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Ayra Starr and Tems released their new albums, “The Year I Turned 21” and “Born in the Wild”, in the last two weeks and have since dominated most conversations in the Nigerian music scene.
Inching close to being the hottest Afrobeats artists of 2024 (so far), their new albums are meant to offer something rewarding. Here are nine subtle lessons that listeners draw from their long-awaited albums.
Dodging bad energy is serious work
You can’t avoid bad-belle people entirely. The only way to become a no-nonsense pro max is intentionally and consistently telling them off like Ayra Starr and Tems did on their new albums (“The Year I Turned 21” and “Born in the Wild”). From Ayra’s Birds Sing of Money, Goodbye and Bad Vibes songs to Tems’ Wickedest and Unfortunate, they set a big “fuck you” tone for bad energy dealers.
Rollout is MOTHER!
Your business service is a product, and to attract target users and customers, you need engaging content that not only attracts but also gets them talking. That’s what Ayra Starr and Tems did. They were in everyone’s faces. Ayra’s album appeared on Chowdeck and some Nigerian bank apps, and users were urged to listen. Tems put out announcement visuals and even threw a party for music listeners and industry players a day before her album release. These babes put their new albums on everyone’s lips.
Good kids make happy parents
Ayra’s and Tems’ mums appeared on their albums to contribute to their process and album narratives and motivate them. These emotional features prove that parental support is just as crucial as making parents proud.
Always enjoy yourself
You don’t have to be told this, but you need a reminder to enjoy what you work hard for and have a good time sometimes. Somebody play Ayra’s Commas, Control, Jazzy’s Song and Tems’ Wickedest, Turn Me Up and T-Unit and turn the fuck up.
Never leave your squad behind
Carrying all your real ones with you (including sharing opportunities) shows that you value your friendship and are proud of it. This is how Ayra Starr feels in Woman Commando.
Women are the biggest gangstas
On Bird Sings of Money, Ayra says her past experiences have toughened her up in the trait of a gangster. She even made Woman Commando, and Tems made Gangsta. When the other gender is back on top, you’ll get the memo or not. For now, new lords are in town.
Never hesitate to throw toxic lovers away
Don’t wait for your toxic partners to fly their red flags before you throw them out like bath water. You better get necessary updates from Tems’ Unfortunate and Ayra Starr’s Goodbye (Warm Up).
You’re your biggest motivator
It’s okay to be sad or cry. But when a horse knocks you to dust, pick yourself up and push yourself to be better until you can ride it with a flex like Ayra on Last Heartbreak Song and 1942 and Tems on Burning and Hold On.
Forever be a dream chaser.
Ayra wanted to be a pop star before 16, but it only happened when she turned 19. Now she’s 21 and global. Tems had a 9-5 for a while but didn’t let her music dream die.
On her debut album, “Born in the Wild,” Tems pays tribute to herself and to her previous state of being. “Wild” suggests a Wild Wild West, perhaps an interpretation of Nigeria, rarely a place for dreamers. But Tems made it out. This album is her musings and good time draped in warm guitar strings, energetic summer vibes, hopeless romantic lyrics, and some busy music.
Tems opens the album with the titular folk ballad Born In the Wild. Coming from a place where showing emotions is usually and unfortunately taken for weakness, she peels back on the trauma endured.
Crazy and wild things may happen, but Tems sees them through to the end. On Special Baby (Interlude), her mum encourages her to continue to find succour in the strength of her name, Temilade (the crown is mine). I hear a mother’s prayer manifestation and moral support. You hear a reiteration of the Temilade Interlude from her 2020 EP, “For Broken Ears.”
The actualisation of one’s dreams and the juicy fast life of celebrity birthed one of Biggie Smalls’ most iconic lines, “It was all a dream.” A sentiment Tems shares about fulfilment on Burning. It soon flips into a brood about human inescapable suffering that’s susceptible to all regardless of fame and wealth. She choruses “Guess we are all burning,” interpretable to “Me sef I be human being o” in simpler language. Tems’ at her best here. I guess uncomplicated, ambivalent subject matters can be blissful and sufferable feelings are convertible to ethereal.
The music gets busy on the next three tracks. The bounce is as alive as her confidence on Wickedest. But the Magic System’s 1er Gaou sample fails to magnify the song. Perhaps that’s owed to the jumble recapture of the Makossa spirit and its tale of betrayal and ironies of success for a bouncy, braggart bop.
Her complete reimagining of Seyi Sodimu’s Love Me Jeje follows before Get It Right (featuring Asake) cues in. They’re party-ready. An adventurous Tems invites Asake into the familiar territory of Fuji-Amapiano-pop.
On Ready, Tems continues her search for higher frequency like a fiend relentlessly finds their high. “No fear in my mind, it’s a new story” and “All grass does is grow, don’t you think so?” are her declarations that she won’t hide anymore. In one word, her new story is “fearless”. She’s a bad girl in need of a badass partner — the persona she embodies in Gangsta, which interpolates Diana King’s L-L-Lies. But in Unfortunate, one can learn from Tems that to be gangsta isn’t throwing fits up and down; it’s detaching from situations where other parties can’t be trusted. She congratulates herself for avoiding an unfortunate issue; that’s gangsta enough.
