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  • We have English-speaking rappers people often mistake for “hardcore rappers”, and Ibile United — an umbrella term for local Yoruba rappers. Although some of them mix some pidgin here and there, they’re not the same as rappers who strictly rap in Pidgin. Also, these pidgin rappers don’t enjoy as much attention as their counterparts expressing through other tongues.

    This is a list of seven hard Hip-Hop artists who rap in Pidgin. You should be rinsing and repeating their work.

    Erigga

    Erigga, a.k.a. Paper Boi, is highly revered for spitting in Nigerian pidgin, telling relatable stories from the streets of Warri. When Erigga flows on soulful Hip-Hop beats and reflects on his life or talks about the ills of the music industry, he’s a different beast. Please start with the intro, Industry, and Death Bed on his Okorowanta album.

    DanDizzy

    DanDizzy,a Port-Harcourt-born artist, became famous for his impeccable freestyle ability. 

    Get a music box and play DanDizzy any instrumental, and he’s ready to go on and on. It’s interesting how he switches flows and makes bars out of anything in pure pidgin and PH slang. 

    His studio releases include Who Goes Der!, Denge Pose feat. BadBoyTimz and Yawa feat. Skales. DanDizzy sings, too, a lover at heart on Garni.

    ODC

    If soulful, Boombap and Lo-fi raps is your taste, ODC is the guy you turn to. His hard-knocking delivery and classic Hip-Hop samples, but the stories come from the gritty streets of Surulere. 

    ODC kicks knowledge, lifelines, hard punchlines, and puns that make you go “Ugh”. Yes, that’s how crazy he goes with the bars. He has The Illest series (three volumes) with South-African-based Nigerian producer MHP. They are a perfect pair because their styles are complimentary.

    Abstraktt

    If you see Abstraktt, you’ll think he’s never stepped foot on Lagos mainland or heard of Ikorodu. But when he drops his pidgin lamba, a big surprise hits you. Trap, drill, and afro-swing are his usual play stations.

    [ad][/ad] Bops like 2Fresh, Guyman, and Allow Me to Rap will convince you on the first listen due to their relatability and fun choruses. When you see Abstrakkt outside, hail him as one of the unique rappers out right now instead of confusing him for DJ Consequence — he remarked on No Wahala.

    Knowledge (of Ajebo Hustlers)

    Knowledge weaves words together in pidgin and Port-Harcourt dialects, handing you vivid imagery of his socio-political thoughts, relationship issues, and his raunchy side. He’s also comical, which makes his raps more digestible. Most of his verses are on songs and projects like Kpos Lifestyle Volume 1 and Bad Boy Etiquette with his fellow Ajebo Hustler, Piego.

    hyph!

    hyph! has a mystical personality; there’s no face to the brand. hyph! just drops the music. He spills his mind on moody beats that sound comforting, especially after a weary day. hyph! has three tapes to his name — Bicycle Lane, blue+black and [h.i.M] on which he showcases his production skills and tells stories of his unemployment, the 2020 lockdown, cash chasing and lost faith.

    His music is currently available on Soundcloud.

    Reeplay

    Straight out of Abuja, Reeplay has made a name for himself as one of the distinctive spitters in the federal capital’s music scene. Although he’s humourous, Reeplay raps in an aggressive way that amuses and keeps the listener engaged — every bar is either a claim or a brag or just a funny comparison of something. You want to hear what more he has to say. In songs like Comot for Sanko, Na Now, Not Sorry and Who Is Reeplay, he details his time in jail and the tough streets of the Buj.

    Yo, ICYMI, our Burning Ram Fest is coming soon.

  • Ruger has been talented from the jump. The self-titled afro-dancehall artist didn’t break into the mainstream until his 2021 single, Bounce, took off few months after his debut. But he only had to put out song covers on IG for nine months before he was discovered in 2019. Since then, he’s gone on to make hits, creating a unique spot for himself among peers. 

    As we prepare for his forthcoming debut album, RU THE WORLD, let’s dive into his musical journey.

