From the Zulu chant that opens it to the Lagos-tinged closer, M$NEY is Asake living out loud, and entirely on his own terms.
What Asake did on M$NEY was nothing short of a masterpiece to anyone who appreciates intentionality in music. Every track, every sequence, every thematic choice points in the same direction, an artist who knows exactly who he is and what he wants to say.
For the past 2 years plus, everything he has done has tilted towards this very arc; a new era for him, a different dispensation. Lungu boy gave us a peek of that, but M$NEY is an outright display of the headspace Asake is currently in and that’s one of extreme comfort, peace of mind and place with little to no worries.
From MMWTV, to Work of Art, to Lungu boy, and now to M$NEY, the journey speaks for itself. This is an artist who is now living the life he envisioned for himself from the jump and he was very unapologetic about it.
Given Asake’s relocation to the US, change of management, and intentional infiltration of the American market, it was quite clear that the target audience had expanded. He toured at major Arenas like MSG and gave us something totally different with the Red Bull Symphony Orchestra. Asake also attested to this expanded international appeal on his song “Oba” where he said “Every country ló ti sabi ẹ”
I believe this 13-track album doesn’t even tell the full story of Asake’s current state of mind but it’s definitely an adequate representation of it. Now, let’s delve into this beautiful project, and take it track by track.
INTRO
The album opens with “INTRO”, as far as Asake’s album intros go, this might’ve been a bit of a filler in comparison, coming off a trail that had “dull”, “olorun” and “start”, but I guess an artist of Asake’s calibre can be afforded control over whatever way he chooses to start his album. So, there goes that. Just 25 seconds of a Zulu chant.
WORSHIP
Next up comes “WORSHIP” ft World renowned Disk Jockey, DJ Snake. He already previewed this with a live version of it at the Red Bull Symphony Orchestra and it instantly became a fan favourite as soon as it got pre released before the album. It’s a song that expresses profound appreciation to God, talking about trusting the process and the rewards for doing so. The ensemble on this song remains my favourite part of it. Impeccable production, beautiful record.
GRATITUDE
After Worship comes “GRATITUDE”, quite self explanatory. Gratitude speaks on the timeline from when Asake started out to where he’s at right now and how he got there, giving gratitude to God for the journey on a Magicsticks production.
RORA
“RORA” follows immediately after and this is one of my personal favourites. It’s very easy for one to get lost in the percussion and Saxophone influenced groove that lingers throughout the course of this song, so much so that you could even miss the strong message the song carries. Here, Asake advises that reward comes to those who navigate life carefully and gently, rather than forcefully. As the title implies, “Rora”, which is Yoruba for “calm down.”
AMEN
The 5th track, “AMEN” is basically an affirmation of the said prayers, a lot of declarations being affirmed here which ties back to what I noted earlier where I said Asake is currently living the life he envisioned for himself.
WA
On “WA”, Asake gets back into his lover boy bag, 2mins of him serenading his lover. A definite fan favourite.
MCBH
“MCBH” comes with stellar production and probably the most quotable intro to any Asake song ever. Money Can’t Buy Happiness is just Asake talking about how he has tasted peak prosperity, yet he’s still of the opinion that even that isn’t enough to make you entirely happy. Just live life to the fullest, but like he said, prosper first.
WHY LOVE
“WHY LOVE”, released over a year ago is the first release from Asake under his Giran Republic imprint. In my humble opinion, this is his best love song ever, no debates.
FORGIVENESS
Then comes “FORGIVENESS”, arguably the commercial centre piece of the Album, Asake sits with his thoughts here and commits to an acknowledgement of his wrongdoings, seeking remission for them and vowing to remain consistent in his new leaf. Extremely relatable record, thorough replay value, magnificent production.
OBA
Track 10 is “OBA”. In my opinion, this is the track that screams “M$NEY!”. It has everything, he brags as he raps on a lush production, the song begins with a beat sample of Tupac’s “Do for love”, it also interpolates Asake’s “Military”. He fuses about 3 different genres to talk about the thrills of wealth, touring and having access to the best women. This is Mr Money.
BADMAN GANGSTA
On “BADMAN GANGSTA”, he enlists the help of AoD, P.priime and French Wonder, Tiakola on a laid back, mid tempo production that talks about survival, self belief, success Vs struggle and a bit of emotional emptiness. It is already an established fan favourite.
ASAMBE
The recruitment of Kabza De Small on “ASAMBE” only meant one thing, Vibes. As if putting Asake back on amapiano wasn’t enough, you throw Kabza into the mix and it was always going to be a recipe for an assured party banger.
SKILLFUL
He closes the album with “SKILLFUL”, a rather philanderous tune. He and Magicsticks combine to birth a proper head-bopping jam with really relatable lyrics, if you’re a Lagos man about that life.
Worth noting too, that despite his growing reach and international market appeal, Asake does not let go of his roots. Majority of this album was delivered in Yoruba and on Spotify Frequency Issue, he also spoke Yoruba throughout. He is unapologetic about where he comes from.
M$NEY really does confirm the new era that we all could see Asake going into, right from Lungu boy. It brings us to a new side of Asake, not an experimental one, but a side that is here to stay. Whether you like it or not is left to you, but one thing Mr Money is going to do is always deliver.
This project has everything, relatability, quotables, bangers, reflective records and proper replay value. For me, this is a solid 9/10.