Hi Bestie, Happy Weekend!!

A lot of Nigerians might be furious at Burna Boy’s statement on Afrobeats. However, this situation highlights the need for a broader discussion on the concept of “substance.” Equally important are conversations surrounding the definition of “Afrobeats” and the criteria for identifying an Afrobeats artist. These subjects took center stage during our recent Twitter space.

In today’s newsletter, we talk about Asake’s O2 concert, Spotify’s unique propositions, and Burna Boy.

Mr. Money With The Vibe.

On August 19, 2020, Asake released his single "Mr Money," which marked his first exposure into the mainstream music scene. The remix, featuring Zlatan and Peruzzi, followed in February of the next year, solidifying his presence. Asake's profile remained somewhat low until January 2022 when he collaborated with YBNL Boss, Olamide, on the hit "Omo Ope." Now, after two albums and an EP, three years after the release of "Mr Money," Asake accomplished a remarkable feat by headlining his first show at the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena, London.

Arriving on stage via a helicopter adorned with the YBNL emblem, with the track "Yoga" setting the mood, Asake demonstrated that he was fully prepared for this monumental moment. He started off with tracks like "Olorun," "Organise," "Sunmomi," "Dupe," and "Mr Money." He then went on to showcase a diverse range of hits from his impressive catalogue, including his current sensation, "Lonely At The Top."

The concert was graced by guest performances from artists such as Tiwa Savage, Fireboy, Fridayy, and his label boss, Olamide. Additionally, Asake surprised the audience by bringing one-half of the Lighthouse Family duo, Tunde Baiyewu, to perform "Ocean Drive," a song he sampled in his own track "Sunshine" from his "Work of Art" Album.

You can watch highlights of the concert on our Instagram.

SPOTIFY

Aside from being the world’s largest streaming platform, with 551 million monthly users and 220 million subscribers, Spotify stands out as an interesting music brand.. At its last investor day, founder, Daniel Ek highlighted three foundations that “would differentiate Spotify in the market—Ubiquity, Personalization and Freemium.”

“Ubiquity” is making Spotify available to anyone on any device. With over 2,000 partners, Spotify has integrated its platform into wearables, cars, kitchen appliances, and more, making it easily accessible. It is reported that 28% of all of new registrations are attributed to these 2,000 partners. Additionally, 89% of Spotify Premium subscribers use Spotify on multiple devices.

Personalization: Spotify is clearly intentional about this, curating music based on every user’s listening habits. Playlists like “Made For You,” “Discover Weekly,” “Daily Mix,” “Release Radar’” and “Spotify Radio” are created based on listening habits, which include tracks they like, save, skip, repeat or share on the app.

81% of users have cited “Personalization” or “discoverability” as what they love the most about Spotify.

Freemium: The combination of free ad-supported tier and premium subscription tier. The strategy was to be available to all consumers on all platforms at zero price point. According to Ek, “It gives listeners a chance to try Spotify risk-free, enables Spotify to build a funnel toward establishing a larger and growing subscriber base, and has enabled our expansion into new markets due to our low price of entry—we’ve gone from 65 markets around the world to 183 in just four years”

I TOLD THEM

Burna Boy's BIG 7 is here. The highly anticipated seventh studio album from Odogwu, "I Told Them," has finally arrived. The album maintains the thematic continuity seen in his previous works, "African Giant" and "Twice As Tall." While "African Giant" was a declaration of self-confidence and "Twice As Tall" showcased his resilience, "I Told Them" carries the sentiment of an "I Told You So" movement. Burna Boy leaves no room for doubt and seems eager to flaunt his accomplishments to his doubters. In the album's outro, he describes how he established the “blueprint” and now seeks recognition and appreciation, particularly from his countrymen.

This Naija, No Love

Rolling Stones describes the album as “a delectably crafted Afropop album filled with moments of braggadocio that feel less like gloating than the return on a promise made. Here, Burna leaves a clear message that he is living up to his self-generated hype, and he wants everyone, especially his naysayers (real and imagined), to bear witness”

Adeayo Adebiyi of Pulse rated the album 7.4/10 and opined that “I Told Them' captures Burna Boy's existence in multiple worlds (Nigeria, UK/US, Caribbean) and his unrelenting desire to showcase these influences. Although he has been critical of the defining elements of the culture of Afrobeats and Hip Hop, he nevertheless infuses them.”

Our Favourite Tracks: “On Form,” “Tested, Approved & Trusted,” “Giza,” “City Boy”.

Recommendations.

Articles To Read

• The Taylor Swift catalog sale saga: Following the money

• From Amphitheatre to O2 Arena: Asake's inspiring rise to success

• 7 Africa Books That Will Transform Your Bookshelf into A Music Concert.

Books

• E File Fun Burna - Jide Taiwo

• So Far, So Foza - Oyinkansola Fawehinmi

Movies

• Vacation Friends 2

• Air (Prime Video)

• Red, White & Royal Blue

That’s all the Jollof for this week. See you next Saturday.