In the past couple of months, Naira Marley has managed to inexplicably garner a cult following.  Following his 2017 breakout single, “Issa Goal”, an EFCC arrest and a slew of divisive hit songs (“Soapy”, “Pxta”), the rapper has been on a mission to become the new king of the streets, and he may very well be on his way to achieving that.

While he currently commands the fastest-growing followership the Nigerian music industry has seen in recent years, it wasn’t exactly clear how well a body of work would have been received. Naira Marley probably realised that and decided to test the waters first, which resulted in the release of his new EP, Lord of Lamba.

The 6-track project doesn’t even attempt to tackle any weighty themes, but that hardly comes as a surprise. In fact, most of the lyrics lean into the misogyny of his biggest hits — specifically his penchant for slut-shaming. In his defence, however, his problematic nature has always been part of his shtick.

As for the quality of the songs on the EP, they all have the same party-starting energy of the singles that came before them. Sonically, Naira Marley shows no interest in messing with a good thing, as he sticks to his tried-and-tested formula — from his signature delivery to the infectious beats.

Granted, the EP begins to feel a little repetitive at some point — considering the fact that Naira Marley doesn’t show much of his range — but the songs are all interesting enough to hold your attention. “Yanyanyan” is the one song that really manages to stand out, and that’s thanks to Mayorkun’s solid guest work.

While this EP probably won’t break records, win any awards or stand the test of time, it’s enough to confirm that Naira Marley is a hit-maker of epic proportions. So, if you thought he was just a fad destined to be overshadowed by the next shiny new star, we hate to break it to you: Naira Marley is here to stay,

Listen to Lord of Lamba below:

Show Dem Camp’s duality has always been the group’s strongest asset. They can go from light and breezy (Palm Wine Music 2) to pointed and impactful (These Buhari Times) without sacrificing quality or entertainment value, and their latest release, The Palmwine Express, is no exception.

On the 12-track project, the third entry into their Palmwine Music series, Ghost and Tec surround themselves with a jaw-dropping selection of featured acts — from big-name players like Burna Boy to fast-rising phenoms like Buju — but they are very much the stars of the show.

Throughout the album, the duo mostly rap about love and sex — tackling topics like fleeting romances (“Different Case”) and undeniable chemistry (“Vibrations”). In between that, they still find time to brag about their skill (“Alariwo”) and call out liars (“Tales By Moonlight”).

Most of the project’s guest acts already appeared on at least one of the last two Palmwine Music releases, so it comes as no surprise that the chemistry is still pretty palpable. BOJ and Tomi Thomas, especially, deliver standout hooks on “Different Case” and “Vibrations” respectively.

The Palmwine Express is another outstanding project from Show Dem Camp — one that, like its predecessors, soars thanks to fantastic production work (entirely handled by Spax), strong features and the undeniable chemistry between Ghost (the project’s MVP) and Tec.

Listen to The Palmwine Express below:

After collaborating with Beyoncé on “Brown Skin Girl”, the biggest hit off her Grammy-nominated soundtrack album, The Lion King: The Gift, it seems Wizkid picked up the singer’s affinity for surprise releases: He just unexpectedly dropped a new EP, SoundMan Vol.1.

While this isn’t the project fans were expecting from him — he’s been teasing the release of his Made In Lagos album for a while now — it’s hard to complain about getting new Wizkid music, even when it, like this EP, doesn’t quite rise to the heights of his previous work.

Over 7 tracks, Wizkid tackles themes of love and gratitude. On “Mine”, one of his most romantic efforts to date, he tries to win the heart of a woman he loves; and on “Thankful”, the project’s standout song, he thanks God for how far he has come in his career. 

Even though Wizkid does sound really good on the EP, the real stars are the producers, who steal every song. From Kel P on the jazzy “Ease Your Mind” to London on the sultry “Electric”, it’s clear why they are all credited as featured acts on their respective tracks.

SoundMan Vol. 1 is clearly meant to serve as an appetiser before the main course that is his album, and it safe to say that it succeeds on that front. Will it move the needle in any major way? Probably not. But it should satisfy fans in the meantime.

