The Afropop icon embraces his regality—with help from a roll call of stars. A huge chunk of what is now known as Afrobeats owes an unquantifiable debt to Wande Coal, and on his fourth studio album KING COAL, the singer’s showing the world what timelessness sounds like. In many ways, the album is the apotheosis of Coal’s brilliance and methods as he moves nimbly between the R&B, dancehall, and fújì tentpoles that make up Afrobeats at its core, while foregrounding his thoughts on love, legacy, and growth. At points across the project, Coal retools the narrational dichotomy that fueled his 2023 album Legend or No Legend, sounding, finally, like he’s settled into his status as one of the genre’s most important figures. On “Regard,” he’s assertive about being given his due wherever he goes, doubling down on that call for respect on the grass-to-grace ode “Balenciaga.” “So many hits came out of me,” he sings. “I’m the one they want to be.” Even the humorous “DEM GO PAY,” built on timely drill-adjacent instrumentals, offers subtle flexes of the singer’s reach and affiliation. In recognition of Wande Coal’s reputation as an elder statesman, a roll call of stars annotate KING COAL. Tiwa Savage drops by on “Must Be Love,” and Wizkid is high-energy on the mara-influenced closer “Oshe.” But Coal is at his most fluid when in tandem with another class of gifted Afrobeats talents. His synergy with Qing Madi reaches another level on “DEARLY,” and he sets the tone for BNXN and Ruger on the lustrous “GBESUNMO.” Also doing their part are Dera, who brings a decidedly street-pop attitude to “MONEY,” and Fido, who contributes a playful energy to “Sure for Me.” Seventeen years after Coal’s studio debut Mushin 2 Mo’ Hits opened new terrains of possibility in Afropop, KING COAL is a reminder that he’s still orchestrating plays from the top of the mountain.