So far in 2025, there have been only a few full-length projects released by Nigerian artists, but the year has still managed to offer up a diverse range of albums that showcase the strength, depth, and ambition of the music scene.
From established hitmakers refining their sound to emerging voices carving out their own lanes, these albums stand out not just for their replay value but also for their artistic direction, cultural relevance, and production quality.
This list highlights eight standout Nigerian albums that have defined 2025…so far.
8. I am the Blueprint — Qing Madi
Tracks: 13
Duration: 35m 9s
Genre: Afrobeats
The title I am the Blueprint sets the stage. This is Qing Madi’s roadmap. It’s a chronicle of dreams, growth, heartbreak, and resilience. As she has shared in several interviews, it’s essentially a “compilation” of her teenage years, with songs written between the ages of 14 and 17.
There’s vulnerability in every track — emotional snapshots that speak to ambition on “Bucket List,” love’s highs and lows on “Akanchawa,” self-preservation on “Damn It All,” and the anxieties of young adulthood on “Pressure.”
While there’s chatter about the album’s slower pace, the overarching consensus celebrates it as a bold and cohesive debut with heart and maturity. It’s impressive coming-of-age music.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
7. SUNZ ON PEGASUS — Igho Mike & Mxps Rellington
Tracks: 12
Duration: 37m 16m
Genre: Hip-Hop
It gets gritty, braggadocious, dark, introspective, and conscious in SUNZ ON PEGASUS, as rappers Igho Mike and Mxps Rellington come together to deliver an album of the year contender. They utilise soulful sample chops, weaved into boom-bap and lo-fi production, to tell street tales, make social commentary, and emphasise their skills as rap technicians.
With tracks like“RISE”, the intro with crafty spoken word that could soundtrack a bonfire, “ISAGEN”, an homage to a late associate, and the bouncy “GHETTHO SYMPHONY”, this album brings a diverse range of lyricism. If anyone asks where hip-hop is, it’s alive and breathing fire through icy rhymes.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
6. Bhad Boi (Deluxe) — BhadBoi OML
Tracks: 16
Duration: 43m 31s
Genres: Afrobeats, Street-Hop
Singer BhadBoi OML originally released Bhad Boi in January 2025 as a six-track EP before expanding it into a fuller 16-track album with ten fresh songs in May. This project shows OML growing from his earlier house-and-trap influences on his 2023 debut into a more cohesive and culturally-rooted Afrobeats artist. This is his transformation from a street-pop act to a versatile pop star.
With a range of themes, from introspection to toxic love to sex to youthful exuberance, OML shows he has something to say. The production quality is high too. From Fuji and juju instrumentation to house music, modern R&B and trap, he gives listeners an Afrobeats-meets-Yoruba roots experience — evident on songs like plamwine-music-influenced “River”, to “Alimajiri” which blends Islamic musical influence; and “Wasiu Ayinde,” which pays tribute to Fuji maestro Wasiu “K1 De Ultimate” Ayinde. If you want to explore the current wave of street-savvy artists redefining Afrobeats through cultural fusion, give this a listen.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
5. I Dream In Color — Magixx
Tracks: 13
Duration: 36m 12s
Genres: Afrobeats, R&B
With I Dream In Color, Magixx steps fully into his own as a genre-blending storyteller and soulful voice in the new school of Nigerian music. The 13-track debut album is a deeply personal, emotionally layered project that plays like a journal cracked open, filled with dreams, doubts, desires, and decisions. It’s a coming-of-age record that trades hype for heart, ambition for introspection, and formula for vulnerability.
Musically, I Dream In Color is rooted in Afrofusion but freely incorporates R&B, soul, trap, highlife, and soft pop. Over its 36-minute runtime, Magixx explores topics like family legacy on “Consistency”, heartbreak on “With You”, paranoia and betrayal on “Voices” and the toll of chasing success in a chaotic world. This is a well-crafted, ambitious debut with heart and substance.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
4. 5IVE — Davido
Tracks: 17
Duration: 49m 10s
Genres: Afrobeats, Amapiano
With 5IVE, Davido orchestrated one of the most polished album rollouts in Afrobeats history. He skipped drama in favour of positive fan engagement across platforms, from Martell letters to PlayStation teams and global media stops. Rooted in the numerology symbolism of the number five, which represents freedom, legacy, life, family, and music for OBO, the album opens with a poem that evokes ancestral praise and sets a triumphant tone.
It’s being praised for standout tracks like “10 Kilo”, “With You” featuring Omah Lay, and “Holy Water” with Victony and Musa Keys. Sonically, 5IVE pulses with fast Afrobeats, amapiano and house music. Its tracks affirm Davido’s resilience, defeating Goliaths, and assert his identity as a modern king. This album is Davido’s confident hymn — a celebratory yet modest step forward. It may not be his magnum opus, but it’s a polished statement of purpose and persistence.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
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3. Olamidé — Olamide
Tracks: 17
Duration: 47m 21s
Genre: Afrobeats
Olamide’s eleventh studio album, Olamidé, is a 17-track smooth Afrobeats project with a star-studded lineup featuring Wizkid, Asake, Seyi Vibez, Dr. Dre, Popcaan, Darkoo and more. Olamide delivers a mature, celebratory reflection on legacy, success, and artistic longevity. From buoyant love songs like “Luvaluvah” and “Duro” to swagger-filled club bangers like “Billionaire’s Club” and “99”, he reinforces his role as both a cultural icon and consistent hitmaker in Nigerian music.
Though this album is still fresh in rotation, it’s confident. It also establishes his longevity and success both as an artist and a music executive with the resources to assemble such an impressive list of features. Olamidé aligns with Baddo’s reputation for consistent quality and cultural relevance.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
2. Viva Lavida — Joeboy
Tracks: 13
Duration: 33m 39s
Genre: Afrobeats
Joeboy’s third studio album, Viva Lavida, meaning “Long live life”, is his first album under his newly-launched Young Legend imprint via Warner Music Africa. Opening with affection and softness on “Innocent” and sinking into heartbreak on tracks like “SMH,” “Taxi Driver,” and “Streets Are Lonely,” the album explores love and the search for it with heartfelt vulnerability. The album’s second half brings moments of renewal and swagger on “Free of Charge” with Olamide and “Adenuga” featuring Qing Madi.
The album’s production layers folk drums and amapiano bounce with confident pop flair, while the tropical duet “Sunset” with Elana Dara introduces Brazilian warmth. Viva Lavida isn’t just Joeboy delivering hits, it’s him choosing creative freedom, emotional honesty and a global sonic palette. It marks a well-rounded maturation in his artistic journey.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
1. The Feast — Falz
Tracks: 12
Duration: 31m 18s
Genres: Hip-Hop, Afrobeats
The Feast is Falz revitalised. He’s more bold, engaging and socially aware. The 12-track album kicks off with “Round of Applause,” blending commentary on love, police brutality and a call for political accountability. Tracks like “Old Soja” and “Anything Goes” deliver powerful protest, while songs such as “Famomi,” “Slow Down” featuring Qing Madi, and “Jump” shift into playful, romantic and dance-driven territory.
Sampling Fela on “Wayo,” Falz blends traditional roots with sharp political critique. The album’s closing track, “Story Time,” caps things with a personal recounting of his journey, from law student to viral entertainment star to activist. This album serves up a feast of sound and substance that reminds listeners that Falz is still one of Nigeria’s most compelling and creative voices.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
