Emi ko, Olorun ma ni” (“It is not me but God”) before Asake joins in to fervently express the role the Creator has played in his journey and celebrate the power of faith, over a symphonic-gospel backdrop. Thumping log drums emerge, and Asake closes the track with the line “Alhamdulilah, I’m a new man.” As he outwardly demonstrated in 2022’s “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY),” this is a rising pop star who isn’t afraid to let the world in on his religious beliefs, and on Work of Art, he continues to spread this message.
“I draw inspiration from my real-life experiences, to encourage everyone who thinks their present reality is constant; I want them to always remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” the Lagos native told Rolling Stone in 2022. He inspires hope on the warm, enthralling “Sunshine,” where he sings “Sun’s gon’ shine on everything you do,” borrowing a line from U.K. duo Lighthouse Family’s 1995 song “Ocean Drive" and delivering it with conviction and a slight flanger effect. On “Awodi,” he reminds us that his own rags-to-riches journey exemplifies that proverb. In some parts of Work of Art, Asake touches on the lifestyle that success has now afforded him. Hints of braggadocio creep up on multiple occasions, especially on “Basquiat,” where he refers to himself as walking poetry and a work of art. But his call-and-response, chant-like delivery and infectious charisma make anything he sings feel universal.
Building on the sound of his debut, amapiano drums and basslines, shakers, and synths coupled with guitars, saxophones, and violins permeate the album. Asake’s blend of amapiano and Afropop (created with his go-to producer-engineer Magicsticks) has placed him at the forefront of Nigerian artists who have adopted a similar stylistic approach. He declares his love for the South Africa-birthed genre and the energy it induces on the explicitly titled banger “Amapiano.” He opens the song with the lyrics, “Amapiano, piano/Issa big vibe, all the girls them know/Steadily, steadily/Heavily, we are getting lit,” chanted as if they are an incantation. Asake has already proved that his breakthrough was more than earned. With Work of Art, he solidifies his status as a street-pop superstar.
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