Adekunle Gold's Fuji Block Party Was So Good I Stayed Out Till 3AM

On October 9, 2025, Adekunle Gold headlined The Mainland Block Party in the very part of Lagos where his family, the Kosokos, have lived and expanded for generations. It was a homecoming for the international superstar whose latest album paid homage to the Fuji music that soundtracked his childhood.

Already known as one of Afrobeats’ greatest showmen, when it comes to live performances in Nigerian music, Adekunle Gold is among the few stars for whose concerts I could inconvenience myself. That night, protocol insisted that we park in a designated area that was a whole 15-minute walk to Broad Street.

Broad Street on Lagos Island is always busy during the day, but it was busier that night. A large stage was situated at the end of the road, overlooking a crowd of music lovers who had gathered from different parts of the city for the same reason.

When I finally settled in the VIP area, elevated to give us a proper view of the stage, I learnt from one of the production crew that I had missed the performances of street-pop sensations TML Vibe and Rybeena, who had thrilled the audience while I was at home watching Adekunle Gold perform at the grand finale of Big Brother Naija Season 10.

However, at past 11PM, I was just on time to catch two dynamic hypemen and DJ Titanium warm up the crowd ahead of Adekunle Gold’s entrance.

As the hypemen entertained with electrifying legwork and stellar crowd engagement, Broad Street started oozing an energy that captured everyone, irrespective of their sitting area. We had all shown up, united in the same desire to enjoy Fuji music as curated by Adekunle Gold.

Adekunle Gold, wearing a skullcap famously worn by royal figures in Yoruba land, took to the stage to loud cheers. The prince of the Kosoko family was back home, and his large kin were present to watch him celebrate his decade-long career with a new album that finds inspiration in Yoruba culture.

He opened his performance with ‘Don Corleone’, a chest-thumping, Fuji-infused record off his latest album 'Fuji'. He followed it with ‘Bobo’ and ‘Coco Money’ off the Fuji album before bringing out his friend, the hitmaking rapper Zlatan, who had everyone yelling the lyrics of his hit records.

Playing the role of the conductor, host, and headliner, Adekunle Gold gave us a show. He took us back to the early days with renditions of his classics ‘Sade,’ ‘Orente,’ and ‘Pick Up.’ He took us on a journey through his discography with a rendition of his bestseller, ‘Okay,’ and his smash hit records, ‘Five Star,’ ‘High’ featuring Davido, and ‘Party No Dey Stop’ featuring Zinoleesky.

At this time, it was past 2AM on a Monday, and the cool midnight breeze had been wiped out from Broad Street by large speakers blaring hit records and a crowd delightfully dancing to them. It was barely six hours before I would be heading to the office, but at that moment, I felt no urgency to head home to rest my head because Adekunle Gold had just made me feel like a big man with his performance of ‘Ogaranya.’

“ST say make we dey party go,” Adekunle Gold, who was equally conscious of the time, said in recognition of the presence of Mr. Seyi Tinubu, whose presence at the concert had the crowd excited.

And party we did.

He brought out the Fuji icon King Saheed Osupa, who opened with his smash hit record ‘Endorsement 2’ in a 20-minute, show-stopping set that had young women from the crowd hopping on stage to serve as backup dancers.

Then came Taye Currency, the Fuji music maestro from Ibadan, who rocked the crowd with the defiance and vibrancy that inform his style. When he sang his viral anthem ‘Werey lan fi wo werey,’ meaning “madness should be met with equal madness,” it received massive cheers from the Lagos Island crowd that knows a thing or two about tackling madness with madness.

The show reached its peak when the Fuji icon Alhaji Abass Akande Obesere, a.k.a. Baba Tosibe, took to the stage to roll back the years with a performance of his classics ‘Asakasa’ and ‘America Faaji Series 1.’ It was breathtaking. The crowd sang, danced, and cheered. After over 20 minutes, Obesere wanted to leave the stage, but the people wanted more.

“Omo Rapala Overthrow!” they yelled.

I joined my voice with theirs, and Baba Tosibe gave us what we wanted. The party continued.

It was past 3AM, and I had partied for nearly five hours. Adekunle Gold’s modern take on Fuji had received a stamp of approval from both the genre’s legends and a young generation who found delight in rich cultural heritage.

I had a blast. My heart was full. Adekunle Gold and The Mainland Block Party had given me an amazing time. So I bade goodbye to Broad Street while soaking in the beauty of experiencing Fuji music in all its glory.

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