Ibraah codified his trippy, no-frills interpretation of bongo flava music on 2020’s Steps, a five-song collection of lustrous ballads and lo-fi anthems that paid homage to the singer’s globalist world view and established him as the latest star from Harmonize’s Konde Music Worldwide label. Since then, the singer has come to represent the ideals of youthful self-expression and artistic freedom for many in Tanzania, leading to his coronation as king of the new school. Across the 17 tracks of his debut album, he shoulders the responsibilities of a new monarch, creating fresh mediums of expression within bongo flava with influences from Afropop, soul, and zouk. Revolving around love, forgiveness, faithfulness, and upward mobility, The King of New School displays Ibraah’s knack for improvisation. “Body” with L.A.X is a balmy dedication to lovers that melds the skittering percussion of Afrobeats with the polyrhythmic strings of bongo flava, and Christian Bella infuses the soul-stirring “Kilio” with an extra layer of warmth.