“Five is freedom, unbound by borders/Rising by lifting others/The artist, the father; the man walking two worlds.” These words, written and performed by Nigerian poet Alhanislam, not only form part of the overture to Davido’s fifth studio album, but also offer insight into the mind and methodology of an artist who’s been at the forefront of African music for over a decade.
Davido frames 2025’s 5ive as something of a victory lap, not just for his own pursuits, but for the entire contemporary African soundscape. “This is definitely about celebrating the longevity and how far we’ve come,” he tells Apple Music. “It’s been a long, long journey. Afrobeats is in an amazing place. Everybody’s doing well, all the way from South Africa to Ghana to Nigeria. For us to have risen and taken this culture and the music to such heights—we have our own categories at the Grammys, at the Billboard Awards; we have our own festivals selling out more than the festivals in America. It’s crazy. Because of the nature of the whole genre, everybody’s messing with the culture. So every album is to push Afrobeats further.”
Here, he’s as intentional as ever about eliminating gaps between cultures and sounds altogether, employing even more of the sonic fusions that permeated his 2023 album Timeless. The distinctive log drum of South Africa’s amapiano again features heavily here, along with fusions incorporating Caribbean and Latin styles—woven together with the red thread of Afrobeats and clever nods to African classics. “I love bringing different worlds to mine,” Davido explains, and he does so here through collaborations with Victoria Monét, Shenseea, Tayc, and Dadju; recurring guest stars Chris Brown, Musa Keys, and producers Shizzi, Marvey Muzique, and DJ Maphorisa; rising Jamaican star 450; and homegrown Nigerian heroes like ODUMODUBLVCK, Omah Lay, and Chike. Here, he talks through key tracks from 5ive.
Download and enjoy album below;
1 Five By Alhanislam | DOWNLOAD MP3
2 Anything | DOWNLOAD MP3
3 Be There Still | DOWNLOAD MP3
4 CFMF | DOWNLOAD MP3
5 10 Kilo | DOWNLOAD MP3
6 Offa Me ft. Victoria Monét | DOWNLOAD MP3
7 Don’t Know | DOWNLOAD MP3
8 R&B ft. Shenseea x 450 | DOWNLOAD MP3
9 Awuke ft. YG Marley | DOWNLOAD MP3
10 Holy Water ft Victony x Musa Keys | DOWNLOAD MP3
11 Nuttin Dey | DOWNLOAD MP3
12 Titanium ft. Chris Brown | DOWNLOAD MP3
13 Lately | DOWNLOAD MP3
14 Tek ft. Becky G | DOWNLOAD MP3
15 Funds ft. Odumodublvck x Chike | DOWNLOAD MP3
16 Lover Boy ft. Tayc x Dadju | DOWNLOAD MP3
17 With You ft. Omah Lay | DOWNLOAD MP3
