Ikigai

A seven-track project, announced complete in June 2024 — quieter and more reflective than the label-boss spectacle of the era before it. Ikigai (生き甲斐: reason for living) arrived as a surprise EP, folding Afrobeats, Amapiano, dancehall and Arabic-tinged pop into a short statement rather than a marathon.

"Uptown Disco" put Fireboy and Asake on the same record; "Synchro System" reunited Pheelz, Young Jonn and Lil Kesh. Between them, "Hello Habibi" and "Morowore" sketched a more inward Olamide — still YBNL, still restless, already pointing toward the self-titled chapter ahead. Album of the Year at the African Entertainment Awards USA followed.