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  • With a career spanning over a decade, Kizz Daniel has churned out some amazing music that has showcased his growth, versatility, and dedication to his craft.

    From his early days as Kiss Daniel to his current status as a top-rated Afrobeats superstar, Kizz Daniel has consistently contributed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in Nigerian music. He had the most Shazammed song of 2022, “Buga (Lo Lo Lo),” performed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and made Audiomack’s top trending and most streamed artists of 2023 alongside Asake.

    Below we’ve ranked all of Kizz Daniel’s projects from the ones that are just ‘meh’ to his greatest of all time. 

    6.

    Thankz A Lot (TZA)

    This EP is packed with four songs. Kizz Daniel drops ready-made hits that easily captivate the TikTok algorithm for users in party mode. This EP offers a little narrative that’s beyond having a good time. Perhaps it needs more time to make an impact.

    5.

    Maverick

    “Buga (Lo Lo Lo)”, “Shu-Peru”, “Rich Till I Die (RTID)” are on Maverick, Kizz Daniel’s fourth studio album. These bops opened him up to TikTok virality and the listening ears of older Nigerian people. The production is colourful, but the stories on this album are underexplored, putting the commercial appeal in front.

    4.

    Barnabas

    Kizz Daniel gets intimate and experimental, too, on his 2021 EP Barnabas. But compared to his other projects, Barnabas is short (seven tracks) and slow-paced. He sings about intimacy, his dreams, his faith, and his addictions. This project fully marks the beginning of his Owambe-inflected sounds and continues the adlibs—heavy music. 

    3.

    King of Love

    This album is Kizz Daniel’s third. It takes a different route from the formulaic “New Era” and “No Bad Songs” album—King of Love is experimental. It came out in 2020, and although it didn’t enjoy the attention it deserves, the album’s hands down one of the best Afropop projects that’s come out of the 2020s. Play “Jaho,” “Pak ‘n’ Go,” “Boys Are Mad” and “Fvck You”—the stories of love, intimacy, heartbreak at wedding parties and self-praise are unparalleled.

    2.

    No Bad Songs

    Having a successful first album definitely boosts confidence. Two years after Kizz Daniel’s debut album and six months after his name change and record label dispute with G-Worldwide Entertainment, he put out his sophomore work. His debut proves his skills as a good singer-songwriter., This album cements his status as a hit powerhouse. “No Do,” “One Ticket” featuring Davido, and “Madu” are unforgettable jams that define the No Bad Songs era.

    1.

    New Era

    In 2016, before Kiss Daniel became Kizz Daniel, his first album, New Era, dropped to critical acclaim. The album blends Highlife and Ska music with Afropop to craft its own hits—giving us at least five certified jams like “Woju,” “Laye,” “Mama,” “Good Time,” and “Jombo.” Although New Era didn’t change the popular soundscape of Afrobeats, it announced his arrival into the game and distinguished him as a hitmaker among peers.

    We Ranked All of Wizkid’s Albums from ‘Meh’ to Greatest

  • Oxlade, Wande Coal’s heir apparent and one of the most gifted newcomers working today, has just released his debut “project”, Oxygene — he says he’s refusing to call it an EP because Nigerians don’t take those as seriously

    About the importance of the project, Oxlade told Zikoko:

    “This project means everything to me. It’s the first time I putting out a thing of my own. It’s a way for me to share a part of myself to the world through my singing.”

    So, instead of a traditional review — which would have us praising Oxlade’s killer voice and instinctive songwriting — we decided to have him pick and breakdown 5 lyrics he believes best represent this body of work.

    “Machala for your love/Mezewu for your love/Go loco for your love” — “Hold On”

    Machala is slang for a don, and in this context, I’m saying I’ll become the top of the crop for love. Mezewu means going crazy on drugs, so that’s about me being high on love. I’m sure everyone knows what going loco means.

    The entire song is just about me being selfless and letting go of my ego for love. A lot of people get the impression that I’m a hoe, but this is the real Oxlade — a soft loverboy.

    “Let us go far away, miles away, far away/
    To a place where no one can dictate how we play” — “Away”

    “Away” is really personal to me. I got raped when I was 10 years old, and I went through that for 3 years. I kept wishing I could run away because I felt like a captive.

    In this context, however, it’s about me trying to run away from all the negativity with my babe. The song is ultimately about seeking freedom, and this lyric is the juice behind the entire thing.

    “And if I tell you move, you must to jabole” — “Kokose”

    “Kokose” is my jam, and I love it because it makes no sense. It was a template record that I made so I wouldn’t forget the melody. Then when I went back to the studio, Spax said I should leave it like that.

    It’s really just a feel-good song, and this line is me saying that I won’t allow anyone to be dull around me. Honestly, I think this song is going to bang. I just need the world to return to normal so clubs can shatter it.

    “You be my weakness and you be my sickness and I don’t wanna cure myself from you” — “Weakness”

    “Weakness” was inspired by my ex. Actually, most of the love songs on this project were inspired by her. She broke my heart one day, and I just decided to write a stack of love songs.

    This song is me letting her know that she is my weakness, but I don’t mind if she kills me — just as long as I have her in my life. It’s fake deep, I know, but it’s honest.

    “Tables turn oh/ It fit be your turn today, tomorrow make it be my turn oh” — “Tables Turn”

    “Tables Turn” is a true story, and it’s really just me reminding niggas that karma is a bitch. I was raised in the slums, and the type of songs they made there were not the type I wanted to make. So, I was an outcast.

    The line is about being good to people. You don’t know what the future holds for anyone you come across, so always try to be as kind as possible to others.

  • 2019 was the first year in almost a decade that Olamide didn’t drop a project. He chose, instead, to focus his energy on pushing Fireboy DML — the breakout star we first met on the rapper’s 2018 mixtape.

    Now, with Fireboy’s position in the afropop scene solidified, Olamide has come through with a new EP, 999, which, like his last body of work, seems to be less about him and more about the rising stars he’s assembled.

    On the 9-track project, Olamide introduces his fans to a new generation of rap talent, two of which he simply discovered on his Instagram Explore Page (Sosa-E and Jackmillz on the fantastic “Dancing With The Devil”).

    The only other big-name star on 999 is Olamide’s frequent collaborator, Phyno, who is given a chance to flex alongside his gifted new signees, Rhatti and Cheque on the standout “Warlords”.

    The most exciting new discovery, however, is Jayboi, who Olamide met at a hotel in Abeokuta. After freestyling for hours, he earned himself a spot on the EP, and he quickly shows why on the sexually-charged “Mojo”.

    Bolstered by eclectic production work from Pheelz, Cracker Mallo and more, 999 solidly tackles themes around fame (“Rich & Famous”), generational wealth (“Billion Talk) and hustling (“No Time”).

    While a lot of the songs on the EP are really impressive, the track that feels destined to be the biggest is “Wonma”, a radio-friendly banger that allows Olamide to reach his one-hit-every-other-month quota.

    All in all, 999 is a solid and essential project from Olamide — one that serves double duty, both reminding us of his versatility as a rapper and his penchant for putting people on.

    Rating: 7.5/10