    When Michael Adebayo Olayinka began his journey to becoming a recording and performing artist, he was sure he’d make hits. But he didn’t know he’d have to be Ruger — a highly fatal firearm used at close range — first. The Nigerian artist FKA Mikky Drey got his current name because of his habit of making gun fingers in the studio. By 2019, afrobeats had another bad boy on its hands, with a name-change, pink-dyed hair and an eyepatch reminiscent of Baba Fryo.

    After waiting three years for a university admission, Ruger got serious with his music while learning to repair phones at the popular Computer Village in Lagos. In November 2019, former Mavin artist, D’Prince, saw his content on IG and has since put him under his wings, talent management and music label. 

    Throughout the 2020 lockdown, Ruger recorded across music studios and hotel rooms and underwent some artist development. And in January 2021, Jonzing World released One Shirt on which Ruger led the first verse and chorus. This afropop song about humble beginnings and disappointments was his official musical introduction, a showcase of the youngster’s head for captivating lyricism and vocals. D’Prince put down gems and Rema delivered a beautiful verse, but Ruger carried the song on his back. He didn’t even need anybody else on the song.

    A proper introduction came with a self-titled single, Ruger. Ru Boy, as he’s fondly called by fans, glided over the African percussion fused with 808 drum kicks, likening his arrival in the industry to the deadly coronavirus. The track opened his EP, titled PANDEMIC, a month later. On this EP, Ruger swam in and out of different sounds from the second track to the sixth, including uptempo afropop (Monalisa, Yekpa) and dancehall (Bow and Bounce). He sang exclusively to women, showing off his patois, pun strength, good-boy-gone-bad charisma and hypersexuality.

    PANDEMIC came out to mild reception and didn’t cut deep into the mainstream until Bounce took on a life of its own and turned into one of the biggest songs of 2021. It went on to debut no. 39 on TurnTable’s Top 50 Chart and number two on the Apple Music Top Afrobeats Songs, giving Ruger his first global recognition, after which he linked with Jamaican artist, Projexx, on the mid-tempo dancehall Sidepiece remix.

    Ruger closed 2021 out with the release of The Second Wave (four-track EP) in November, around the time COVID-19 made a comeback. On Champion, Ruger accepts his newfound stardom, expressing this through an afropop flavour similar to his early One Shirt jam. Useless has a dancehall-galala vibe that’ll get even Daddy Showkey up from his seat, throwing the popular “konto” dance.

    He put the TikTok-friendly closing tracks, Snapchat and Dior, with the smash hit Girlfriend, WeWe and Warning — on which he mentioned his influences, like Lucky Dube, 2Baba and the late Sound Sultan — on a deluxe album in June 2022. This move gave Dior its time in the sun as it became a hit. At this point, Ruger had morphed into a full-blown bad boy, accepting his wayward playboy role. Girlfriend had everyone tilting their waists anytime it came on, and with it, he owned the IG, Snapchat and TikTok streets for a while.

    Then came the back-and-forths with BNXN which birthed Asiwaju, a track on which he claimed superiority over his peers. However, the public accused him of making a campaign song for the agbado government. The hit song was rich in replay value with dramatic lyricism and all the nuance that make certified Naija jams.

    Red Flag was his last drop of 2022 — a problematic song that saw him relishing in toxic masculinity, with lines like “you saw the red flags, baby, but you ignored the red flags / baby, you con dey vex, see, I can’t change / baby, you better rest or end this now” — maintaining the honesty of a villain who’s come to terms with himself. But on his first offering of 2023, Ruger took a U-turn from his Red Flag confessions to become a preacher of sweet love on DJ Neptune’s Bienvenue, without losing his sensual one-liners. You know you’re a hitmaker in the Naija music scene when popular DJs feature you on their songs. That’s how far Ruger has come since 2019.

    On May 12, 2023, he began the journey to his debut album by releasing two singles: the amapiano-inspired, booty appreciation song, Bun Bun with Jugglerz; and Jonzing Boy, an allegiance record to the label that pays him. Jonzing Boy later appeared on a two-song pack, Kristy, that came out in July. 

