Fountain Baby Album Review
Fountain baby is a release and an escape which brought me closer to joy, colour and light when I needed it the most. It is a sonic universe which celebrates chaos, vulnerability, love, drama and freedom. It’s for the girls who want to have fun, who want to feel loved and who have a volatile tendency to burn everything to the ground, including themselves. Cohesive. Experimental. Vulnerable and Fluid…
Great artists often find limitless ways to merge different art forms or draw interesting parallels between visual art, music, literature and media. The connections which can be made between various art forms is limitless and Asake demonstrates that, through his latest album – ‘Work of Art.’
Art and spiritual fluidity
On the album cover, Asake is dressed in a stripped blue suit, reminiscent of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s personal style. Elegance, fashion and careful presentation was important to Basquiat, especially towards the later stages of the artist’s career, when Basquiat could afford to adorn himself in hand crafted Armani suits. On the album cover, Asake holds a paintbrush and there are two paintings from the ‘Now I know why birds fly’ (2022) exhibition by Ayanfe Olarinde. The works draw inspiration from Basquiat’s neo-expressionist style, “characterized by its bold, gestural brushstrokes and intense emotional content,” as described by the Wayne Arthur gallery. This description also applies to Asake’s work in many ways as his confidence, radiance and self belief shines through once again on ‘Work of Art.’ Asake not only leans on his immediate and familiar world of Amapiano, juju and afrobeats music, but reaches beyond it to present an album where visual and sonic art collide and inform each other. On ‘Basquiat’ which is the sixth song on the album, Asake sings ‘Walking poetry, I am greater / I’m a work of art, Basquiat.’ By drawing inspiration from the creative energy and legacy of Basquiat, Asake brings Black visual art into focus, showing that the interconnectedness of various art forms is integral to his creative process.
The self affirmation and positivity on ‘Basquiat,’ is felt across the album. On the introductory song, ‘Olorun,’ Asake delivers a stripped-down opening, which is filled with raw sincerity and emotional vulnerability as he describes our collective powerlessness and lack of control. ‘I Believe’ ‘Yoga’ and ‘Sunshine’ also show Asake’s commitment to spiritual fluidity and expression through the music. He mainly draws inspiration from orthodox religion, but there are also subtle references to the Rastafarian religious practice, through the Haile Selassie reference on ‘Sunshine.’ In the opening scene of the ‘Yoga,’ music video, there are images of meditation and this relates seamlessly with the first scene of the video, where Asake is seen wearing a white Jalabia and cap – the colour white symbolising peace, harmony and purity.
Naijapiano
If I could describe Amapiano (the genre, not the song) in one word, it would be ‘escapism.’ Amapiano feels and sounds like the perfect blend of soul and electronica, making it a great soundtrack for escaping your troubles. This is something Nigerians love and quite frankly need on a daily basis, so it makes perfect sense that Amapiano mixes so well with our common forms of expression as Nigerian people. With the success of artists such as Asake, Zinoleesky and Niniola, many other Nigerian artists are currently experimenting with Amapiano to create a ‘Naijapiano’ subgenre, which has dominated Nigerian mainstream music for about two years. As someone who enjoys Amapiano, I understand the sentiment that Naijapiano is a diluted or watered down rendition of Amapiano music but I don’t necessarily agree. From my perspective, Naijapiano is equally enjoyable – it sounds like two worlds, which come together unexpectedly to create a unique sort of magic. It feels euphoric to hear the loud base of an Amapiano beat supported by Yoruba lyrics and pidgin inflections.
Despite its current popularity, Naijapiano not only faces scrutiny from Amapiano lovers but also traditional afrobeats lovers. This is evident through certain complaints that Naijapiano has led to a monotonous trajectory for Nigerian mainstream music, where all the songs ‘sound the same.’ I understand this viewpoint but again I don’t agree. The Amapiano beat is the canvas but the artist still has to paint over this canvas and produce their work of art (pun intended), which is reflective of their musical practice and self expression. The artists who thrive with this Naijapiano sound are unique, distinct and have a strong awareness of what makes their music standout. These artists might use the same or similar Amapiano inspired canvas, but they paint us a different picture everytime as Asake has done on both his albums. Although Amapiano is the thread which holds ‘Work of art’ together, it does not present a monotonous body of work with repetitive songs. Instead, it creates an album which flows seamlessly, while exploring a range of themes from spirituality, believing in yourself, grappling with increased fame and scrutiny as well as having fun and being carefree.
Asake is (still) special
Asake’s consistency, talent and dedication to his craft can’t be questioned. The extensive time he has invested into himself and his dreams is evident and clearly expressed on ‘Lonely at the top-‘ another standout song for me on the album. I particularly love the line where he says ‘steady chasing my dream because I know, no one can chase it for me.’ That line was a very strong remainder that I am responsible for putting in the work for my dreams or aspirations and no one can take that responsibility off my shoulders. The reality is, there is truly no short-cut to anything in life, or at the very least, anything worth keeping and holding unto. Some are luckier than others, but luck cannot sustain anyone or anything and it cannot make up for a lack of effort, determination and grit which Asake not only sings about, but clearly has. How far he has come (in the space of a couple years) is incredible and a testament to his tenacity and hardwork. Work of Art confirms my initial statement and review of ‘Mr Money with the Vibe’ – Asake is a special artist, capable of holding his own.
