Fireboy DML has locked in October 16 as the release date for ZUKO!, his fifth studio album, and the early guest list already points to a wider sonic reach.
So far, Jamaican dancehall star Masicka and South African acts JAZZWRLD and Thukuthela are the confirmed guest acts. The wording matters, because it suggests more names could still be revealed before the album drops.
ZUKO! is a 13-track project released through YBNL Nation and EMPIRE. It follows Adedamola, the 2024 album that saw Fireboy lean into a more personal, rootsy space, and it arrives as the next chapter in a catalogue that includes Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps, Apollo and Playboy.
The campaign is already moving. CLAAT!, his collaboration with Masicka, set the tone with a dancehall-tinged edge. Then came IMALI, released on September 15 with JAZZWRLD and Thukuthela, which takes Fireboy into South Africa’s 3-step Afro House lane. The title is isiZulu for “money,” and the record gives his melodic delivery a rolling, dancefloor-ready bed far from his usual comfort zone.
Taken together, the two singles read like a deliberate statement. One bridges Lagos and Kingston, the other links Lagos and Johannesburg, and both suggest ZUKO! is built on range and cross-continental collaboration rather than a single formula. For an artist who has built his name on heartfelt, guitar-leaning Afropop, that is a notable stretch.
The album is available to pre-add on streaming platforms ahead of its release. With about two weeks to go, expect more details, including the full tracklist and any additional features, to surface closer to the date.