    It’s clear that fun, hedonism and dancehall-galala aren’t leaving Ruger anywhere anytime soon, not even with his successful tours across Africa, Europe, and currently, the U.S. Since his nationwide six-concert deal with Eko Hotel & Suites and opening performance at Burna Boy’s 02 Arena concert, both in 2021, Ruger has been booked and busy on the road.

    And he has managed to turn every performance to a debauchery show, grinding and dry humping willing fans, dressed in his iconic singlet, belt and ripped jeans. Just two days after his U.S tour, he announced his debut album, titled RU THE WORLD, drops on September 1st. 

    Ruger shared that his most stressful session on the album was with Legendury Beatz, as he was under pressure to deliver a great record like the other heavy hittas — Wizkid, Wale, Bad Bunny and Seyi Shay — who have worked with the production team. 

    We’ll also get some relationship confessions, like Dear Ex, an unreleased song he described as an apology to three babes he’d led on. In the announcement video he posted on his socials on August 28, he shared a preview of a drill jam we first heard on his Boston show.

    We believe Ru To World will be multi-genre as he continues his penmanship flex as a wild, sweet-tongued singer exploring his youth. While he builds a solid CV as a stage performer, Ruger would finally have a full-length project to present on tour. The 23-year-old looks to be slowly bringing dancehall music back to the mainstream, following in the footsteps of Yung L, Patoranking, Timaya and General Pype.

    [ad][/ad]

  • After dropping Hello Lady and My Ability earlier in the year, Abuja-born singer-songwriter, Lady Donli, has taken to her socials to announce a studio album release date. As always, we’ve broken down the gist of it.

    Her first album in four years

    Lady Donli made the very first announcement on June 14, 2023, after a four-year break since releasing her debut album, Enjoy Your Life (2019).

    Pan-African Rockstar

    The album title, Pan-African Rockstar, seems worlds apart from Enjoy Your Life, but they’re actually quite similar. She’s been pushing the narrative since 2019 when she dropped EYL.

    [ad][/ad]

    It’s her seventh project

    In 2014, she debuted with a 12-track EP Love or War on SoundCloud. We witnessed her bedroom pop, neo-soul and R&B era as she strummed her guitar with a mixture of singing, rap and spoken word. She continued with What Is Perfect? EP (2015) and Wallflower EP (2016). 

    Letters to Her EP (2018) was her departure from the sound, and in 2019, Enjoy Your Life ushered us into an experimental and African side of Donli. EYL was such an era, from the retro aesthetics to her outfits to the album marketing. And two years after the iconic EYL, she put out a six-track response to those asking Where Is Lady Donli? (WILD), on which she took us back to her smooth vulnerable music days mixed with more afropop and dancehall than before.

    She’s back now with her Pan-African Rockstar and we look forward to what the era will bring.

    September release date 

    Just like her first album came out in the second-half of 2019, Pan-African Rockstar will be out on September 22, 2023.

    A new fan club 

    Donli put out a link for those willing to become members of her Pan-African Rockstar club. Reminds us of the Enjoy Your Life era when we all became ministers of enjoyment.

    The rollout is rolling

    She started with short teasers before putting out a video with her Pan-African Rockstar album release date announcement. Using comments about her fall-off since her debut work, the promo has been gripping enough to guilt-trip even an uninterested listener to look out for her new project.

    Merch!

    You’ll have to join the fanclub for access to tote bags, cassettes, CDs and one of 100 limited vinyls with special edition tracks.

  • Burna Boy’s seventh album, I Told Them, is the shiny new object everyone is all over since its release on August 25, 2023. We sat down, pressed play, and this is what we thought on first listen.

    I Told Them starts with its titular track. After 24 seconds of instrumental and chants that give Caribbean bonfire vibes, Burna Boy, in his natural cocky state, begins to reiterate that he announced his own greatness even when people didn’t believe in him.

    Towards the end of the 3:09 track, a kung-fu movie skit comes in, to indicate GZA’s presence on the song — his group, the Wu-Tang, is heavily associated with Chinese martial art culture. In a deep 16-bar delivery, GZA spits  “I’m in a place where perception is developed / If you can’t walk in these shoes, then your feet would swell up / A medium by which thoughts are made clear / Beneath the surface, but only hurting the inner ear” to summarise why Odogwu grunts at the “little thanks” he gets from his fans.

