Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe, popularly known as Kizz Daniel, is one Nigerian musician we can bank on to produce hit songs with every release. When Kizz Daniel titled his second album “No Bad Songz”, he was correct and confident. Here are ten songs that prove Kizz Daniel has no bad music.
Mama
Mama was released in 2016 and still slaps today. It’s a beautiful romantic song with an unmistakable message. This song is a party rocker, a proposal jam, and a wedding banger. We stan a versatile bop.
Madu
Before we get into Madu, can we talk about how hot the video is? Madu itself is a hot song and should be on your sex playlist. It’s a song about the countless things a man wants to do to your body (with your consent, of course)
One Ticket
Two of my faves on one song? Yasss gurl. Let’s be very honest, the babes hurt Kizz and Davido in One Ticket, but we support women’s wrongs as much as we support women’s rights. Geddit girl.
Ello Baby
Kizz Daniel’s ability to make a love song into a party song is one of our favourite things about him. He’s toasting you with the music while making you dance and smile from ear to ear. Shakespeare is shaking.
Eh God (Barnabas)
LOL. Eh God is the song you listen to every morning before starting your day. It’s like a prayer, but not really.
Men LIE! Don’t believe any man who says he’s not lying to you. Lie is the song you hear blasting through your man’s speakers right after he lies to you.
Poko
Ok, at this point, we should give Kizz an award for singing the songs women want to hear. Whew, he makes music for baddies and probably doesn’t realise it.
Sofa
Kizz was giving us some rasta influence in Sofa. I want to chill on the sofa, doing cute stuff with someone.
Currently
Currently could have been titled “Currency” to avoid confusion, but that’s not the point. Kizz Daniel nailed the features on Currently.
Buga
Buga is a jam that can also serve as alarm clock music. I mean, “Gbe’ra, gbe’ra
gbe’ra, go get that mullah (wake up). Mo ni ko kala. Kala gb’owo yẹn o” sounds like something you should hear first thing in the morning.
Grammy award winner, Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, is one of Nigeria’s biggest performing artists. He’s sold out numerous concert venues like the O2 in the UK, and most recently, The Madison Square Garden in the US. In Burna Boy’s 11 years in the music industry, he’s put out seven albums, and he recently announced the coming of his eighth studio album titled Love, Damini. We’ve ranked Burna Boy’s top fifteen songs of all time.
*Songs are ranked per album, from the oldest to the most recent.
15 — Run My Race
Right off Burna’s Leaving an Impact For Eternity (L.I.F.E) album, OluwaBurna already knew he was clear. He’d been in the industry for two years when he told everyone to run their own race and not compete with him. It’s been nine years since Run My Race and the message is still valid.
14 — Like To Party
Burna and LeriQ were deep in their element every time they made songs together. You can’t speak about Burna Boy and leave out Like To Party. Like To Party was released in 2012 and it’s still a party starter now.
13 — Soke
By the time Soke was released, Burna’s impact on Nigerian music was already stamped. Soke was fresh and way ahead of its time.
In Pree me, we were introduced to a vulnerable Burna Boy. He admitted to his “wrongdoings” but resolved not to change much about what brought him so far. A personal fave.
11 — Boshe Nlo
If you have a playlist of your favourite songs by Burna Boy and you don’t have Boshe Nlo on that playlist, you need to update it. Listen below.
Burna Boy’s Outside was an album filled with top tier songs, so it was always going to be difficult to pick a fave But Devil in California is one of the more outstanding songs on the album. Devil in Calfornia, like the other songs on Outside was an introduction to a different type of sound from Burna and proof of how multifaceted an artist he is.
9 — Calm Down
On Calm Down we got more of vulnerable Burna Boy. Calm down is a song you listen to when you really need to calm down and reflect on all the stuff going on around you. Yeah, some of the calmness in the song may have been drug-induced, but that’s not the point.
