Young Jonn, Fave, Joshua Baraka, Zaylevelten and More on New Music Friday

Another stacked New Music Friday lands with a vengeance, the kind that feels engineered to yank you out of autopilot and right back into the pulse of what’s moving the culture. It’s a week where ambition is loud, experimentation is premium, and the releases arrive with the swagger of artists who know exactly where they stand in 2025’s sonic landscape. Young Jonn swings for the fences with Blue Disco, a 21-track, dual-mood odyssey that cements his frontman era. Zaylevelten sharpens his glitchy trap gospel with a “crazier” deluxe built for the underground faithful pushing him into the mainstream. And Joshua Baraka steps forward with Juvie, a debut that frames East Africa’s next superstar in full colour. From Afrobeats heavy-hitters to boundary-smudging misfits, this week’s drops remind us that the ecosystem is shapeshifting fast, and everyone’s racing to define their lane before the year wraps.

Blue Disco — Young Jonn

Off the heels of his 2024 breakout ‘Jiggy Forever’, which racked up over 600 million streams and solidified his leap from shadowy producer extraordinaire to Afrobeats frontman, this 21-track behemoth, ‘Blue Disco’, arrives with sky-high expectations. The Nigerian hitmaker has teased a “duality” concept: the “blue” for introspective melancholy and raw emotional digs, and the “disco” for euphoric, bass-thumping release. Young Jonn’s ‘Blue Disco’ is ambitious, star-packed, and clocking in at a hefty runtime.

The opener, “Padre Nuestro”, sets a cinematic tone right out the gate. It’s a Spanish-infused prayer-like murmur over shimmering synths and subtle hi-hats, evoking a hazy dawn in a neon-lit studio. Young Jonn’s hazy vocals, smoother and more controlled, float like smoke, whispering gratitude and manifestation vibes. It’s intimate, almost vulnerable, pulling you into the “blue” side immediately. No big bang, just a slow burn that makes a listener lean in, wondering if this is the evolution he promised in his recent Clash interview: a matured artist reflecting on personal growth. By track two, “Lalala” ft. Rema, the disco switch flips. Rema’s effortless flow layers over syncopated basslines and infectious hooks, turning this into an instant earworm. It’s a chaotic joy of amapiano whistles sneaking in, with Young Jonn’s ad-libs bouncing like party confetti.

The momentum builds relentlessly through the midsection, where the features truly shine without overshadowing Young Jonn’s delivery. “Level Up” ft. Olamide is a street-anthem slapper with gritty bars over thumping percussion that feels like a victory lap for Young Jonn’s own come-up. Olamide’s sanguine energy (“All of my life, I just wanna level up”) mirrors Young Jonn’s ambition, and the production is as immaculate as the delivery. “Cash Flow” ft. Wizkid, is a laid-back luxury cruise with Starboy’s signature croon blending seamlessly into Young Jonn’s energetic bounce. It’s the kind of effortless chemistry that elevates the whole project, think hazy R&B meets Afrobeats shimmer. The real fireworks, “Che Che” ft. Asake his second collab on the project, after “2Factor” ft. Asake & Focalistic) are euphoric monsters. The production is an amapiano-fuelled chaos with log drums rattling like fireworks. Asake’s playful yelps push it into overdrive, and it’s the track that is crafted for not just the dance floor, but to intentionally soundtrack the merriment that comes with the end of the year.

Solo cuts like “Full Control” showcase Jonn’s vocal growth, a smoother delivery over disco-nodding synths that are culturally rooted, but it feels a tad transitional on this initial pass, more vibe-setter than hook machine. “Go Shawty”, ft. DJ Tunez, injects fun with its cheeky bounce, and “Touch”, ft. Shenseea, brings a dancehall flirt that pops, her patois slicing through the electronic haze like a breath of Jamaican air. Yet, as the album hit tracks like “LAPO Baby”, “Strika”, and “Minivan” introspection deepens, with Young Jonn manifesting success and praising higher powers over gliding strings. It’s tender, almost gospel-tinged, but the 21-track sprawl starts to creep in around “What Are We” ft. Franglish. The R&B simmer is sultry, but fatigue nips at the edges; a tighter edit could’ve sharpened the conceptual punch. The amapiano flex on “Airdrop” and the closer “Safe Space” recover nicely, with the latter’s emotional core hitting like a quiet revelation. The album concludes with “Outro: Blue Disco” a spoken-word poem over fading disco pulses; unique, risky, and a poetic bow on the whole affair, echoing Young Jonn’s evolved headspace.

