Rakin Beats Gestures to the Intimate Side of the Dancefloor on “Sunmomi” 

The soundscape of African music has witnessed interesting twists and turns in recent years. Undoubtedly, one of the most noteworthy is the entry of producers into the realm of music making, not merely sitting behind the scenes and directing the artist’s gaze, but stepping directly into the booth themselves. What this has done is create a riveting, self-sustained stream of inspiration, one that carries the vision directly within a single channel, thereby boosting the potential for novelty. 

From Pheelz to Young Jonn, that distinct touch is almost impossible to miss. Another name to include on this list is Akinwale Dayo Morakinyo, popularly known as Rakin Beats, who has accrued quite an interesting portfolio in recent years. From his spellbinding guitar work to his releases, which have been popular across Africa, Europe, and North America, Rakin embodies a pristine side of the African energy, as we hear on his latest single Sunmomi. 

In just under two minutes, he sets down the fact of his mastery, producing and performing over a dusty House beat. No stranger to South African influences in its music, Nigerian creators have however, found unique ways to subvert the inclinations of their counterparts, sometimes emerging with an alchemy that carries its own throb. 

Sunmomi is that kind of song. A snapshot of a fun time out, the energy is established early on by the groovy tone of the drums. Slow but not lazily so, it picks up in tempo as the song progresses, and hazy notes build around that primal instrument so familiar to many of us. The titular word itself, meaning “come closer to me” in the Yoruba language, Rakin Beats manages to create a feeling of intimacy without (and crucially so) being overbearing, allowing the listener to find their own rhythm within the song’s enchantment. 

Party bops have always been a totemic part of Afrobeats, chiefly contributing to the movement’s reputation as a hyperrealist, feel-good capsule. However, it’s not unusual for these same qualities to be one-dimensional, most often as a result of the creator’s inability to avoid the gavel of self-importance and overt dreaminess; the best solution? To find a sweet spot in the middle. 

Rakin Beats achieves that here, and perhaps that wouldn’t be surprising to anyone who listened to Rooted Frequencies, his three-track project released earlier this year in January. With Sunmomi, he extends his fine form, again proving why he’s been so heralded by some of the most acclaimed establishments in the music industry.