2025 has been a defining year for Skales, who is enjoying a commercial resurgence after football superstar Lamine Yamal brought global attention to his 10-year-old single ‘Shake Body’.
With his fame spreading wide and far and his music finding new global listenerships, the Afrobeats star is singing a song of victory and dedicating it to his late mother, who sacrificed everything to see him win.
After the surreal year he’s enjoying, Skales is in a celebratory mood, and he makes this clear on a 16-track album where the party starts from the start and runs till the very end.
The woman whose memory is being honoured opens up the project with a moving testament of maternal sacrifice. To celebrate his mother, Skales invites listeners into a world of merriment because that’s what she would have wanted.
Bouncy Dancehall production and Skales’ swaggering hip hop flow open the dancefloor as he recalls the turbulent road that led him to success on ‘Glory’ featuring electrifying melodies from Fave.
Skales rolls back the years as he samples some of the music that soundtracked his childhood and shaped his desire to make music.
He takes this nostalgia and blends it with era-defining elements to deliver party starters, like in the case of ‘Mental’, where he reimagines the Afrobeats classic ‘Kolomental’ by Faze.
He offers a nostalgic rush through classic Afrobeats uptempo production of the 2010s as he smooth-talks his way in getting his desires on ‘Scandal’ over crowd vocals.
A man whose artistry is shaped by different eras of Afrobeats and a willingness to embrace global cultural influences, Skales delves into the world of Amapiano fusion next to South African star S.N.E on ‘Busy’, where time-tested melodies meet era-shaping log drum fusion.
He interpolates Highlife maestro Orlando Owoh’s classic ‘Logba Logba’ on ‘Colour’ to celebrate his wins and announce his intention to keep staking Ws on a song where Nigerian Highlife meets 2025 Afrobeats.
Skales is not alone in his celebration. He called on his friends, colleagues, and veterans who inspired him. He’s joined by Ugandan star Joshua Baraka on the sweet lover boy Afropop anthem ‘Body On Me’.
The versatile star Nasboi delivers a throwback Afrobeats verse on ‘Looseguard,’ while the king of tungba music, Yinka Ayefele, brings his timeless melodies to ‘Tota E Mole’ over Kvng Vinci’s spicy production.
Afrobeats veteran Faze and Nigerian hip hop king of rhymes Magnito combine for the playful ‘Alcohol Na Your Mate?’ where they use pidgin commentary to preach caution.
Following the spotlight Lamine Yamal brought to his hit single ‘Shake Body’, Skales enjoyed commercial success. The Nigerian star shows his gratitude by paying tribute to the footballer with the dance record ‘Dance Like Lamine Yamal Yamal (DLLY)’ featuring Spanish star 3dnan. The new lease of life Yamal gave ‘Shake Body’ is also marked by a Spanish remix featuring Oscar el Ruso, Samuel G, and Came Beats.
Even if the album’s 16 tracks and 45 minutes of play time could have been reduced by 3 songs, its length doesn’t hurt its experience as Skales kept the party going from start to finish. And why shouldn’t he party after finally getting a well-deserved time in the spotlight?
Skales’ seventh project, ‘Martina’s Son’, named after his late mother, is the musician’s way of saying “Mama, I made it!” 10 years after releasing his debut album, Skales can legitimately lay claim to being “The Man of the Year”.
• 0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fall
• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion
Pulse Rating: /10
Album Sequencing: 1.5/2
Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.5/2
Production: 1.6/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.5/2
Execution: 1.6/2
TOTAL – 7.7