8 — Heaven’s Gate
The first time I heard Heaven’s Gate, my first thought was, “Why is Burna Boy making Bollywood music and nailing it?” Heaven’s Gate sure has some Bollywood infused in the reggae and hip hop bop, but the fusion of multiple genres is a world-beater any day.
7 — Dangote
If Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, still wants more money, then who am I not to want money too? Dangote is the song you listen to when you know you need to get your ass up and get to work.
6 — Killin Dem
Killin Dem is workout music and that’s why it’s on this list. It’s appropriate when you need to get to work at the gym or pick up those dumbbells in your house and work on your muscle. Something about hearing “gbese!” makes you want to get your heart rate up.
5 — Gumbody
We’ve been talking about the different faces of Burna and we can’t leave out romantic Burna. Gumbody is a peculiar kind of love song about uncertain love.
4 — Destiny
Our favourite Burna is the Burna who’s aware of the G.O.A.T that he is. Self-aware Burna Boy who knows he’s untouchable. Destiny is the song you listen to when you want to remind yourself of your potential.
3 — 23
When Twice as Tall first came out, one of my mutuals described 23 as a song you listen to when you go on a long drive in the night with your friends. To this day, I haven’t heard a better description of the song. It’s such an earworm
2 — Bank on It
It’s not a worship song, but it might as well be. Easily one of the most remarkable outros to any album ever, you can bank on Bank on It
1 — Time Flies
Burna Boy and Sauti Sol made a modern classic when they recorded Time Flies. Time Flies is as a song is going to transcend multiple eras. Best in collab.
What if all your faves were in one musical group like Styl Plus or Plantashun Boiz? Wouldn’t that be lit AF? Well, we recently sat down, looked at some of the coolest Nigerian musicians popping right now and decided to arrange them into groups, inter-house sports-style.
1. Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy
They’d fight every day, but from that violence, they’d make music that slaps. Think about it: we’ve gotten four Wizkid and Burna collaborations so far, and they were all bangers. Now, imagine if Davido popped in to drop one or two philosophical lines? Their album would be a certified worldwide hit. But we wouldn’t see them perform because Burna Boy might attack Wizkid for not dancing during the show.
2. Obongjayar, Lojay and Wurld
Since Sarz decided to make EPs with each of Wurld, Lojay and Obongjayar, our minds have been circling the possibility of what a song — or songs — with all three of them would sound like. Imagine EGO, Monalisa and Gone Girl as one song. Omo, our heads are on fire and our waists are ready for maximum gbedu.
3. Tay Iwar, Ladipoe and Seyi Shay
This is the group that will increase Nigeria’s population. Just imagine the pure R&B baby-making-music these three would put out. Tay Iwar has proven himself as the king of seductive vocals on songs like Peaking and True Love. Ladipoe’s rhymes have internet babes looking for his wife to talk, woman to woman, while songs like Right Now and Gimme Love show that Seyi Shay truly shines when excess beats are stripped away. If these three came together, the fornication rate in Nigeria might reach an all-time high.
4. Blaqbonez, Ayra Starr and Rema
While there’s a certain level of confidence that comes with years spent in the music industry, Blaqbonez, Ayra Starr and Rema are three artists that came with this level of confidence right out of the gate. From the very beginning, these three knew they were the shit; they just needed the rest of us to catch up and we eventually did. Something about three of them making music and doing TikTok videos together just makes us happy. Don Jazzy and Audu Makori, how far?
5. Zinolesky, Lady Donli and Bad Boy Timz
We know what you’re thinking: “What is Lady Donli doing there?” On paper, Bad Boy Timz and Zinolesky work, as they’re two artists who currently have the streets in a major chokehold. But let’s not forget that Lady Donli is Nigeria’s first unofficial female president with her personal currency, Donlars. Who better to add some cash madam flavor and nostalgia to Zino and Timz’ sounds? Fink about it.
