Seyi Vibez's 'FUJI MOTO' Could’ve Been That Album, But It’s Just Okay

Seyi Vibez’s fourth project in two years, FUJI MOTO, promised a grand sonic shift. The hype was deafening. Fans expected a true revolution of the Fuji genre. Instead, what arrived on 14 November, felt like a cautious, diluted effort. 

This pressure was intensified coming on the tails of Adekunle Gold’s stellar Fuji rollout, which successfully established a high-water mark for blending Nigerian traditional sounds with global pop music.

The project fails to convey any genuine conviction throughout its 14 tracks and fast-paced 33-minute duration. Seyi Vibez built anticipation for his FUJI MOTO album through a strategic and visually distinct social media campaign. The visual narrative began with the surprise release of singles like "Shaolin" and "Happy Song" in February 2025, which established a tone inspired by Japanese street culture and luxury.

His Instagram feed was flooded with stylized teasers featuring black-and-white filters, fast cars, and urban imagery, promising a new sound he termed "Luxury Fuji" music.  A significant action on social media that captured widespread attention was the creation of a striking and thematic visual element installed in his living room.

In a viral clip on social media, Seyi Vibez revealed he placed a heavily modified, custom armored car, specifically, a bulletproof G-Wagon that he used in his "Shaolin" and "Fuji Moto" music videos – directly into the living room of his personal home.  The car served as the physical inspiration for the album's name when a friend remarked, "your name is Fuji Moto, you are luxury, you are the luxury Fuji, you know new generation" upon seeing the vehicle parked indoors. This became a central part of the album’s lore and marketing.

However, the spark that once drove Seyi's output seems dimmed on this project, and the energy is muted. It sounds like an artist who is exhausted, confined by constant releases, and unable to produce something focused. A number of the songs on the album seem like filler tracks, repackaged versions of his previous work, and the album fails to be cohesive. The "Fuji" that the title promised is hardly there. Songs like "FUJI HOUSE" and "FUJI PARTY" featuring the legendary Olamide Badoo, are insufficient to support the story of genre reinvention. This is essentially Afropop with a Fuji aesthetic.

The album doesn't have the same impact as his earlier work. For the most part, FUJI MOTO often comes across a musical sleep fest.  

Nonetheless, it did exceptionally well commercially, achieving significant streaming milestones and high chart placements shortly after its release. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Apple Music Nigeria Top Albums chart, with several tracks like "AMA" and "HOW ARE YOU" reaching the No. 1 spot on the Apple Music Nigeria Top Song Chart. It also debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard World Albums chart, marking Seyi Vibez's second-highest charting project on this specific chart, after Children of Africa EP which peaked at No. 8.

Additionally, FUJI MOTO debuted at the No. 4 spot on Spotify's Top Albums Debut Global chart. Four tracks from the album dominated the TurnTable Official Nigeria Top 100 singles chart, with "AMA" as the highest charting new entry at No. 4. "Fuji Moto" debuted at No. 8 on the singles chart.

Seyi Vibez is gifted, but for the sake of art, he may need to retreat, discover new themes, and take genuine risks. 

“TORTOISE MAMBO” is a poorly executed opening gambit. The track features Seyi Vibez’s full vocal braggadocio. He declares in Yoruba, "I can't sing like Saheed Osupa, I can't sing like Ed Sheeran, I can't singlike Bob Marley." The honesty is clear but the execution is muddled.

Risky production? Absolutely. This Afro-house flip of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do for Love” (1978) is clever, and groovy. But if I'm being honest, this song plays to the strength of its producer, Dibs, than a Seyi Vibez song. He skates lightly across the writing, never digging deep. You’ll dance, yes. But it’s not memorable. Fans that come for grit will leave with vibes, nothing more.

On “Universe”, Seyi falls back on his safest trick: sweet-talk romance. It works melodically, but it’s basically “PRESSURE” wearing a different shirt. For an album that swore it would break new ground, this track feels like déjà vu. Pleasant, but almost expected.

“Ama” is the breath of fresh air. Here, Seyi Vibez drops the street-hop machismo and lets a little vulnerability in. It’s gentle, sweet, honest tribute to his late mother. The melody glides, the writing is soft without being shallow, and the emotion actually lands. Unfortunately, “AMA” is just one bright star in a pretty cloudy sky, because it does not rescue the rest of FUJI MOTO from itself.

The French Montana link-up is a clear attempt at global reach, but what we get is a diluted remix of a much stronger solo track. French fits the beat, yes, but the synergy is weak. This is what happens when a feature is added for strategy, not chemistry. The essence of Seyi’s voice fades into the background, and the song loses its soul.

“FUJI PARTY” is fast, loud, chaotic. It’s obviously built for the clubs. The log drums slap, the shakuhachi flute adds flair, and Olamide Badoo matches Seyi’s wild energy bar for bar. But beneath all that frenzy, the song has nothing to say. Its great for a party,  forgettable the moment the DJ switches tracks.

The album concept finally shows signs of life here.  The Larrylanes-produced track layers electronic log drums, talking drum accents, and Fuji-style name-hailing into something genuinely exciting. It shows that the fusion Seyi promised was not only possible but it could have been spectacular. Which makes it even more frustrating that the rest of the album doesn’t keep up.

As the supposed centerpiece of the album, this track should have been undeniable. Instead, it drags. The percussion knocks, the Ajiwere-inspired chants peek through, but the melody just isn’t strong enough to carry the weight of a title track. This was meant to set the tone; instead, it exposes the lack of depth on the album.

This could have been a wild, left-field win. Instead, it feels like Seyi wandered into Trippie Redd’s session and asked for a verse. The chorus is beautiful, Trippie does his part, and Seyi tries to anchor the song, but for some reason, it still feels like Seyi gets left behind in the same room.

The street-hop banger from Children of Africa EP returns as a safety net, and that’s exactly what it is. It’s fun, nostalgic, and energetic, but offers no new growth. This is Seyi in autopilot mode: effective, but far from evolutionary.

“NACHO” is a decent but honestly…it’s an unnecessary collaboration. NLE Choppa doesn’t harm the track, but he doesn’t elevate it either. Seyi could have carried this alone and maybe even delivered a stronger song. Instead, we get another feature that feels like a name-drop rather than a natural pairing.

Already a certified hit, and deservedly so. “SHAOLIN” is fast, frantic, addictive: pure Mara sound at its best. It’s one of the few tracks that remind you why Seyi Vibez became a phenomenon in the first place. Ironically, its quality only highlights how shaky the new material is.

“HAPPY SONG” was produced by the brilliant Semzi. It’s also another banger from Children of Africa EP that made it to the album. The song is bright, choral, and uplifting. It’s Afro-pop. It carries the album’s reputation on its back. Honestly, if FUJI MOTO had more tracks like this, we might be having a different conversation.

Closing with the original “Pressure” is a smart but safe choice. It's proof he can make great music, yet, but also proof that greatness didn’t show up consistently on this album. It is not a defining "Seyi Vibez" track but is a good song that any talented artist could have made.

Ratings: /10

• 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: 1.2/2

• Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 0.7/2

• Production: 1.7/2

• Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.0/2

• Execution: 0.6/2

TOTAL - 5.2/10