On a journey to expand his core sound, Mr.Money continues to mine new existential themes, tying them to his kaleidoscopic Fuji palette. It’s his most explorative work so far, filled with moments that give you a glimpse of Afro’s future.
One thing is certified, Asake has mastered the art of creating a cohesive body of work, and his previous works are a testament to it. Going into this album, the standards he set for himself were still firm. At the Edmonton concert earlier this year, he performed an unreleased version of Fuji Vibe which went viral, leaving fans itching for Lungu Boy. The album’s first lead single “Wave”, features Central Cee, his laid-back delivery burbles with a wave of fun lifestyle. “Active” is the official trailer for the album’s creative direction, Travis Scott’s presence pretty much said it all, an experimental body of work was upon us. “Start” sets things off here, the intro’s melodic production allows the rapper to pry open windows onto his past, present, and future. He sounds grateful, yet ready for more. There is more reminiscing on “MMS”, it’s more emotional this time, but Wizkid’s emotional verse steals the show, from grieving to good times, and he shares it all with Asake, it’s hard to fathom that they didn’t link up sooner.
Songs like “Mood” and “My Heart” reveal a steadily deepening diverse artist. Intricate melodies, squelching guitar loops, a thicket of quotables, both records have it all, he activates his best mode on the latter, singing to his lover “She ain’t got no OnlyFans, I’m the only fan”. But it’s French-Gabonese singer Anaïs Cardot who lays the foundation for it all, her flannel-loving aesthetics for soulful crooning, and slanted melodies go in line with Asake’s heart, it’s a beautiful record.He is dazzlingly limber on “Worldwide”, bouncing off the clomping downbeat as he flexes his global status on the go. It’s a vibe, similar to “Mentally”, but more fast-paced and brings the urge to hop on the dancefloor. The album’s production is majestic, with the aid of P. Priime, who produced 7/15 songs on the album, Asake’s request is rightfully delivered, Priime’s production on “Skating” amplifies Asake’s story of his newfound passion, with peak flow from Asake for the second verse, a gear he always switches to. There are plenty more moments to enjoy on Lungu Boy, from the electro-Afro bounce of “Uhh Yeah” to the rapid legworks of “Legali”, all at the expense of SARZ. The slow back-to-nature majesty of “Suru” is angelic, such a well-written spiritual record that samples Musililu’s classic 2000 hit “Ise Oluwa Ko Seni Toye”. The song represents Asake and Stormzy’s mood; an open, passionate, heartfelt, but also humble record, it’s the smoothest record on the album.

Sarz for his part, brings his gloomy side to the project, adding his flair to five songs, having the most credits after P.Priime, a graduate of his Academy, a story that goes with the Messi-Lamine Yamal meme. The samples are carefully picked, paying homage to his influence, from some of Fuji’s pioneers to 90’s R&B, they are the final piece to this project. Asake took a risk, just like any creative, as much as I love his chemistry with magicsticks, it was refreshing to hear him outside their bond, there are shades of Asake on this album that were new to me, he sounds like there’s more space to explore around. But Fuji Vibe is one hell of a reminder that at the end of the day, no one knows Asake better than Magicsticks: Classic Ololade, proper Fuji music, a homage to home.
“Whine” is a bit hard to get into but settles with time, it was heavily carried by the perfect use of Mary J Blige’s “Real Love”, let’s call it Priime supremacy. The album’s minimalist moments are its strongest. “I swear” introduces clanging drum loops, recalling the sparse, twisted roots of fuji and modern
Asake has coasted on melodic Afropiano sounds—courtesy of Magicsticks. However, Lungu Boy marks a new era for Asake, a sonic document of abstract experiments, his most piercing and inventive body of work.