Listen to SoundMan Vol.1 below:

Sarz and WurlD first teased their immense chemistry on 2018 highlight, “TROBUL”. They then quickly reaffirmed it with another seemingly effortless collab, “EGO”. Now, they’ve utilised it to full effect on their joint EP, I LOVE GIRLS WITH TROBUL.

Sarz has always been widely regarded as Nigeria’s greatest producer, and if we are judging by how the Headies dole out trophies, WurlD is 2019’s ‘Best Male Vocalist’. On the EP, both stars justify all that acclaim, delivering a project that works on pretty much every level.

Like the title suggests, the EP is all about intense feelings between complicated people. On the divine opener, “PRISONA”, WurlD sings about feeling trapped by an all-consuming love, while the closing track, “SADE” is about him selfishly wishing an ex would never move on.

While WurlD’s vocals lead the charge — with his performance on the sultry “SWEAT” being an undeniable highlight— Sarz’s contribution cannot be praised enough. His production work is unreal throughout, showcasing his enviable range and great ear.

Thanks to how in sync both stars clearly are, I LOVE GIRLS WITH TROBUL emerges as an unmitigated triumph. It will surely go down as one of the best Nigerian releases of the year, as well as one of the most accomplished joint projects we’ve ever had.

Listen to I LOVE GIRLS WITH TROBUL below:

For the past year, Zlatan has been one of Nigeria’s most essential stars, collaborating with a lot of the biggest names in afropop — from Burna Boy to Davido — and helping them elevate their respective tracks. Now, he’s finally dropped his debut LP, Zanku, which alternates between expected and pleasantly surprising.

Although Zanku’s lead singles, “Shotan”, ‘Gbeku” and “Yeye Boyfriend” all hinted at a project at risk of succumbing to monotony, the album’s heartwarming opener, “Wake Up”, immediately puts that worry to rest: The track finds Zlatan switching up both his flow and message, as he raps about his humble beginnings.

Granted, there are a few too many songs on the 15-track album that rely on Zlatan’s tried and trusted hit-making formula — zanku-ready bops that are typically devoid of depth — but the rapper manages to inject the project with flashes of brilliance, particularly when he raps about his rise (“Love & Gain”, “If You No Know”). 

As for the featured acts on the album, Zlatan gathers together a healthy mix of big-name stars and gifted newbies, and every single one of them soars. The most impressive guest, however, is ‘Rookie of the Year’ winner, Barry Jhay, who delivers a stunning chorus on one of the album’s most memorable tracks, “Adura Agba”.

So, although the album has its many flaws — the biggest being how frequently Zlatan finds a way to slut-shame women — it’s still a serviceable debut. For one, it proves he has a lot more range than he’d originally led us to believe; and it also serves as a reminder that he doesn’t need an assist to shine on a song.

Listen to Zanku below:

Last year, Blaqbonez made a grand statement with his debut album, Bad Boy Blaq — an accomplished body of work that announced him as one to watch. Since then, his star has risen considerably, and on his latest project, Mr. Boombastic, he proves that so has his resolve.

Like on the EP’s lone single, “Shut Up”, haters get called out a lot. Sometimes Blaqbonez is intent on ignoring them and focusing on his growth (“Run My Race”); other times, he’s issuing out warnings, basically daring them to try him (“Come For You”).

Thankfully, the project isn’t all about his enemies: We also get a few love songs that feel true to his established persona. On “God When”, he’s proud of how his relationship tensions others; and on “Magic”, he compares his feelings for his woman with his feelings for money.

As for featured acts, he enlists Falz and Blackmagic for “Boombastic” and “Magic” respectively. On the former, a radio-friendly banger, Blaqbonez and Falz call for ladies to whine their waist; while the latter, a catchy love song, finds the elusive Blackmagic in superb form.

Speaking about the EP, Blaqbonez said:

“For those who’ve followed me over the years, they’ve been witness to a constant evolution of my sound, and I just shed my skin yet again.”

Every track on the project is expertly executed, showcasing Blaqbonez’s skills as a writer and a performer. Will this convince people that he deserves the self-appointed title of ‘Best Rapper in Africa’? Probably not. But he’s certainly earned himself a place in the conversation.