6. Dwin The Stoic, Susu and Speed Darlington
You see this one, we just like chaos to be honest. Then again, who knows? It might actually work. Susu and Dwin on vocals, while Speed comes out like Bangdadadang to drop some melodious nuggets of wisdom. Truth is, we never know these things until we try.
7. BNXN, Oxlade and Ckay
This group is on every Gen Z’s wish list. The three most wanted Nigerian musicians of their generation? TikTok and Reels are about to be in shambles based on all the challenges this trio would inspire. Since Buju has changed his name (BNXN), he should also consider joining a group.Do it for awon fans: it’s what we want.
8. Chike, The Cavemen and Phyno
Be prepared to dance to this imaginary album at every Igbo wedding you find yourself. These three have given Yoruba demons a run for their money with their sweet mouths and lyrics that have us confused and ready to abandon our hopes and dreams for man. To be honest, we’re not even sure we’d want this group because it might be too much heat. But do too many good cooks spoil the broth?
9. Tomi Thomas, Asa and Falz
Tomi started in a band (LOS);. Falz showed he was open to joint albums when he made one with Simi and now Asa is also telling us she’s open to more collaborations. If this isn’t a sign that the stars have aligned for this group to happen, we don’t know what is. Tomi and Asa are experts at dissecting love and loss, and Falz’ ability to make anything funny will make for a perfect break-up album. We’d be shedding hot tears and laughing at the same time.
10. Lagbaja, Made Kuti and Niniola
First of all, have any of you finally seen Lagbaja’s face? Maybe if he decides to join our little group, he’d be inspired to take off his mask and take a selfie with us, who knows? But until then, there’s something about these three on a song that just gives us imaginary eargasms. Made killing it on the saxophones, Niniola telling us to shake what our mama gave us and Lagbaja reminding us to have small shame — a perfect trio, if you ask us.
Despite being another variant of 2020, 2021 was still a pretty great year for Nigerian music. With major crossovers between the alternative and mainstream pop music scene, this was a very experimental year musically and we loved every bit. As we round up the year, we decided to look back at some of the alternative songs that popped up on our radar in 2021.
Selense – Cavemen
The Cavemen stole our hearts in 2020 with the release of their debut album ROOTS. Drowning us in nostalgia, palm wine and pure enjoyment, it comes as no surprise that their second album, Love & Highlife follows the same direction. As the loverboys that they are, on Selense we find the brothers professing their undying love yet again. What would normally sound corny, ends up being so cute we can’t stop blushing. God save us from Igbo men.
Angel – Solis
While Angel is a sultry standout from Solis’ seductive new project Stairway to Heaven, SoundCloud babies like us have known this song for a while now. There’s something about Solis’ voice that makes us want to fall in love, cuddle and make babies, but omo, streets are tough right now.
Again – Tomi Thomas
Tomi Thomas’ music makes us want to travel to an island somewhere, relax by the beach and just be taken care of. One of the OGs of the alté movement, his ability to creatively mix Nigerian and Island influences is something that should be studied in schools. No one is doing it like Tomi Thomas and we’re obsessed.
Searching – Lady Donli
One minute she’s asking you to enjoy your life and the next — and without skipping a beat — she’s forcing you to examine all the life decisions you’ve been making as you embark on a journey of self-discovery. This, right here, is the power of Lady Donli and also why Searching was one of the few songs that really moved us this year.
The Tree – Dwin, the Stoic and TiwaDara
“Cos I came too far to let these naysayers get their laughs. They’re fine with the fruits, but I’m taking the tree”. On this song, we are serenaded by Dwin’s vocals as he takes us on a journey of understanding self worth, as we reclaim our time and give our haters the middle finger (but with panaché and class). This was our anthem in 2021 and there’s a strong possibility that we’re carrying it over into the new year.
Deeper – Ogranya and Brum3h
Remember when R&B men used to profess their love while break dancing under the rain? Good ole days. While Ogranya and Brum3h haven’t dropped the visuals for this song, their vocals remind us of those classic baby making music we shouldn’t have been listening to when we were young. These men can sing sha.
