FOLA
9
Album · African · 2026 · Dangbana Republik Records / EMPIRE
FOLA has always presented as confident in his abilities, but sophomore album 9 is proof positive that this is the man in the arena. The album’s title is a hat tip to the jersey number typically associated with a goalscoring striker in soccer—the position the singer has played since he was a child in Ibadan. Within it, FOLA comes to terms with how wildly his life has changed since 2024’s “alone” with BhadBoi OML.
He inhabits a bigger platform now and 9 opens with “awade,” a song where he examines the challenges he’s faced while manifesting further success for his future. “how many?” presents as a sort of manifesto, FOLA reeling off a list of the perks his work affords him, declaring himself an authentic presence in Afropop and flexing his associations in a rare moment of braggadocio.
As it has been throughout his career, love remains an anchor: “miss u ii (nriri)” builds on 2023 single “Miss You,” and he’s unmistakably head over heels on “waf.” On “crime,” he reinterprets 2Baba’s iconic “If Love Is a Crime” for a contemporary declaration of love in the image of the original.
What’s a single great player without a team though? FOLA makes sure to unite distinct eras of Afropop as only he could. On “2am in toronto,” Davido provides a fitting complement to FOLA’s romantic nirvana, while frequent collaborator BNXN shows up on “my type,” an ode to body positivity. In keeping with a striker’s duty to bring attack moves to a satisfactory end, FOLA sees off 9 by uniting label boss Bella Shmurda and Zlatan for a cheeky acknowledgment of his dominance on “it’s over,” affirming that goals are always top of mind.
He inhabits a bigger platform now and 9 opens with “awade,” a song where he examines the challenges he’s faced while manifesting further success for his future. “how many?” presents as a sort of manifesto, FOLA reeling off a list of the perks his work affords him, declaring himself an authentic presence in Afropop and flexing his associations in a rare moment of braggadocio.
As it has been throughout his career, love remains an anchor: “miss u ii (nriri)” builds on 2023 single “Miss You,” and he’s unmistakably head over heels on “waf.” On “crime,” he reinterprets 2Baba’s iconic “If Love Is a Crime” for a contemporary declaration of love in the image of the original.
What’s a single great player without a team though? FOLA makes sure to unite distinct eras of Afropop as only he could. On “2am in toronto,” Davido provides a fitting complement to FOLA’s romantic nirvana, while frequent collaborator BNXN shows up on “my type,” an ode to body positivity. In keeping with a striker’s duty to bring attack moves to a satisfactory end, FOLA sees off 9 by uniting label boss Bella Shmurda and Zlatan for a cheeky acknowledgment of his dominance on “it’s over,” affirming that goals are always top of mind.
9
FOLA
FOLA has always presented as confident in his abilities, but sophomore album 9 is proof positive that this is the man in the arena. The album’s title is a hat tip to the jersey number typically associated with a goalscoring striker in soccer—the position the singer has played since he was a child in Ibadan. Within it, FOLA comes to terms with how wildly his life has changed since 2024’s “alone” with BhadBoi OML.
He inhabits a bigger platform now and 9 opens with “awade,” a song where he examines the challenges he’s faced while manifesting further success for his future. “how many?” presents as a sort of manifesto, FOLA reeling off a list of the perks his work affords him, declaring himself an authentic presence in Afropop and flexing his associations in a rare moment of braggadocio.
As it has been throughout his career, love remains an anchor: “miss u ii (nriri)” builds on 2023 single “Miss You,” and he’s unmistakably head over heels on “waf.” On “crime,” he reinterprets 2Baba’s iconic “If Love Is a Crime” for a contemporary declaration of love in the image of the original.
What’s a single great player without a team though? FOLA makes sure to unite distinct eras of Afropop as only he could. On “2am in toronto,” Davido provides a fitting complement to FOLA’s romantic nirvana, while frequent collaborator BNXN shows up on “my type,” an ode to body positivity. In keeping with a striker’s duty to bring attack moves to a satisfactory end, FOLA sees off 9 by uniting label boss Bella Shmurda and Zlatan for a cheeky acknowledgment of his dominance on “it’s over,” affirming that goals are always top of mind.
He inhabits a bigger platform now and 9 opens with “awade,” a song where he examines the challenges he’s faced while manifesting further success for his future. “how many?” presents as a sort of manifesto, FOLA reeling off a list of the perks his work affords him, declaring himself an authentic presence in Afropop and flexing his associations in a rare moment of braggadocio.
As it has been throughout his career, love remains an anchor: “miss u ii (nriri)” builds on 2023 single “Miss You,” and he’s unmistakably head over heels on “waf.” On “crime,” he reinterprets 2Baba’s iconic “If Love Is a Crime” for a contemporary declaration of love in the image of the original.
What’s a single great player without a team though? FOLA makes sure to unite distinct eras of Afropop as only he could. On “2am in toronto,” Davido provides a fitting complement to FOLA’s romantic nirvana, while frequent collaborator BNXN shows up on “my type,” an ode to body positivity. In keeping with a striker’s duty to bring attack moves to a satisfactory end, FOLA sees off 9 by uniting label boss Bella Shmurda and Zlatan for a cheeky acknowledgment of his dominance on “it’s over,” affirming that goals are always top of mind.