Listen to Mr Boombastic:

Teni was undoubtedly 2018’s biggest breakout star. With the success of “Askamaya”, “Case” and “Uyo Meyo”, she confidently announced herself as afropop’s newest hitmaker, and on her debut body of work, Billionaire, she reiterates that fact.

The six-track EP, which surprisingly only contains one previously released single (the solid title track), is a collection of radio-friendly songs that smartly lean into Teni’s core gift as an artist — the ability to create music that’s both fun and relatable.

Like with most EPs, which allow artists to release a body of work without dealing with the pressure of a full album, Billionaire isn’t thematically cohesive: Teni goes from singing about securing the bag (“Complain”), to pledging to be the perfect partner (“Super Woman”).

Luckily, the freewheeling nature of the project doesn’t take away from the main point: Teni is basically a bottomless well of potential bangers, and if we allow her to keep doing her thing, she will continue to unleash them until she’s old and grey. 

That being said, Billionaire does soar the highest when Teni completely deviates from her tried and trusted hitmaking formula. The brash and confident “Complain”, which sounds the least like a Teni song, ends up being the EP’s standout track.

Listen to Billionaire below:

“Happily ever after” is a concept that’s reserved for fairytales, generic romantic comedies and frustratingly optimistic love songs. In the real world, relationships are messy, and they almost always end in heartbreak. It’s this painful reality that Lucid, Asa’s triumphant fourth studio album, captures brilliantly.

The first two singles, “The Beginning” and “Good Thing” were perfect indicators of the themes Asa would go on to explore throughout the album. On the former, Asa, in a last-ditch effort to fix a dying relationship, begs for a reset; and in the latter, she accepts that the relationship is broken beyond repair.

The rest of the 14-track project tackles other shades of heartbreak and healing: Asa sings about everything from resenting her ex for wasting her time and her love (“Torn”), to accepting that she needs to get the hell out of a toxic relationship (“Make No Sense”).

However, Lucid isn’t all about the downsides of relationships; a few songs show that Asa is still optimistic about love. In “Stay Tonight”, she puts herself back out there in search of the one; “You and Me” finds her wooing the man of her dreams; and “Until We Try (This Lo’)” is her attempt at rekindling an old flame.

With captivating production work, impeccable songwriting and her raw, honest voice, Lucid ranks as Asa’s most personal and cohesive record to date. While fans had to wait half a decade to get it — Asa’s longest break between projects — the brilliant final product was certainly worth the silence.

Listen to Lucid below:

Like most young people, Mavin Records’ fast-rising wunderkind, Rema is a big fan of superheroes. The 19-year-old’s first two projects have songs named after Marvel favourites, Iron Man and Spider-Man. He even has a giant teddy bear he recently dubbed his sidekick.

With his latest release, Bad Commando – his third body of work this year – Rema all but confirms what we’ve suspected for a while now: the pint-sized singer with an affinity for masks is also a superhero in his own right, and his primary power is an innate ability to bend any genre to his will.

As for his secondary power, Rema seems to be clairvoyant, able to tell when he has a huge hit on his hands. Like with the career-defining “Dumebi”, which he prophetically opened with “another banger”, he kicks off the mixtape’s standout track, “Lady” with the same bold and undeniable declaration.

That’s not to say the other three songs on the project couldn’t all be easy hits. The title track has the youthful energy of his Obama-approved single, “Iron Man”; “Rewind” is the whine-ready track 2019 has been sorely lacking; and “Spaceship Jocelyn” will certainly please fans of his trap-influenced sound.

Speaking with OkayAfrica about his penchant for genre-hopping, Rema said:

“There’s no actual box I belong to, I create different types of sounds. I’m led by my spirit to create.”

All in all, Bad Commando, like both projects that came before it, is an inventively produced and solidly performed effort that proves Rema is the most exciting newcomer in Nigerian music today, and his seemingly superhuman grasp of afropop makes him the hero the far-reaching genre needs right now.

Listen to Bad Commando here.