    Normal opens with a hyped Burna tearing through the beat, talking about counting money, being rich even before he signed to music labels, keeping few friends and how the perks of being a star are now normal to him. On Form plays next, and it’s groovy AF. Odogwu is obviously having fun, but his lyrics aren’t lighthearted; his current phase is just a start and anyone who dares to fuck with him should expect a dangerous reaction.

    On track four, Burna hangs with 21 Savage who opens his verse with “I can help you shit on anyone you ever hated.” Who asked him? I guess it’s easy to do when you’re Sittin’ On Top Of The World.

    Tested, Approved & Trusted is Burna giving a review of his game to a babe in three words. On the Dave-assisted Cheat On Me, Burna realises how he’s been cheating himself out of opportunities by putting others before himself. The seventh track is an interlude called Virgil — in honour of the late Virgil Abloh who Burna name-dropped on his 2021 single, Want It All. The song features a voice note from the iconic designer, analysing the art of traditional album promotion.

    Big 7 comes after, banging with heavy hip-hop influence in sound and delivery. Burna Boy is intoxicated, living every day like a holiday and celebrating himself. Dey Play is a sarcastic statement to whoever isn’t on the same wavelength as him and his wealthy guys. Next is City Boys, an anthem he previewed on August 19, 2023, for young, rich boys living wildly in the city. 

    If this Burna album gets a Grammy nod, Seyi Vibez will join the list of new cats Odogwu has taken to the prestigious global awards, after Zlatan (African Giant) and Victony (Love, Damini). On Giza, he and the self-acclaimed Vibe Boy sing about smoking sativa and other hedonist pursuits. 

    Next, RZA, another founding member of the Wu-tang Clan, gives Burna the 12 Jewels — a list of important acquisitions every man should strive for — knowledge, wisdom, understanding, freedom, justice, equality, shelter, food, clothing, love, peace and happiness.

    The album gets closer to its end on If I’m Lying, which goes acoustic as Burna Boy gives gratitude to his creator. He offers his shoulders to those crying and begs birds to stop flying, seas to stop flowing and trees to start dying if he’s not sincere about the things he says. Well… these things are scientifically impossible. 

    On the 14th track, Thanks featuring J. Cole, Burna Boy brings up his club incident of 2022 and the never-ending rumour about his mum dancing for Fela Kuti. He’s allowed to address these issues, but he insults us when he goes on reduce the huge love and pride the motherland shows him to rumours about him. We first heard Taliban II in July when Jamaican artist, Bryon Messia, brought Burna on it. Now, it’s the bonus and final track on I Told Them, as the well-rounded album completes its spin.

    Burna Boy’s early hip-hop, reggae and dancehall influences are present in the sound and vocal delivery on this latest body of work. However, it becomes clearer that the afro-fusion narrative is more a means of standing out under the saturated umbrella of “afrobeats”, as Burna expands and penetrates different cultures. His “afro-fusion” comes from smoothly fusing elements of foreign genres with African classics, the same components that make up afrobeats. 
    But, I Told Them is still a tale of fun, celebration, brilliance and I-told-you-I’m-the-fucking-best-ism at its best.

  • Since the current government came into power on May 29, 2023, it’s been from one shege to another for Nigerians. If it’s not skyrocketing fuel prices, it’s skyrocketing exchange rates, electricity tariff, food, rent and everything else. 

    An era as notorious as this deserves its own theme songs, so we did the honours with the Nigerian drops of 2023 that best fit the vibe.

    Yakubu

    If you’re still angry your candidate didn’t win the elections, find comfort in yabbing Mr. Yakubu. Maybe if the man did the right thing, we wouldn’t be in these agbado times at all.

    Ask About Me

    Foreign currencies are currently telling naira to “Ask about me. Won tin le mi, but won mumi,” which means “They’re chasing me, but they can’t catch up.”