Crazy Tings – Tems
It’s Tem’s world and we’re all just living in it. Taking over the charts and scoring a feature on Drake’s album, 2021 was the year of Tems and she honestly didn’t need no other body. The first single from her latest EP, Crazy Tings wasn’t love at first listen for us, but now we can’t stop listening to this earworm. By the way, we are still judging all of you that sing “happening” instead of “appuning”. Tems said what she said.
Peaking – Tay Iwar
If there’s one thing Tay Iwar does well, it’s getting us deep in our feels. He could literally sing the phonebook and we’d lay down, stair into space, thinking about love and life. The Love and Isolation EP is Tay Iwar at his best — subtle, vulnerable and beautifully honest. Closing out the EP, Peaking might have inspired us to call our exes, but then again, YOLO.
Gone Girl – Obongjayar and Sarz
Obongjayar appeared on our radar right before the pandemic thanks to his incredible EP Which Way is Forward? After providing a soulful soundtrack for the lockdown, Obongjayar teamed up with superstar producer Sarz for a record that helped soundtrack our nights back on the streets in 2021. Sweetness, the EP is a fun ride, but Gone Girl is the song that gets us to our destination.
Civil War – Isah the Prince featuring Efe Oraka, Nvthy and Kabasii
2020 was a tough year for young Nigerians. Following the events of the #EndSARS protests and the serious gaslighting that followed, there was an undeniable feeling of hopelessness and confusion in the air. And while it’s still hard to be gingered about Nigeria at the moment, something about this song seems to have activated our last two brain cells to fight not just for our country, but our lives as well. With a diverse group of talents, this is one song that helped us deal with the gbas gbos Nigeria kept throwing our way.
Tycoon – Show Dem Camp
No one is touching Show Dem Camp when it comes to this rap thing. This song is just four minutes of Ghost, Tec and their guest stars flexing on us and to be honest, they’ve earned the rights. While we love their palmwine love music, we all know Show Dem Camp truly shines when they’re being disrespectful AF with hard truths and confidence on their Clone Wars series.
Jaded – Yinka Bernie
In a time where beats seem to be the driving force of most of the songs we consume, Yinka Bernie stands out with a voice that seduces and questions you at the same time. After a long hiatus, he makes a grand return with Jaded and trust us, it was all worth the wait.
Every December, we beat our chests and say we’ve had enough of Nigerian artists taking us as mugs by showing up late to their concerts. We said this in 2018, 2019, skipped 2020 because of Miss Rona and now, we’re saying it again in 2021. Our frustrations forced us to do some digging as to why artists always show up late for shows. These are some of the reasons we found.
They’re fornicating
Ever wondered why artists come on stage with zero energy to perform? Well, it’s probably because they’ve been busy with another performance behind closed doors. While the rest of us were out there squeezed like sardines in a tight space, our faves were getting some tender loving care. After all, body no be firewood.
Smoking igbeaux
This is the best explanation for why most artists jump up and down on stage like a yoyo. Sometimes they even forget their lyrics, forcing us to sing their songs out loud. Please, dear, we paid to watch you perform, not the other way around. Why am I the one singing? Let’s be careful.
Attending prayer meeting
It’s important to commit everything to a higher power, but please why are you going for a prayer meeting while the rest of us are outside waiting to whine our waist to your music? My friend, you better drop that anointing oil and hop on stage. You can go back to praying for your enemies to die by fire tomorrow. For now, we need premium enjoyment.
Boiling beans
The concert is meant to start at 6 p.m and yet you decided to start boiling brown beans by 5:55 p.m? At this point, it’s safe to assume that most of our fave artists are just wicked, because why? It’s almost like they looked at their fans and thought, “fans are important, but hot beans is importanter.”
Fighting imaginary haters online
Before you can shout watimagbo, Nigerian artists will drop five songs about how their haters are waiting for them to fail. The funny thing is, half of the time, these haters are a pure figment of their imagination. To be honest, no one cares. So, instead of spending time cussing out imaginary haters, we could all just have a good time twerking and sweating.
