You have four pictures that’ll give you a clue. If your score is less than 7, you’ll listen to only Afrobeats for the next seven years.
Take the quiz:
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2023 has been a busy year for the Nigerian music industry, particularly Afrobeats. As artists like Burna Boy and Rema aggressively sell out shows and arenas, get nominations and win awards, they’re also in the studio to cook jams and feed their fans new music.
Over the past few years, the new generation artists have held our attention and climbed up to new, noticeable heights. After a series of releases and commercial success, one would expect these artists to present to us their full-length musical projects this year, but we’re still biting nails with no hope they’ll serve us.
These are the new school Nigerian artists we expected to drop an album in 2023.
Tems
In the last two years, Tems has trailblazed her path and registered herself as a global brand. She has worked withartists like Brent Faiyaz (Found), Drake (Fountains), Rihanna (Life Me Up), and Beyoncé (MOVE), showing her musical range. After the releases of two EPs (For the Broken Ears in 2020 and If Orange Was A Place in 2021), we’re due for an album.
Although the release of Me & U may be a step closer to Tems’ debut album, we don’t know how many steps are left to get us there. On November 20, 2023, Tems tweeted on X that she’d leave the internet and lean more into the background after her debut album drops. There’s no pointer it’s coming out in 2023. Temilade, see you in 2024.
Oxlade
We anticipate an Oxlade album, but he’ll also take the time to get back in the right headspace. The falsetto-singer mentioned in an interview this year that he went through a lot mentally and Ku Lo Sa was one of the expressive pieces that came out of this situationl.
Ku Lo Sa is now one of Oxlade’s biggest songs ever. Also, he just released a two-song pack which has a very emotional single, KATIGORI, which addresses backbiters andfolks sabotaging his brand and business. In all that, he still found a pocket to remind his peers and detractors he’s far above them. Honestly, this type of confidence sounds fresh from him and gives the let-me-talk-my-shit vibes. With his current energy, he needs to give us the album ASAP!
Victony
Victony has had an incredible run in 2023, defining the year with hits like Soweto (original and remix), Jolene, My Darling, Angelus, Jaga Jaga, No Joke, and the latest, Ohema, which has over 14 other artists on it. Though it’s an incredible idea and execution, I’m wondering why he can’t just make an album and feature each one of them.
Magixx
We heard the ATOM EP in 2022, and we were sure it was the next direction after Magixx’s self-titled debut EP. Fast forward to 2023, only three songs (Colors, Loyal and Maria) have come out from the artist. Yes, they’re great titles but we exist in a period where almost all his new-cats colleagues likeCrayon, Rema, Ruger, Teni, Blaqbonez etc., have dropped their albums.But we’re patient and looking forward to his 2024 plans. Hopefully there’s an album in it.
Fave
Honestly, we are tired of getting only singles from Fave. It’s like giving a kid a piece of biscuit but never the whole pack. Don’t you want us to get filled? If that’s Fave’s intention, releasing a few songs and doing some features here and there, then she wins. Maybe in 2024, we’ll get a full experience of her talent and artistry in an album.
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To promote music and keep it alive, artists devise the most interesting stunts. While some create campaigns that build a great relationship between them and the audience, others push controversial, offensive and even morbid narratives.
We look at some Afrobeats artists who took their PR Stunts to the extreme.
Skiibii
On August 14, 2015, Skiibii Mayana was pronounced dead in a now-deleted IG post by his former manager, Soso Soberekon. Wizkid, Davido and other celebrities sent their tributes and condolences, but less than 24 hours later, Skiibii’s former record label, Five Star Music debunked the news, stating that their artist was hale and hearty.
Although Skiibii initially claimed he had a medical issue that made him blackout, he later revealed that the promotional stunt was Soso’s doing. This threw the once sympathetic public into a rage. Even Falz snuck him a diss on Soft Work: “You fit fake your own death, you still fit no blow”.
Image Source: GoldMyne TV Kogbagidi
Kogbagidi is the show promoter credited for discovering Portable. In 2018, he faked coming out of the closet after Snapchat videos of him and Bobrisky getting cozy together circulated online. Later, he revealed in an interview that it was a stunt to promote Whine 4 Me by Kadex — one of his artists. He laughed the tasteless joke off as a “normal thing”.
Adokiye
When the Chibok kidnapping and #BringBackOurGirls campaign was hot and at the top of every news story in 2014, a singer and self-acclaimed virgin called Adokiye offered to give her virginity to the Boko Haram terrorists in exchange for the kidnapped girls. Although her statement went viral, she didn’t enjoy much attention as a person. Neither did her music.
KCee
In April 2017, KCee shared a photo of banded $100 bills on his IG page and claimed he made all the money in a day. Unfortunately, a guy in America called him out for stealing his photo — which he’d posted two months before KCee — and lying to the public. In an interview, KCee stated that it was all part of the PR plan he cooked with his manager to promote his new song, Desire. Apparently, he’d reached out to the American guy for permission to use the image but got no response.
Hmmm, Mr. Ojapiano.
Image Source: GoldMyne TV Teni Makanaki
On November 14, 2023, a tracklist for Teni’s sophomore album set to drop on November 17 went viral due to the lineup of heavy hitters like Bruno Mars, Burna Boy, Justin Bieber. Apparently, it was a fake concocted by overzealous fans. But neither Teni nor her team has addressed the situation so far. Instead, they’ve rode the wave to build anticipation for the album.
Good or bad PR may still be PR, but when the album finally drops, will it be worth the hype?
Fave
Later that November 14, Fave also became the talk of the internet. On November 9, she announced a $2000 competition, inciting graphic designers in her audience to create the artwork for her next single. She announced a winner, but the public, who were disappointed with her choice, became convinced that the competition was just a stunt to create a buzz around her upcoming song.
Ladipoe
In June 2023, a “Where Is Ladipoe?” hashtag popped up on X and IG before taking to the actual street. Some “loyal fans” protested and marched to the MAVIN Records Lagos headquarters to demand for Poe’s whereabouts. Next thing we saw, Layi Wasabi had abducted the rapper. Guy Man dropped a few days later.
I wonder how much the fake protesters were paid.
