On the 19th of January, 2024, rising Afrobeats act VASA opened his account for the year with the single, ’50-50′. This comes five months after the release of his debut singles, ‘Teriza’ and ‘Bolanle’, in August 2023.
On the mid-tempo Amapiano joint, VASA spotlights the transience of life and the need to maximise the time available. With confident delivery, VASA recalls life’s status as the best teacher, coupled with the importance of self-awareness and setting priorities straight. He reminds listeners of the necessity of losses for future successes.
‘Life go teach you wetin them no teach you for school‘/’Life go teach you wetin dem no write for book‘/’So, before you win, you go learn to dey lose’/’Na who get the money dem dey dance to him tunes‘.
These life gems need no introduction, but VASA crafts an enjoyable introspective experience. He condenses the core message in the groovy chorus:
‘Life na 50-50‘/’Either you win or you lose my jiggy‘/’Na one life, so my bro just live it‘/’Na one time you go die, one minute oh‘.
VASA begins the second verse with a glimpse into his struggles (‘And legs wey don waka waka for daily bread‘/’Tire tire, but no relent‘). But the single is not bereft of optimism and self-assuredness. VASA asserts, ‘Man, I just dey fire dey go‘/’After the rain, I go still see rainbow/’I’m on another level‘/’Non stop, I no go settle’.
The song winds down with shout-outs to a few of the instrumental figures in VASA’s life. These include his mother, his manager, Yhemo Lee and Poco Lee.
As a testament to its quality, ’50-50′ has earned major industry co-signs in the wake of its release. Fireboy DML and Yhemo Lee posted screenshots of the track on their Snapchat. Zlatan and Joeboy gave their co-signs on X by posting the line, ‘Eyes wey don see 99 no fit fear 100′ a day apart. In December 2023, prior to the single’s release, M.I Abaga name-dropped VASA in an X post. It is a dream start to the year for VASA, particularly with his debut EP on the way.
Listen to ’50-50′ here: https://dvpper.lnk.to/5050
