by AanuOluwa Odole
Asake has become a stand-out artist of 2022, releasing an album, one EP and 6 separate singles all in the space of a year and consistently topping and dominating the charts with each release. His album “Mr Money With The Vibe” is the highest-charting debut by a Nigerian album on the Billboard 200 chart at number 66. Quite frankly, “Mr Money no dey waste time”. Everything he touches turns into gold. Asake has crafted his sound and there is no stopping him but amidst all the praise, there have been quips questioning if “he is running too fast” and might run out sooner than later. The question is, does a large quantity of music inhibit (lead to a lack of) quality? If so, should artists forfeit the former in favour of the latter?
Most musicians follow a traditional release schedule with a new album every two or more years, a few collaborations and features in between and enough time for tours and concerts. There is a sequence; single – album/EP – concert and tour dates – awards (or not). This schedule encourages the longevity of an artist’s lifecycle. Wizkid, one of the most successful artists in Nigeria follows this pattern. Throughout his music career, he has released an album every three years from 2011(Superstar) to 2020 (Made In Lagos). A traditional release schedule allows artists to focus on quality and artistic integrity while still meeting the music demand. Regardless, there is a constant underlying pressure for new music by fans “When is your next album?” “What are you currently working on?” “Any new collaborations coming up?” With each project released, there is an immediate expectation for the next one and hopes for it to succeed the previous. This however has not been any concern for Asake.
Asake is remarkable not only because of the large influx of music he has in his discography in just under a year but how he dominates the charts with each release. In September, he became the first artist to have 8 top ten entries on any aggregate chart in Nigeria. He currently holds the record for most No. 1 songs in Nigeria in just 35 weeks. It is common practice to balance the line between a large quantity of music and keeping listeners engaged by releasing singles, collaborations, remixes and sometimes EPs (extended playlists) as opposed to full studio albums to keep fans engaged. This is a practice Nigerian musicians do not shy away from.
In his decade-long career as an artist, Davido has released three albums and an EP while maintaining his spot as one of the “Big Three” in Nigeria. Most of his discography consists of singles, features, collaborations and remixes. Beyonce in her 2013 HBO documentary said “People don’t make albums anymore. They don’t make albums anymore. They just try to sell a bunch of lil quick singles and they burn out, and they put out a new one, and they burn out, and they put out a new one.” Essentially, Nigerian musicians focus more on putting a couple of singles together rather than full and cohesive bodies of work.
In February of 2021, Spotify confirmed that over 60,000 songs are added to the platform every day. Quantity would never be an issue in the music industry, quality on the other hand might be. “Music will never be the same” and “I miss old (insert artist)” are common phrases we hear from music fans and casual listeners. Quality music is anything listeners say it is. However, what makes music interesting like other forms of art is regardless of genre, there would always be an audience for it. Wizkid’s latest releases for example have been met with dissenting opinions. With each era, music evolves and finds a new audience and in some cases, there is a resurgence of past music styles or a combination of music.
There is no direct link between quantity and quality. Quantity and quality are not mutually exclusive. Fela Anikulapo Kuti has a total of 27 projects released, one of the highest for a Nigerian musician but nevertheless, this had no negative impact on the quality of his music. He is a music legend both at home and abroad, the pioneer of Afrobeat as we know it today. The rate at which he released music had no impact on the quality of his music.
Should an artist prioritise quantity over quality? At first glance, no, quality should be first and foremost when it comes to producing music. However, conversations surrounding music require nuance. There is no guarantee that an irregular music release schedule ultimately leads to exceptional music, it can satisfy an artist’s quest for perfection in telling their stories but the general public might not categorise it as good music. The build of anticipation for a new album can do it a disservice. In some cases, artists are unable to match the expectation of music consumers after a few years. In the worst scenarios, they became has-beens. It seems like releasing less music is not a safety net for a lasting music career.
“Moral Instruction” by Falz was a brilliant work of art. Accompanied by an eight-minute short film titled “Curriculum”, the album addresses the political and social climate in Nigeria with reference to corruption, police brutality, societal injustice and dirty politics. Falz described the album as a “movement, re-education and re-orientation.” Cultural critic, Aigbokhaevbolo opined that the project “might be his best chance to outlive his corporeal self”. The album won Album of the Year at the 2019 edition of the Headies Award. His latest project however has not lived up to the precedent set before it. As a stand-alone project, “Bahd” (released 9th June 2022) is fine but lacking in comparison to “Moral Instruction”.
It is generic to state but musicians make and perform music. Quality music is the bare minimum expected from them. If an artist is going to stick to irregular music schedules, good music should be the standard. If fans are going to wait years for a new project, it has to be worth it, right Rihanna? Yes, music is an art and you cannot force art but there is a business side to it which encourages competition, only a few artists reach the A-list or legend status. The majority of these artists stick to a regular release schedule, making their mark on the industry.
Will Asake slow down? Probably not. He is signed to YBNL Nation, an independent record label founded by Olamide. From his debut, Olamide released albums every year from 2011 to 2017 before taking a break to come back in 2020, resuming his annual release schedule. It is likely for Asake to follow the same pattern. The Nigerian music industry relies on momentum. New Music Friday is a competition every week. You have to stay relevant for all the right reasons. With the sheer amount of success on all levels Asake has received, it is my advice for him to keep a consistent release schedule. Putting distance between his projects and releases would build massive anticipation for the next one, which might be impossible to meet.