    Ogaranya

    While some people are suffering, others are making easy money. Like Adekunle Gold and that politician’s daughter on Naira Life.

    Sitting on Top of the World

    In this era especially, receiving credit alerts does something to your spirit. Anytime it happens, the world becomes your big stool — for the five minutes before it disappears once you step outside your house.

    Who Is Your Guy (Remix)

    If you have one or two friends who are always there for you, this is the time to hold them close without making their lives difficult. I can’t remember who, but a wise man once said, “A friend with too many needs can kill.”

    NDI IKE

    Only strong people can survive such hardship. “Ndi Ike” means “The strong.” Now, you know why Falz made this song during this period.

    Sability

    Only sabi girls can effectively dodge billings and remain “unbelievably liquid” in this economy.

    Unavailable

    Unnecessary outings or billings? You’re not at home. People who ask, “Have you eaten?” instead of just sending money, nko? Dem no dey see you. Davido knows ball.

    Stamina

    This is ginger for when you’re about to give up. If you sing this song three times early in the morning, you’ll finish your week’s KPI in a day.

    No Worries

    For the broke days of empty wallets. Just like Olamide sang, you know it’s only God that gives wealth, so you can count on Him as your CBN.

  • Olamide just released his 10th studio album, “Unruly”. While we admit the album lives up to its name, this isn’t the first time Olamide’s made us feel unruly with his songs, and we have proof.

    Poverty Die

    The entire song was Olamide binding and casting poverty. Is it really a shock that it had the entire country binding and casting with him?

    Jinja

    Something about the beat and Olamide’s extra smooth vocals gingers everyone to get up and break their waist to this song.

    First of All

    This song had every Nigerian wrapped around its finger in 2012 and beyond. At some point, all you had to do was shout “First of all” in public, and everyone would belt out the rest of the song. 

    Wo!!

    From the beat to Olamide’s “Oya, wo” at the beginning of the song to “aunty shakira dance shakiti”, Olamide had us all willing and ready to lose what little home training we had the moment this song played.

    Kpe Paso 

    Every song Olamide so much as breathes on reminds us that he wants us to just have the best time. But this one? Olamide strutted all over the song, threw up gang signs and left us wondering WTF just happened.

    Science Student

    A song that had the streets in a chokehold and the government pressed? Olamide dropped Science Student and had everyone’s parents dropping think pieces about everything from the lyrics to the video.

    Who You Epp?

    It was compulsory to catch an attitude while singing this song. Who You Epp? dropped and became the unofficial response to anyone trying to do more than they should. 

  • After putting out a slew of singles and features, Nigerian reggae-dancehall artist, Patoranking, is set to release a new studio album. On August 15, 2023, he announced the forthcoming album via a video he posted on his IG page. This is everything we know about it.

    The album is titled “World Best”

    Patoranking is coming for global acclaim. With such an album name, it’s safe to assume he’ll use this project to prove he’s a world class act. Balloon D’afrobeats >>>

    He hinted it in 2021

    On June 1, 2021, Patoranking first declared himself “EL World Best”. Is this to say he’s been working on the album for over two years?

    Release date

    According to the artist himself, World Best will be released on September 6, 2023. 

    His fourth album

    The last time we got a full-length project from Patoranking was during the pandemic lockdown in 2020. Fast-forward to 2023, Pato is ready for his world domination.

    The Higher single

    The same day he announced the new album, Patoranking put out Higher, his third 2023 single, on which he gives gratitude to God. This  gospel-esque record could be a taste of what to expect on World Best.

    No Dancehall?

    From Abobi to Tonight (featuring Popcaan) to his latest single, Higher, we’re yet to get the signature reggae-dancehall Patoranking. This could mean that World Best will be his first afrobeats body of work. 

    It’s about to be a movie

    We can expect cinematic visuals after seeing the Nollywood-esque announcement video, in which Osas Ighodaro updates her driver about Pato’s new album. Not every time big bumbum and bottles; give us Nollywood music videos too.

  • Olamide announced on Threads that his latest album Unruly is only for baddies and men who love baddies, not for those looking for moral lessons. It’s out now, so we decided to rank all his albums according to their attention to baddies.

