The history of the ginger root in West Africa is deceptively brief. Introduced by Portuguese traders in the 1700s, the peppery rhizome became a cornerstone of Nigeria’s regional cuisines, export economy, and slang. To be “gingered” by someone—as David Adedeji Adeleke often finds himself—is to be exhilarated, invigorated, turned on. Davido’s blend of Afropop, R&B, and lovers rock is tailor-made for eye contact across the dancefloor and tumbling into bed in the same night. On 5ive, his fifth studio album, the Nigerian pop superstar surveys the empire he helped build and hungers for more, casting himself as a Biblical David who “meets his Goliath with a melody all his own.” If that sounds weighty after the nonstop celebration of 2019’s A Good Time, fear not; this is still Afrobeats’ preeminent loverboy. 5ive is an intoxicating breath of ocean air and amor fati that thrives on Davido’s magnetic confidence and only falters when he seems to doubt his own star power.
When Justin Bieber dropped a verse on Wizkid and Tems’ humid duet “Essence” in summer 2021, white smoke may as well have billowed from the proverbial chimney: Just as reggaetón had conquered the charts during the second half of the 2010s, this would be the dominant pop sound of the nascent decade. While Afrobeats has since spawned global stars and been a frequent point of reference for Western hitmakers like Drake, contemporary Nigerian pop as it was ushered in by the likes of Wizkid and Davido (who share a longstanding rivalry) remains largely undiluted: log drums tango with bouncy synth bass and highlife guitars glide across leisurely dembow rhythms, all at about 100 to 120 beats per minute. 5ive offers several exemplary additions to the canon, including the amapiano-inflected “CFMF” and lead single “Awuke,” a link-up with Jamaica’s YG Marley that floats along on a nearly wordless chorus, save the line “You don finish me with love.”
Marley sits among a roster of international guests in an apparent effort to boost Davido’s worldwide notoriety. Victoria Monét is a capable sparring partner, trading seductive taunts over nocturnal, Lite-Brite alté on the stunning “Offa Me.” But the presence of Chris Brown on “Titanium” sours the mood. Nigeria’s music industry is, by and large, male-dominated, and the three women who appear on 5ive—Monét, Becky G, and Shenseea—hail from Atlanta, Inglewood, and Jamaica. One wishes Davido had opted to share his own A-list shine with more of the homegrown talent, whose presence is a highlight throughout. “Funds,” featuring Nigerian artists ODUMODUBLVCK and Chike, revisits the free-spending playboy of “Fall”—still Davido’s definitive song—with a promise to “mismanage my funds on you.” And “With You,” the closing track, weaves singer Omah Lay seamlessly into one of the album’s luscious vocal arrangements.
“With You” is livelier and more electrically charged than any song that precedes it, which likewise could be said of this whole record. Davido’s last couple of releases—A Better Time in 2020 and Timeless in 2023—rounded out the trilogy he began with A Good Time, but they could trend somber, even reserved. Not so on 5ive, which is all zing, all ginger, full of regal proclamations that “People talk, people talk/But nobody fit fill me position” and that after “12 years I’m still on top.” Tracks like “Holy Water” and “Tek” are subtler displays of dominance, as Davido presides over slinky bangers constructed from, respectively, beatboxed percussion and an interpolation of the “Careless Whisper” sax solo. Having reached Afrobeats’ highest echelons, Davido’s David and Goliath metaphor might be due for a replacement: By now, the crown is his for the taking.