Relaxing their beard
We all love vanity, but this is where we draw the line. Have some shame.
Stealing amapiano beats
Everyone is making amapiano music now. While we can’t say we’re mad at it, we doubt stealing your producer’s hard drive is an activity that should be done while the rest of us are queuing to watch you perform. This is a classic case of doing the right thing at the wrong time.
Sleeping
The heart of man is desperately wicked. This is the only logical explanation as to why an artist would be asleep while their fans are fighting through large crowds to be close to the stage. This happens all the time and one day, they will wake up, come to the venue and perform for ghosts because we would have had enough.
Waiting for the fans to die of frustration because suffering builds character
Dear Nigerian artists, the evil you have done is enough. We have had enough. Thank you.
Being able to sing and act is not easy. While actors trying their hands at music haven’t always worked out well, some musicians have successfully convinced us that they might be a double threat. Here are some musicians whose acting sort of worked out for us.
Toni Tones
If there’s one thing you should know about Ms. Tones, is that this woman has done it all. If this list focused on photographers turned musicians turned actors, she’d also come out tops. While Tones’ acting career might have started out shaky with supporting roles on shows like Rumour Has It and the film, It’s Her Day. Her chilling turn in Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys (KOB) as young Eniola Salami had us shook to the core. Even though most of you aired her recent EP. She has become a fixture on Netflix thanks to other projects like Smart Money Woman and The King of Boys series.
Falz
When Falz asked, “Which musician do you know is having AMVCA?” on his 2016 hit song Bad, Baddo, Baddest, he had just won said award for his role on the wildly popular Jenifa Diaries. Now, five years later, the rapper has become one of the hottest commodities in Nollywood, scoring bags left, right and centre with roles in New Money, Quam’s Money and the overcrowded Chief Daddy. We are still holding out hope that the self-proclaimed leader of the Sweet Boys Association will take on more challenging roles that differ from his alter ego. But for now, we’ll take the laughs.
Banky W
Mr. Capable made a grand entry into Nollywood in one of the highest-grossing Nigerian films of all time, The Wedding Party. Starting out as a leading man is not beans at all, but Banky managed to pull it off. Since his debut, he has played everything from an NYSC student in Tope Oshin’s Up North to a juju-bullet-proof mafia lord in Kayode Kasum’s Sugar Rush. Talk about range! Fun fact: All of Banky’s films have either been directed or produced by women.
Seyi Shay
Almost a decade after breaking into the scene with Loving Your Way, we are all still doing our best to figure out Seyi Shay and her sound. So far, she has lived different sonic lives – some worked out, others, not so much. When the trailer for Biola Alabi’s Lara and the Beat dropped, we weren’t sure what to expect with Seyi Shay leading a cast boasting of talents like Somkele Inyamah and Deyemi Okanlawon, but in the end, we were pleasantly surprised. Maybe playing the role of a singer in a musical made it easier for her to shine, but the truth is, while her acting was a little bit off, we couldn’t take our eyes off the singer each time she came on screen. She held our attention throughout and not many Nollywood actors have this going for them.
Reminisce
We’ve all grown to love Reminisce as one of the hardest rappers in the game. But nothing prepared us for his role as Makanaki in Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys. After dropping mad singles like Ka Ko Bi Chicken for the streets, he wowed us with his performance as the ruthless gang leader and we’ve been hooked since then.
Nollywood is in a constant state of evolution. Over the past few years, the industry has found its way out of the ghetto. We bade adieu to bad wigs with no frontals and ghosts that obey traffic signs, and quickly said hello to that one bridge that never misses a project and an array of actors with accents we just can’t trace. All in all, we’ll take what we can get and call it progress.
