There is a particular kind of Lagos owambe energy that only arrives when the Alhaji finally stands up. The MC has been hyping for thirty minutes, the aso-ebi crowd has been dancing in that polite “I’m not tired, I’m just resting” way, and then — boom — the big man rises from his seat, adjusts his cap, and the band switches gear. Everybody knows what time it is. That moment now has a soundtrack: fuji heavyweight Pasuma and YBNL boss Olamide have teamed up on “IJO ALHAJI” — literally, “Alhaji’s dance”.
The song is track 3 on Pasuma’s brand-new 12-track album FUJI AFRO, released on Thursday, 5 November 2026 and rolled into New Music Friday on 6 November through his own Wasbar Records, with distribution by EMPIRE. Production on the track is credited to Ezkiss, and the whole thing finishes in a lean 2:18. Short? Yes. But since when does Alhaji need ten minutes to prove a point? He enters, he sprays, he dances, he leaves. Legend behaviour.
🥁 “IJO ALHAJI” in 30 Seconds
A fuji-meets-street-hop party record: Pasuma’s seasoned fuji delivery and call-and-response energy on one side, Olamide’s Bariga street swagger on the other, all riding a modern Afro-street groove from Ezkiss. Two generations of Lagos street music, one dance floor, zero dull moments. Out now on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Audiomack, Deezer and TIDAL.
📌 Quick Facts
| Song | IJO ALHAJI |
| Artists | Pasuma & Olamide |
| Released | Thursday, 5 November 2026 |
| Album | FUJI AFRO (track 3 of 12) |
| Length | 2:18 |
| Genre | Fuji / Afro street-pop |
| Producer | Ezkiss |
| Other album guests | Qdot (“UP UP WAY”), Terry Apala (“APALA FUJI”) |
| Label | Wasbar Records / EMPIRE |
Who Is Pasuma? Ask Any Owambe DJ
Alhaji Wasiu Alabi Pasuma — “Paso”, “Oganla” to the faithful — is one of the most bankable names fuji music has ever produced. For decades, if you wanted a Lagos party to be taken seriously, you either booked Pasuma or you played Pasuma. He carries the line that runs from the genre’s founding fathers to today’s street stars, and he has always had a habit most veterans don’t have: he talks to the young people. Rappers, street-pop kids, Afrobeats stars — Pasuma has shared studios with all of them.
That is not new talk. About a decade ago, his crossover project My World pulled in names like Olamide, Tiwa Savage, Phyno, Patoranking, Oritse Femi and Qdot, and it proved that a fuji legend could hold the mic beside rap royalty without losing one gram of his agbada authority. FUJI AFRO is round two of that experiment — with lead single “PREMIUM” (out 29 October) setting the table, and Olamide and Qdot returning to the house.
And Olamide? Baddo Never Forgets Where He Came From
Olamide Adedeji built YBNL from Bariga into one of the most important launchpads in Nigerian music, and he did it by never pretending the streets were beneath him. Long before the industry agreed that indigenous rap could fill stadiums, Baddo was rapping in Yoruba and filling them anyway. Lately he has been everywhere — pouring ‘Burukutu’ for the party people, jumping on DaniLeigh’s ‘Goosebumps’ and linking Larry Gaaga, Mavo and Kidd Carder on ‘Come On’.
But a Pasuma feature is different. For an artist whose music has always carried fuji DNA — the percussion, the praise-singing cadence, the street philosophy — answering the Oganla’s call is less “feature” and more “family meeting”. You don’t send your verse late to this one. Alhaji is waiting.
The Vibe: Talking Drums, Street Bounce and Pure Owambe Sauce
The beauty of “IJO ALHAJI” is in the collision. Fuji is a genre of rolling percussion, praise and call-and-response; street-hop is built on bounce, slang and attitude. Ezkiss keeps the groove modern and club-friendly so that both men feel at home, and the result is the kind of record that works at a 2 a.m. club session in Lekki and a Saturday afternoon wedding in Ibadan without changing one setting on the speaker.
Pasuma does what veterans do best — he commands. His voice has that seasoned weight that makes even a simple line sound like an elder’s instruction. Olamide brings the contrast: lighter on his feet, sly, street-smart, the cousin who knows every new dance before it trends. Put them together and it sounds like a conversation between the man who built the party and the man who keeps it running. At 2:18 the song doesn’t overstay its welcome either; it is designed to be replayed, not endured.
And the title alone is a whole mood. Every Nigerian — and plenty of Ghanaians who have attended one Lagos wedding too many — knows the “Alhaji dance”: unhurried, confident, slightly side-to-side, with crisp naira notes floating in the air like confetti. You don’t learn that dance. You become rich enough for it. Chale, some of us are still practising the first half.
Why “IJO ALHAJI” Matters Right Now
Fuji is having a moment. From Adekunle Gold’s Fuji era (remember ‘Blue Fire’ with Simi) to Terry Apala’s run of crossover features like ‘Muller Tune’, younger stars keep borrowing the culture. FUJI AFRO is what happens when one of the genre’s true owners walks in and says, “Okay, let me show you how it’s done.”
The timing is sweet too. This same New Music Friday gave us Didi B and Davido’s ‘PARTY’ and Skepta and Asake’s ‘Aloe Vera’, but with December owambe season loading — weddings, house parties, end-of-year bashes — “IJO ALHAJI” has the clearest job description of the lot. When the Alhaji rises in December, this is the song the DJ should be reaching for. Anything else is disrespect.
🎧 Listen on YouTube
Official audio via Pasuma on YouTube (Wasbar Records).
🎧 Listen Now
- Apple Music — IJO ALHAJI
- Spotify — IJO ALHAJI
- YouTube — IJO ALHAJI (Official Audio)
- YouTube Music — IJO ALHAJI
- Audiomack — IJO ALHAJI
- Deezer — IJO ALHAJI
- TIDAL — IJO ALHAJI
- Stream the full FUJI AFRO album
🔁 More Fuji, Street-Hop & Olamide Heat on The Ent News
- Olamide Pours ‘Burukutu’ — BlaiseBeatz-Produced Time and Space Party Starter Out Now
- Larry Gaaga Links Olamide, Mavo & Kidd Carder on ‘Come On’ — Street-Pop Flex Out Now
- Larry Vibez Links Terry Apala on ‘Muller Tune’ — NG Apala-Afrobeats Flex Out Now
- Small Doctor Links Emini Myson on ‘PART ONE’ — Agege Street-Hop Flex Out Now
- Didi B Links Davido on ‘PARTY’ — Yung Alpha-Produced SHOGUN IN LAGOS Abidjan-to-Lagos Club Anthem Out Now
📱 Follow the Artists
- Pasuma on Apple Music
- Pasuma on Spotify
- Pasuma on YouTube
- Pasuma on Audiomack
- Olamide on Apple Music
- Olamide on Spotify
- Olamide on YouTube
- Olamide on Audiomack
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