The project emerged from a writing camp held at Empire's San Francisco headquarters after the label's "The New Africa" showcase at South by Southwest (SXSW) in March 2022. Reflecting on the collaboration, Bnxn remarked, "I feel blessed to have been around so much talent, drive, and creativity all in the same room." Veteran Afrobeats singer Wande Coal added that the collaboration was especially meaningful because "everyone on this album is a family... it makes it easy to bring out your best self when creating music."[2]
Tina Davis, Empire's Senior Vice President of A&R, described the writing camp as a turning point: "The energy was high and very creative! On one of the days, we rented a bus, and Ghazi [Shami] took everyone on a tour of San Francisco for the day". The album features 15 tracks that span various genres, including Afrobeats, amapiano, drill, trap, and R&B. As Davis explained, "The final product is an amazing body of work that has artists from every region of the continent". The compilation also symbolizes African unity, with the album cover, designed by Nigerian artist Dricky Stickman, embodying themes of "community and culture."[1]
Empire CEO Ghazi Shami highlighted the significance of the project: "This is a legendary moment for Empire to be able to share incredible African music with the world."[3]
The album's lead single, "Cough (Odo)," coincided with the accouncement of the album on 14 October 2022 and was performed by Nigerian singer Kizz Daniel. The song was produced by Philkeyz and Blaisebeatz and was also third single off Kizz Daniel's fourth studio album Maverick.[4][5] The second single, "Umbrella," is performed by Nigerian singer Wande Coal and was released on 27 October 2022. The song was co-written by Sean Kingston and Sak Pase, and was produced by Sak Pase, with additional production from Zay Bandz, Say-Zay, and Kheilstone. Its release coincided with its music video which was directed by Austin McCracken.[6] The third single, "Loaded," is performed by Nigerian singers Tiwa Savage and Asake, and was released on 7 November 2022 with an accompanying music video directed by TG Omori.[7] The fourth single, "I Feel Nice," is performed by Ghanaian singer Kuami Eugene and girl group Group Chat. The song was released on 12 December 2022 and was produced by Eugene and M.O.G Beatz.[8][2] The fifth and final single "Thing For You" was performed by June Freedom featuring L.A.X and was released on 17 May 2023 alongside an Edgar Esteves-directed video.[9]