‘Blue Disco’ is a victory lap that sticks the landing and moonwalks across it. Young Jonn’s production wizardry remains his superpower, weaving Afrobeats elasticity with global disco flair and electronic edges that feel tailor-made for borderless playlists.

Then 1t G0t Crazier (Deluxe) — Zaylevelten

Fast-rising artist Zaylevelten, Lagos’ own trap alchemist and off-kilter visionary, unleashed the deluxe edition of his September breakout, and ‘then 1t got crazy’. Clocking in at 16 tracks and just shy of an hour, this expanded cut arrives like a fever dream extension, adding four new heaters, including features with Mavo and Odumodublvck, to the original’s raw, experimental edge. Born in the underbelly of Nigeria’s new-wave scene, Zaylevelten, who also doubles as the project’s executive producer under the name Tenski, has been teasing this “crazier” escalation since the original’s drop, promising deeper dives into his eccentric psyche: a genius trap delivery laced with Afrobeats glitches, spiritual hijacks, and visuals that look like glitch art from a cyberpunk Lagos. Then ‘1t g0t crazier’ deluxe sees four additional tracks to the original release including ‘Wuse Tu’ featuring Mavo, ‘Idanski tw0’ with Odumodublvck, ‘Lowzy’ and ‘1sa l0t’.

The opener, “Wenski”, hits like a distorted sermon—warped samples of street preachers over skittering hi-hats and Zay’s murmured manifesto on fame’s double-edged blade. It’s disorienting, almost cult-like, setting a tone that’s equal parts hypnotic and harrowing. The outro “Idansk tw0”, remixed for the deluxe ft. Odumodublvck flips the script with the guest artist’s frenetic flow, injecting pure anarchy and turning a solid original cut into a certified menace. The bars clash like rival crews: Zaylevelten’s sly menace vs. Odumodublvck’s explosive delivery, all over a beat that rattles.

“1SA L0T” strips it back: eerie atmospherics and Zaylevelten’s stream-of-consciousness flow over sparse beats, touching on paranoia and triumph. It’s vulnerable, almost ASMR-trap, and hits different in the dead of night, proof of his growth from producer shadows to lyrical force.

“Wuse Tu” ft. Mavo, the first deluxe exclusive, is a melodic trap odyssey with Mavo’s silky sing-rap delivery weaving through Zaylevelten’s gritty verses. With an infectious bounce—think amapiano whispers under trap thunder—and on initial listen, it’s the earworm that demands an immediate rewind. Mavo’s vibe adds emotional depth, turning what could be a flex track into something almost confessional, about chasing highs in low places.

Not everything detonates on impact, though. Tracks like “Gbona” and “Butti Vybes” (original holdovers) feel transitional here—solid vibes, but the sprawl tests attention in our bite-sized era, blending into a haze of eccentricity that might need spins to unpack. Album of the Year users clock the original at a respectable but niche 70-ish average, praising the boldness but noting the “acquired taste” trap niche in Afrobeats’ shadow. The deluxe’s four extras (pushing to 16 songs) add texture and replay value, as Album Talks highlights, but a tighter curation could’ve made it lethal. Still, in a week dominated by Young Jonn’s Blue Disco at No. 1, this No. 2 chart climber proves Zay’s pulling weight—early streams are surging, and X is lit with “wave active” declarations.

‘Then 1t G0t Crazier’ is Zaylevelten’s manifesto of controlled chaos—a trap odyssey that’s as intellectually hijacking as it is viscerally thrilling, blending Nigeria’s street pulse with global glitch aesthetics. The new tracks (especially “Wuse Tu” and the “Idansk1” remix) inject fresh fire without diluting the original’s eccentric core, showcasing an artist who’s not just riding the wave but engineering the tsunami.

Juvie (Album) — Joshua Baraka

Uganda’s Afro-soul prodigy Joshua Baraka has just handed the world his debut album, Juvie—a 12-track introspection on youth’s wild ride, dropped yesterday via Moves Recordings and exec-produced by the inimitable JAE5. At a breezy 36 minutes, the album is a polished gem, blending Joshua Baraka’s signature falsetto silk with R&B confessions, Afrobeats grooves, and dancehall sparks. Building on the momentum of the early success of viral singles like “NANA” (over 100 million streams) and EPs that turned heads across East Africa and beyond, Joshua Baraka—born in Kampala, a multi-instrumentalist shaped by Bob Marley and Cory Henry—promised a project reflecting “juvenile” chaos: love’s highs, heart’s lows, and the hustle in between.