Izu Ojukwu’s Amina is currently showing on Netflix. The film is one of the few Nollywood offerings that take us away from the overly milked Lekki-Ikoyi set “Why can’t I find a man” romcoms that come out every Eke market day. Chronicling the life of Northern icon and the original Khalessi, Queen Amina, the film had us thinking about some other badass (some are just downright bad) Nigerian historical figures that deserve biopics of their own.
Welcome to history class.
Fela and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
What better way to kick off our class than with the man Burna Boy so desperately wants to be like. Arguably the most famous Nigerian musician of all time, Fela has been sampled by everyone from Beyonce and Missy Elliot to Skales and Wizkid. While Fela has two plays based on his life with one showing on Broadway, seeing the story of the man who dared military leaders for breakfast on a big screen would slap real hard!
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, a renowned feminist leader, and mother to Fela is another figure who deserves a Nollywood biopic of her own. Before she was thrown out from a second-story window by the military in 1977, the original badass Kuti had her foot on the necks of the British and the Nigerian military. She was known to lead marches, revolting against unfair taxation. She’s also famous for being the first woman to drive, a feat some of us have failed to achieve years later
General Sani Abacha
Uganda has The Last King of Scotland, Britain has all the adaptations of Henry VIII, so it’s only right we get a full feature film about the military dictator who “allegedly” met his death eating a ₦100 green apple. General Sani Abacha who ruled Nigeria like Game of Thrones’ Jeoffery is by far one of the most brutal leaders this country has ever seen. His reign of terror lasted from 1993 – 1998. The man was offing people left, right, and center. However, these days, Abacha randomly gifts Nigerians a couple of millions from all the money he looted during his tenure. Where does this money go? Well, tomorrow is another day.
Samuel Ajayi-Crowther
We all know The Oscars love a good slave story. Well, Samuel Ajayi-Crowther is our shot at the gold naked man. Slave turned linguist, turned the first African Anglican Bishop, Crowther served us some serious range! Our good bishop was praised for his contribution to education and religion in the country. Years later, he was eventually pressured out of his position. Why? well, two European missionaries accused African pastors of fraud, ignorance, and immorality – smells like racism. Imagine a Nollywood biopic about this? The drama! The tea!
Nnamdi Azikiwe
It’s not easy being the face on ₦500. When you’re big, you’re actually big! Popularly known as Zik, Nnamdi Azikwe was famous for forming a temporary government alongside another iconic figure, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. He received the largely honorary posts of President of the Senate, Governor-general, and, finally, first President of Nigeria from 1963 – 1966. A controversial figure during the Biafran War, his biopic will be sure to feature long monologues and enough political backstabbing to have us at the edge of our seats.
Kanu Nwankwo
Kanu Nwankwo, also known as Papilo is one of the most famous Nigerian footballers of all time. Scoring two last-minute goals that saw Nigeria beat Brazil, he led the country to victory at the 1996 Olympics. He is also famous for that one milk ad that we all couldn’t escape growing up. Whether or not we’ve made our parents proud is still up for debate. We are sure that a Nollywood biopic, aptly titled Papilo, will have Nigerian cinemas in a chokehold.
Sure you know Nigerian artistes, but can you tell the artiste from the first and last letter of their name?
Questions
This is a question
Baddo
One of the boys
Igbo rapper
Also a lawyer and an actor
The best
He kept begging us to stream “Haba”
Miss Kedike
Mayor of Lagos
Juju musician
Singer/rapper turned fashion designer
You got #{score}/#{total}
You know nothing.
You got #{score}/#{total}
Nice attempt.
You got #{score}/#{total}
Well done! You know your Nigerian artistes.
Identify the musicians based on the title of their songs to prove you’re gen z.
If you fail a question, the entire quiz ends.
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
Who sang these songs?
You got #{score} of #{total} right
Look at this old person.
You got #{score} of #{total} right
You’re not gen z, but you tried.
You got #{score} of #{total} right
You’re a true gen z baby.
Identify the musicians based on the title of their songs to prove you’re a millennial.
