Lungu Boy: Asake’s 2nd Return and the Curse of the Sophomore Album

The sophomore album is the first return every budding artist has come to fear.

Careers aren’t built on the first album. Those are for breaking out. Careers are built on the second. The gateway to artistic eldorado. Your first return to show your first coming wasn’t some fluke. Your one shot to kill those whispers of, “one hit wonder”.

If your sophomore album succeeds, chances are that you will go on to have a great career. That second album is where many careers have generally come to die.

Run a quick mental check and you’d see this was the roadblock for many careers. Examples abound, but naming any will twist the point of this piece and then change the tone of the message. You can recall them for yourself. It’s not a hard one.

There have been those who survived the curse; returned with a solid 3rd effort despite a poorly received sophomore. They are a rare bunch. The rare resurrection class I call them. They appeared to die with the second, found redemption on the 3rd.

Asake is out with his 3rd album, Lungu Boy, this Friday — 9 August 2024. His first is a masterpiece, his second is a classic. 5 mics each. A rare back-to-back salvo. Returning with Work of Art after the artistic excellence of Mr Money With The Vibe — the sound tracks to 2022 — was the sort of conquest that defied many. He’s already established himself as a bonafide member of the timeless class. Lungu Boy will cement his place in the annals of legends.

PS: Lungu Boy features Wizkid, Travis Scott, Stormzy, Central Cee and Ludmilla.