The opener, “One of One”, wastes no time asserting dominance—a Beyoncé-esque vocal delivery over introspective keys, strings and subtle percussion, like a deep breath before the storm. Joshua Baraka’s layered harmonies build like a prayer, teasing vulnerability that echoes his growth from bedroom producer to global contender. It’s cinematic, pulling you into ‘Juvie’s’ thematic core: navigating young adulthood’s mess. By track two, “Morocco” ft. Axon, the vibe shifts to sun-soaked escapism—crisp Afrobeats rhythms laced with dancehall sway, Axon’s smooth assist elevating Joshua Baraka’s hook into an instant cruiser.

The heart of ‘Juvie’ pulses through the midsection, where Joshua Baraka’s storytelling shines without needing a safety net. “Still Young” ft. JAE5, the pre-release heater is a nostalgic flex, pulsing bass and Joshua Baraka’s reflective croon over JAE5’s rhythmic wizardry, grappling with time’s theft in pidgin-tinged poetry.

Then “State of My Heart” ft. Bien drops like a confessional bomb, Sauti Sol’s Bien adding gospel warmth to Joshua Baraka’s raw ache, over soulful strings and minimal beats. It’s tender, almost therapeutic, unpacking love’s wreckage with lyrics that cut deep: “Heart in a state, but I’m healing slow”. Paired with ‘Sorry’ and the upbeat “Corner,” a flirty Afro-pop bop that’s all confidence and corner-boy charm, the contrast creates an emotional seesaw that’s riveting.

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The outro, “So Low” featuring The Compozers concludes the project with its moody introspection, eerie atmospherics and Joshua Baraka’s vulnerable lyrics, evoking late-night regrets that mood-swing straight to catharsis, standing out for its rawness, equally “mood changing” alongside “Wrong Places” for that heartbreak grip.

‘Juvie’ is a debut triumph, Joshua Baraka’s soulful odyssey through youth’s spectrum, fusing Afro-soul intimacy with Afrobeats flair and R&B finesse.

Intentions — FAVE ft. Urban Chords

FAVE’s “Intentions” featuring Urban Chords is a refix shaped by the undeniable presence of AI in today’s music landscape. After her COLORS performance on June 30 and the original release on July 18, an AI-generated remix by Urban Chords went viral on TikTok earlier this year, triggering a wave of fan excitement and ethical debates around synthetic vocals. In a surprising turn, FAVE — the original IP owner of “Intentions” — has now partnered with Urban Chords, the Lagos-based vocal collective known for blending gospel-rooted harmonies with modern production. Together, they reclaim the narrative by layering her airy, emotive timbre over AI-enhanced choral textures, marking what some listeners are calling Nigeria’s first true “AI choir” moment.

The track unfurls like a midnight prayer, opening with FAVE’s signature whisper, soft and intimate. The minimalist production from Urban Chords sets the stage: subtle mid-tempo drums pulse like a heartbeat, shimmering guitar riffs flicker like distant city lights, and atmospheric synths weave a hazy veil that screams introspection over instant gratification. Her vocals glide in on the hook: “Intentions, what are your intentions?”, peeling back the cool-girl armor for raw vulnerability, dissecting love’s murky motives with pidgin-inflected poetry that’s equal parts ache and accusation. It’s soul-baring from the jump, but laced with FAVE’s playful menace which hooks deep, and demands a pause to let the words sink.

As the track progresses, the Urban Chords drop like a divine intervention—not mere backups, but an enveloping gospel-tinged embrace that swells the track into something transcendent. These aren’t your standard harmonies; crafted with generative AI to mimic human warmth and resonance, they add lush, otherworldly layers that feel both futuristic and familiar, turning FAVE’s solo vulnerability into a communal catharsis. The choir’s entrance elevates the bridge into euphoric territory with harmonies stacking like a virtual congregation, bearing witness to her lyrical confessions without overpowering her lead. Production-wise, it’s a blend of R&B undertones flirt with Afrobeats’ elastic groove, keeping it danceable yet meditative, a far cry from the high-BPM bangers dominating playlists.

The verses lean heavily on vocal layering over sparse beats, which risks blending into ambience for casual spins—though that’s the point, per FAVE’s own words in recent chats: “AI is here… but I want to guide the narrative and make sure the art still has heart.” FAVE’s “Intentions”with Urban Chords is a luminous reclamation, a haunting Afrobeats-R&B hybrid where vulnerability meets vanguard tech. The Urban Chords (AI-infused or not) transform a solid confessional into a spiritual flex, blending gospel soul with futuristic flair that’s tailor-made for late-night unwinds and dawn-after playlists.