Davido’s fifth album, 5ive is finally here, after months since its announcement in December. 5ive serves as the follow-up project to his critical acclaimed album Timeless released in 2023, which got nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Global Music Album” category in the 2024 Grammy Awards alongside two other tracks from the project, Feel and Unavailable, receiving nominations in the “Best Global Music Performance” and “Best African Music Performance” categories.
Fast forward to 2025, 5ive comes with a series of chart topping singles Awuke with YG Marley, Funds featuring ODUMODUBLVCK & Chike which had a total of 1.25 million streams on the first day and Be There Still, alongside an unforgettable album rollout from Cruel Santino’s Subaru Boys live stream, appearing on Breakfast Club, a Grammys feature, a Billboard feature, covering Mixmag, collaborations with PlayStation 5 and FoodCourt. It was a rollout to remember, one that brought us closer to the album.
First play on the album, we hear an introduction from Alhanisalam, as she opens the album on this track, she describes what five truly means, from it being a number that speaks balance and freedom, and its representation of Davido and his siblings.
This intro track prepares us for what we’re about to listen to. As the second track, Anything comes in, we hear Davido sing about how he can truly conquer any obstacle that comes his way, a track that fits the message of the introductory track as he sings “I put my life on this, for so long, as I dey I fit conquer anything”.
The third track, Be There Still, continues on the theme of resilience and strength. Davido sings about wanting all the prosperity with his family by his side, with a catchy chorus. CFMF comes in, and we hear Davido in his reflective mood, reminiscing on his early beginnings as he mixes the message with wanting to see his lover; it shows his signature style of touching on different themes in a song.
10 kilo is packed with a new vibe and melody, produced by Loudaa, as he sings about his lover here, describing how her body keeps him gingered, confessing how he is going crazy for her as he sings “I don crazy for your matter, anytime I see your body I no fit calm down, if na ment o, it is allowed”. 10 kilo serves as a calm, smooth love song one would dance to with their lover.
The sixth track on the album Offa Me gives us the first official collaboration with guest artist Victoria Monét, who contributes her smooth vocals to this mid-tempo groovy Afrobeats. Davido continues the theme of love, affection, and lavish spending on his lover on this track. Don’t Know follows, and Davido showcases his flow on a catchy hook and chorus, singing “you don’t even know what you do to me”. Davido’s wordplay and a Blaisebeatz production are a perfect pair. R&B with Shenseea & 450 follows with the same theme as Don’t Know, but on a reggae-inspired instrumental. With Shenseea’s sleek Jamaican accent on the track and 450’s voice, it is a complete dancehall track.
Awuke follows with a superstar guest feature, YG Marley. It is a complete vibe tune for every party, either in Nigeria or Jamaica. Then comes Holy Water with Musa Keys and Victony, as they all sing about the heat their love interest gives, with Musa Keys asking “Should I pour you holy water?”. At this point we see the album taking a turn of a reflective mood, Nuttin Dey enters with Davido on his drive, as he tells listeners to enjoy life. Even with all the negative talks, he stands tall on his journey, singing “nuttin dey if dem talk say we no go make am”
On the 12th track, Titanium, Davido continues with the theme of Nuttin Dey. He drops a sleek verse and captivating hook, alongside Chris brown’s verse, singing “he is good in every situation.” Lately has Davido reminiscing on his experiences and asking God for guidance against obstacles, while touching on the fact that he is only human. Tek with Becky G is a romantic Afrobeats tune. Her verse, taken in her native language, Spanish, was perfect.
Funds comes next, where Davido flaunts his wealth, claiming he has plenty to go around, with ODUMODUBLVCK and Chike’s verse adding a flavored sauce to the tune. Lover Boy, the 16th track, has Davido confessing how his girl has turned him into a lover boy as she crosses his mind often. The track features guest verses from Tayc & Dadju, adding to the tune.
On the last track With You we get the long-anticipated collaboration between Davido and Omah Lay. The track produced by Tempo is the type that gets you floating to the tune, both artist verses perfectly placed on the instrumental, serving as the best fit for the album outro.
5ive sits as a landmark album for Davido, his fifth album after years of standing strong and running the game. With the huge success of the previous Album Timeless and the time taken to put 5ive together, expectations to raise the bar were high on this album.
As he described on Cruel Santino’s Subaru Boys’ stream, the album and its title reflects the fact that it is his fifth album originally until he made deeper research on the number 5, where he found what it truly represents, grace, hope, and as mentioned in the opening track his siblings, among many other meaning. However most of this was only reflected in a tiny bit on the album. Tracks like Be There Still to 10 Kilo and With You, all tracks flow well with Davido’s signature style– vibes, and good moments, and while the album thrives on its energy, it falters in sequencing and thematic cohesion in most tracks, lacking a definite theme.
Nevertheless, Davido effortlessly delivered some of his best vocal renderings on this project, with a few lyrical content that reflects the creative energy Davido is channeling henceforth, especially on tracks such as Titanium, Anything, and Nuttin Dey.
The production, with contributions from Tempo, Blaisebeatz, Loudaa, Dayo Grey, DJ Maphorisa, Nkulee, and others, is seamless. However, the atmospheric presence of amapiano elements in most tracks still puts listeners in that lane of Davido, dwelling on amapiano sound when he is truly one of the kings of Afropop.
5ive gives us listeners a new set of amazing solo songs from Davido that we need. The collaborations for the album were also impressive. Shenseea, Omah Lay, Victoria Monét, 450, Musa Keys, Victony, Chris Brown, Becky G, ODUMODUBLVCK, Tayc, Chike, and Dadju, all executed perfectly. The top collaboration effort is With You featuring Omah Lay, with Victoria Monét on Offa Me, right next to it.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Standout Tracks – With You, Don’t know, 10 Kilo, Titanium
