6lack Joins Spinall, Fireboy DML on Gleaming ‘Sere’ Remix

When the Nigerian veteran Spinall released his fifth album, Grace, last December, “Sere” was an immediate highlight. Frisky yet reverential, with goofy come-ons (“I no fit fight kung-fu/But I go fight for you”), piercing percussion, balmy guitar, cheerful “whoo!” ad-libs, and unexpected spurts of saxophone, the track has amassed more than two million streams on Spotify.

Spinall gave the track a new jolt of energy in the form of a remix featuring 6lack on Thursday. 6lack initially adds somber weight to the track, singing in a low-to-the-ground, conversational tone. But the irrepressible beat, co-produced by Kel-P (known especially for his work with Burna Boy), starts to energize the singer, who responds by injecting his lines with a playful, skipping cadence. “I don’t run game,” 6lack sings, “but I’m down to play one.” Then he cedes the floor back to that saxophone and Fireboy DML’s handsome harmonies.

Spinall got his start in radio before releasing his first album, featuring Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, and Wande Coal, among others, in 2015. He has been prolific in the years since, putting out roughly an album a year. He recruited a similarly star-studded cast of vocalists to help with Grace — not only rising acts like Fireboy DML, Oxlade, and Omah Lay, but also Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Niniola, and Kranium.