The much anticipated second album by Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Asake, titled “Work Of Art,” was made available last Friday.
The 14-track album is loaded with previously released singles “2:30,” “Yoga,” and the most recent one, “Amapiano,” which has Olamide as the only featured artist. Ashake has reportedly reached a career milestone of over 1.75 billion streams and counting.
Afrobeats Albums that went #1 on the UK Apple Music Album Chart:
Burna boy (3)
African Giant – 2019
Twice as Tall – 2020
Love, Damini – 2022Asake (2)
Mr Money with The Vibe – 2022
Work Of Art – 2023 🆕✨Wizkid (1)
Made in Lagos – 2020Davido (1)
Timeless – 2023 pic.twitter.com/GqaN2ZFhUL— TENIOLA (@Teniola__YBNL) June 17, 2023
On the album, The Superstar collaborated with several producers, most notably his go-to partner Magicsticks and Nigerian producer BlaiseBeatz.
Asake earned his first-ever BET Awards nomination this week for Viewers’ Choice: Best International Act at this year’s ceremony, which is scheduled for June 25 later this month.
Work of Art is the follow up to Asake’s mega successful album Mr. Money With The Vibe, which was released on September 7, 2022. It broke the record for the highest-charting Nigerian debut album ever and debuted at number one on Apple Music in over 30 nations, including the UK, Nigeria, Ireland, Ghana, and more. With the release, he became the first ever African artist to debut at number one on the UK Apple Music albums chart. The song has now been streamed more than 780 million times globally.
Asake published many cinematic images during the rollout, including “Amapiano,” which was taken in Lagos, “Yoga,” which was captured in the gorgeous Senegal, and “2:30,” which was shot in Los Angeles and was directed by Edgar Esteves.
Work of Art bears a photo of the singer with the same slightly goofy grin, but dressed in a pinstripe suit, surrounded by paintings, one of which is apparently a self-portrait somewhat in the style of Picasso. This is a sharp contrast from ‘’Mr Money With the Vibe’’ with a cover photo that looked not far from a police mugshot, albeit a police mugshot in which Asake was smiling broadly.
On “2:30,” he extols his prowess and makes fun of those who want to emulate him. He brags about being the toast of the moment and feeling lonely at the top, just like a successful hip-hop star. He calls himself a work of art and a great guy. When he takes the time to be a little more intimate, he creates these moments in between his celebrations, as in “2:30,” where he discusses the competitive nature of the world. Even his concerns are those of a celebrity, like in “Lonely at the Top,” where he discusses the mistrust that comes with fame. In keeping with his defining characteristics, he explores individualism in “Yoga,” where he demands to be left alone.
Work of Art leaves you with some lingering questions about what the future may bring, much like all second albums that merely make slight improvements to a debut. However, for the half-hour it is on, such worries are simple to dismiss because you are too busy having fun to care. This shows that Asake’s rise is inevitable.
So far so good, Asake is obviously riding the wave of the massive success of his last album, but he need to tread carefully as his music and Afrobeats collectively is now on a global scrutiny. Asake can only get better with his enormous talent.
The album is available on YBNL Nation/EMPIRE.
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