AREA BOYZ PRAYER is the opening track on AREA BOYZ, the debut studio album from East London afroswing collective NSG, released October 20, 2023. Running 4 minutes 10 seconds, it features Seyi Vibez — a deliberate choice that NSG's Papii Abz explained in Apple Music's album notes: "The great moments in life — achievements, connections — they start with a prayer. Seyi Vibez has been on our radar for a while, on this track you'll hear why. He represents Lagos, Nigeria, to the fullest — an area boy through and through. But still very much prayerful with his music." NSG — a six-man collective originally from East London with Nigerian and Ghanaian roots — built their name through early singles like Leads and the afroswing-defining Wanna Know, and AREA BOYZ is their culminating statement as a group after years of building a fanbase across the UK and West Africa.
The 19-track AREA BOYZ album connects Nigerian Pidgin with Amapiano, psychedelic-fuelled anthems and UK afroswing — according to Apple Music's editorial, production credits across the project include JAE5, Diztortion and Supa Dups. The decision to open the album with a prayer, and to bring in Seyi Vibez as the artist to anchor it, carries the same grounded spiritual energy that the Ikorodu singer channels in his most emotionally direct records — a fitting start for a project that takes its identity directly from the street prayer culture of Nigeria and its diaspora. An official music video was released alongside the track.
Rating: 8.5/10.
▶ Listen on Apple Music ▶ Watch Official Video
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