    Rapsodi

    Wrapped in hustle mode, his debut album had few women-centered tracks. Although Dirty Rock and Omo To Shan used to get the baddies throwing it  down, Rapsodi still gets last position on this particular ranking. It’s not hard to see that Olamide also had long talking stages that make you feel like a journalist doing an interview.

    Baddest Guy Ever Liveth

    Still deeply in love with the streets, Baddo painted tales of hustle and triumph. The popular hit, Durosoke, is the closest to “baddie”s music on the album. He had babes from top Nigerian universities on roll call, further solidifying especially “Babcock girls” (means the hottest babes) in the Nigerian pop culture.

    Eyan Mayweather

    This album is loaded with viral hits like Say Something, Lagos Boys, Melo Melo and Bobo. We broke our backs to Don’t Stop, but it failed to deliver for the bad bitches.

    The album was fully for the streets, and there’s no single woman in the crowd on the album art.

    The Glory

    His sixth album spread a messages of motivation with dashes of braggado, except Pepper Dem, which became the hottest slang for “slaying” at the time .

    Lagos Nawa!

    Also known as “Wobey Sound”, this album attempted to give the girls a dancehall tune with Bend It Over (featuring Timaya and Reminsice), but it just didn’t hit. Fine Fine Girls with Tiwa Savage tried to come for the waist beads too, but it wasn’t giving. The titular track, Lagos Nawa!, was the only track that made the baddies active for a while.

    YBNL (Yahoo Boy No Laptop)

    Baddo was still neck deep in the hustle, fully representing the streets on this album. But he still managed to deliver solid jams like Ewo Idi, Stupid Love and grabbed Dammy Krane for the fuji and EDM-infused Fuji House that made the girlies take off their heels.

    Street OT

    Olamide’s fourth studio album announced its business early. While it’s not his most enjoyable body of work, the highlight is his rawness on tracks like Up in the Club, Skelemba, Falila Ketan and Story for the Gods. “Monkey Tail” was in full effect that year.

    Carpe Diem

    Even on the album art, Baddo is pictured amongst four beautiful women all glammed up. The tracks covered themes of triumph, good life and spending money, but Green Light, Eru and Shilalo are about the fine women in his life. 

    UY Scuti

    UY Scuti came out in 2021 and followed the direction of Carpe Diem, leaning heavily towards sensual lyricism. From start to finish, UY Scuti gave sugar daddy vibes, telling babes to run away from broke niggas on Rock. On Pon Pon, he went rogue and said he wants to do his babe like Big Sean does Jhené Aiko.

    UNRULY

    He opened his latest album with Celebrate, reminiscing on his journey from Shaku Shaku to the top as a successful music executive and label owner. UNRULY is a fusion of afrobeats and log drums backing up his playful, raunchy lyrics and street yarns. With guest features from the new ladies’ men of afrobeats: CKay, Rema, Asake, Fireboy DML, etc., UNRULY makes Olamide’s most playable album in the strip club. The music is mature, lush, flirty and easy on the ears — all the elements that get the baddies’ attention.

  • Burna Boy, a.k.a Odogwu, concluded the final lap of his year-long Love Damini tour at the GelreDome Arnhem stadium in Netherlands on July 23, 2023.

    After breaking and setting records as the first African artist to sell out four stadia shows in less than a year, he took to social media to announce the end of the tour and a brand new single in the same tweet.

    But the biggest excitement was the news of his forthcoming album.

    According to Chuka Obi, who worked as a creative director on Burna Boy’s Twice As Tall album, all ‘Outsiders’ should get their plates, Damini is coming again with a fantastic feast. Here’s what we know about the coming album.

    It’s out in August

    Burna Boy’s new album arrives in August, although the exact date hasn’t been revealed yet. Would it be odd to note that Burna has put out his last three albums (African Giant, Twice As Tall and Love, Damini) between July and August of 2019, 2022 and 2022?

    He’s not resting after tour

    I’m beginning to think that Burna Boy doesn’t need rest, it’s rest that needs him. He just finished his tour a few days ago, and he’s already gearing to drop a new music project. You know what that means? Another international tour is just around the corner.

