Nigerian singer FOLA returns with 9, a sophomore album that largely repeats the mid-tempo, minimalist production of his debut while expanding its themes. The project follows catharsis, which was not a masterpiece but ranked among 2025’s best albums for its earnest, emotive vocal performances and love stories.
Sonic approach#
FOLA is an underrated writer who favors pidgin and Yoruba fusion over English metaphors, and his command of dynamic flow and rhythm on mid-tempo beats is a defining strength. His subject matter rarely moves beyond sensual musings and reflections on wealth, but he finds new ways to tell these stories. On 9, the themes evolve but retain romantic and aspirational yearnings, though the tone is less wholesome. Sonically, it is more of the same.
Talking drums open ‘awade,’ where FOLA sings ‘Awa la’n gbe won debe’ and asserts his status as the man of the moment. He was arguably 2025’s artist of the year while being a breakout act. ‘how many?’ pairs heavier drums with tepid piano notes and leaves the heavy lifting to FOLA’s dexterous flows, a pattern from his debut. On ‘how many?’ he frames his self-affirmation through stubborn resilience rather than the main character energy of the opener. The two-track opening is fine, but ‘2am in toronto’ keeps the tempo static, a curious choice that does not play to Davido’s strength on upbeat pop records. The track uses a soulful ambience and minimal production; FOLA’s writing is profound, but Davido is a profile mismatch.
Log drums and shakers appear on ‘stubborn,’ where the album’s monotony begins to show. Across the first four tracks, the pace and delivery style remain largely unchanged. These are good songs, and ‘stubborn’ has a distinct narrative about making the most of life, but the sequencing is tedious. ‘miss u ii’ intertwines classical guitar strings and swing drums but offers little variance from the labored mid-tempo pace. ‘in order’ introduces heavy percussion, drum rolls and saxophone riffs, an interesting turn, but the drums still fall into predictable sequences and FOLA’s writing feels one-dimensional amid the similar soundscapes.
Featured guests#
- Davido on ‘2am in toronto’
- Ayra on ‘treat u right’
- BNXN on ‘my type’
- Darkoo on ‘hold u down’
- Bella Shmurda and Zlatan on ‘it’s over’
Unlike Davido on ‘2am in toronto,’ Ayra is the right vocal and thematic fit for ‘treat u right,’ but the song is formulaic. FOLA reuses a flow heard throughout the album, and the beat feels familiar to the point of repetition. Ayra’s sultry vocals salvage the song somewhat with honest confessions about the delirium of love. ‘attention’ and ‘fine ting’ continue the same monotonous formula. The former leans Afro-house with sparse drums and a bassline rattle; the latter uses an outdated Amapiano fusion. On both tracks, he emphasizes his wealth and willingness to spend on a love interest who indulges his sexual desires. His flows are so interchangeable that swapping them would likely leave the songs unchanged.
Later tracks and closing#
FOLA becomes more vulnerable on the next stretch. On ‘waf,’ he repeatedly asks a summer fling if she is sure about leaving, but the lyrics reveal he hopes she will stay. ‘crime’ offers little new perspective but samples 2Baba‘s ‘Love Is A Crime’ effectively, mining its nostalgia. ‘my type’ is built for BNXN’s garage-influenced style and lets him slide. ‘hold u down’ is hardly an improvement but adds a soothing vocal back-and-forth between FOLA and Darkoo. The album closes with ‘it’s over’, featuring label boss Bella Shmurda and veteran rapper Zlatan. The song uses common album closer tropes of success aspirations and prayers of gratitude, a terrain both featured acts excel on. Bella brings melodic spiritual ambience, and Zlatan’s ratchet flow is elevated by a beat switch.
Despite its pitfalls, the album starts and ends on a high note but is tedious for much of its runtime. It is frustrating to see a talent like FOLA release an album so bereft of ambition and adventure; nothing here sounds groundbreaking or experimental. The talent is evident.
