Nigerian singer Reekado Banks has unveiled his long-anticipated second studio album, The Game Needs You.
Announcing its availability in the early hours of Tuesday, the artist took to Instagram to express gratitude to everyone who played a role in bringing the project to life.
Describing the album as deeply personal, Banks wrote, “This one is bigger than me. It’s a testimony of time, patience, pain, and purpose. A labor of love, crafted by many brilliant minds and beautiful hearts.”
He acknowledged the producers who shaped the project’s sound, including Don Jazzy, Skitter, Burssbrain, Jamie Black, BadBoy, Andre Vibes, Fizzy, God Omarr, Semzi, Tuzi, Del B, and Saszy.
“To the featured artists who blessed the songs with soul and fire: Phyno, Winny, Terry Apala, KashComing, Lil Kesh, Mayorkun, SKIIBII – thank you for showing up and showing out,” he added.
Banks also extended appreciation to the songwriters and engineers whose creativity and precision added depth to the album.
“To the pens behind the poetry: GB Cruize, Ema Onigah, Mbryo, FxrTune, Bryann, LADÉ – your words gave breath to melodies,” he wrote. “To the engineers who made it shine: Sheymi, Syn X, IFX, North, 8Notes – thank you for polishing every detail with precision. To the instrumentalists who gave it life and culture: The Bata Drummer, Ikaey Asanga – your hands told stories.”
“This album is ours. Now it belongs to the world. Go stream it. Feel it. Share it. Let it speak to you the way it spoke to us while we made it.”
The 15-track body of work blends Afrobeat, highlife, and contemporary pop, with titles such as ‘Freestyle’, ‘2WFL’, ‘Maami’, ‘Oroma’, ‘Biliki’, ‘Jawo’, ‘December (So Beautiful)’, ‘Dangerous’, ‘Katalina’, ‘My Woman’, ‘Mukutu’, ‘Omox100’, ‘Ogini’, ‘Glamorous’, and ‘Bro Bro’.
Reekado Banks, born Ayodeji Solomon, joined Mavin Records in 2014 before parting ways with the label four years later. His debut album, Spotlight, arrived on September 1, 2016.
He was named Rookie of the Year at The Headies in 2014 and went on to win the Next Rated award in 2015.