    His 7th album

    When this album joins his discography in August, it’ll become his seventh studio album. His eleventh music project if we include mixtapes like the 2011 Burn Notice (2011), the 2012 Burn Identity (and 2016’s Redemption and Steel And Copper with DJDS in 2019. Workrate >>>>

    There is no title or tracklist yet

    Trying to predict what the album title could be futile because Burna is unconventional. Burna Boy’s albums usually have between fifteen to twenty tracks. If he can’t perform it for almost an hour at his show, it’s not Burna album material.

    Exciting features

    There’s news of heavy international features from J. Cole and legendary Wu-tang members GZA and RZA. With these names on deck, Burna Boy might be rapping this time. You can hear J. Cole’s voice rapping on what seems to be their collabo in the background.

    American producer Swizz Beat also previewed a song with Burna; it sounds like a summer bop. Time is going, they should drop the new album quickly, we can’t wait to hear it.

    https://twitter.com/afrobeatsnerd/status/1682755276795944961?t=mmJS4YLp-nmQCRULpSC2bw&s=19

    Only one Naija feature

    Since 2019, Burna Boy has featured only one Nigerian artist per album — Zlatan Ibile (African Giant) and Victony (Love, Damini). It’s been pointed out that he’s doing the same thing this time, too. We just have to wait and find out which Nigerian act it is.

    The singles

    Before Sittin’ On Top Of The World was released on June 1st, 2023, he played the song for RZA in a video he posted on social media (the linkup makes sense now after hearing the Wu-tang member is on the album). On June 22, Sittin’ On Top Of The World was re-released with a guest feature from American rapper, 21 Savage; we hope it makes the album. If not, maybe the Big 7 single coming out Friday, 28th of July, will.

    Looks more like Hip-Hop than Afrobeats

    We might be getting a Hip-Hop album from Burna Boy. All the signs are there; from the sounds of his latest single to the features from American rap titans. Also, he’s one of the few Nigerian artists that can’t be boxed in. Give Burna any style or genre of music; murder is the case. It’s not hard to tell African Giant is about to feed us ferocious rhymes and bars.

  • Afrobeats isn’t just on Obama’s annual playlists or making the British break dance to it, it’s also given birth to sub genres that are easily recognisable by their lyrics and delivery and vibes.

    Many listeners relate to artists by their songs and what they talk about the most. These sounds are labelled by the audience based on the stories they hear in the songs.

    Afroadura

    This style is a combination of touching and relatable stories, motivational one-liners and prayer points. Afroadura boys are always relatable. Best listened to in the morning, preferably Barry Jhay’s music.

    Afroyahoo

    Afroyahoo a.k.a yahoopiano is a genre of music that glorifies cybercrime and gets inspiration from it. Shallipopi is currently the face of this movement, but Naira Marley deserves some accolades for popularising a message Olu Maintain first spread some sixteen years ago, with his smash hit Yahooze.

    Afrocultism

    Being a real-life cultist is not a requirement to make afrocultism. Just talk about beating your enemies and pushing them to the curb. Also, have a dictionary of strong slang people won’t easily understand. You may jam real cultists though. Better run to live to fight another day if this happens.

    Afrodepression

    If you’re seeing ‘shege’, and you say afrodepression thrice, Omah Lay will appear to hold your hands and cry with you. This music style is best described as crying on the dance floor, with a half-filled cup of Gordon’s in one hand.

    Afrotrenches

    Do you remember those times you had one red shoe and couldn’t afford one Red Bull? Or whenever sapa won’t let you see front, afrotrenches music is what’s best to hold your body. T.I Blaze for the morning, Seyi Vibez in the afternoon and Balloranking at night. 

    “Mama tell me say” boys >>>>>

    Afrorave

    Popularised by Rema, Afrorave is high-energy, fast-tempo music. Moshpits are never not found at rave parties. Rema is who Playboi Carti thinks he is.

    Afrowahala

    You’ll find the one and only Portable Baby at the core of this sound. If you don’t have the penchant for chaos, leave it for this man.