But this gangsta soon surrenders at the helm of love matters. Boy O Boy puts Tems through a scorned love for a despised lover. Forever burns with the same attitude but funkier. It makes juice out of the ex’s desperation. On Free Fall, Tems finds love again. But one can tell it’s just a forlorn hope robbing her heart. J. Cole’s verse, cute though not striking, doubles down that love experiences calm as much storm.
It gets clinical on the next interlude, Voices in My Head, as Tec — Show Dem Camp member and one of Tems’ managers — offers knowledge about experience, truth, love and motivation as tools to move through life.
The celebration continues on Turn Me Up and T-Unit, which puts Tems in her rap bag and gives a specific nod to 50 Cent’s Candy Shop. Me & U plays next and throws Tems in an upbeat soliloquy about finding faith, the god of self and connecting to the higher being. But looking back at when we first heard this as the lead single in October 2023, it’s more comfortable as an album track than the perfect album taster.
The vibe extends to You In My Face, which speaks to her inner child, a song to go to when everything’s falling apart. The album wraps up in optimism with the closing track. Even when the ship batters, the anchor can still hold. That’s the message Hold On holds onto. It’s giving modern-day negro spiritual with hip-hop and calypso twists.
As tone-setting conversations about Tems’ musical style continue, more critics agree that she’s excused herself from Afrobeats for a larger U.S. audience. But this is an effect of sticking every Nigerian contemporary singer to Afropop, a genre, as opposed to Afrobeats, an umbrella for popular music and culture out of Nigeria.
Released a week apart from Ayra Starr’s applauded sophomore release, “Born In the Wild” may be another cautious win for Afrobeats. It’s vintage R&B and neo-soul adorned in an African night of merriment. It’s enjoyable, and so is its mix. Its production, done majorly by Tems and GuiltyBeatz, is endurable. The lyricism is one-dimensional.
Without the snappy production, it sounds more like a genius’s ramblings, hard to listen to. This is nothing more writers in the room can’t solve. Due to its non-conformity to the Nigerian mainstream sound, the music is understandably unfamiliar — a dilemma homegrown listeners may struggle with. It sounds like a Siamese twin EPs, yoked by Tems’ high-pitched soprano. It can do without some tracks.
Is “Born in the Wild” a flawless album?
A flawless album is loosely defined as a body of work of a captivating and geographic cocktail of shape-shifting songs. By this definition, the answer to Tems’ preoccupation about her debut is in the affirmative: No, it’s not a flawless album. But perfection is subject to different ears.
If this is Tems’ music aftermath coming on top of personal woes, it’s an acceptable offering. She made it through the wild, and this is her post-trauma self-celebration.
It’s been an interesting week for Afrobeats. Fireboy takes off his Afrobeats ID card, Tems’ Love Me Jeje samples Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 song of the same title, and Afrobeats can’t agree on its most significant music producer.
This piece reviews these news with broad nuances and disparate perspectives.
This is Afro-confusion
One day at a time, Nigerian artists reject the Afrobeats tag, dumping it for their coinages. Burna Boy, Wizkid, Fireboy DML and Davido have all ditched it for tags like Afrofusion, Afro-Life, etc.
On the surface, the artists are trying to break away from a general tag that doesn’t adequately represent their art. Critically, it’s an identity crisis to some listeners.
To me, though, this denouncement of Afrobeats is a new tool the artists use to capture the public’s anticipation and attention for upcoming projects. Burna Boy dismissed Afrobeats during the media promo run for his “I Told Them…” album. Wizkid took to his Instagram stories to clamp down on the genre while he teased the new album title, “Morayo”. Conveniently for Fireboy DML, in the middle of his latest single release, he proclaims he doesn’t make Afrobeats records. It’s just his Yoruba H-factor and Nigerian roots that classify him as one. His older albums don’t align with his new stance, but hopefully, the forthcoming body of work will offer something relatively new we haven’t heard before.
These new fusions are easy to whip up and claim, but everyone forgets that “Afrobeats” is a fusion. Its music blended in Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, R&B, Dancehall and other African traditional rhythms. You can’t make a fusion of a fusion.
Also, artists calling their sound one thing or the other isn’t new in Nigerian music. Sir Shina Peters distinguished his brand of Juju music as “Afro-juju”. Late Fuji maestro Ayinde Barrister once labelled his sound “Fuji Garbage”. Haruna Ishola made Apala music but he made “Soyoyo” — a style his son Musiliu Haruna Ishola inherited and panned into a titular album.
If tomorrow comes and another Nigerian music star drops Afrobeats for another Afro-buzzword, be assured the rollout machines are rolling again. Though the damage from this misrepresentation is a conversation for another day, these personal claims over music sound tags aren’t charming. If Afrobeats enthusiasts and listeners want a topic to have a village-square discussion about, it should be how the overstretched loop of Amapiano is turning into a curse and why the mainstream hasn’t delivered any music that knocks the shit out of the water this year.
All power to Don Jazzy.
It’s also clear that we need to restart and conclude the conversation about the greatest Afrobeats producer.
No disrespect to the names that have come up in this conversation; only one person really qualifies. He is Don Jazzy. Hits, commercial success, cultural impact, longevity and catalogue have comfortably placed Don Jazzy higher. Before the emergence of “Afrobeats”, Don Jazzy had already made hits for JJC and his defunct 419 Squad in the U.K.
When he stepped into Nigeria to pursue music two decades ago, it marked the start of a new era in the Nigerian contemporary music landscape —the revolutionary 12-year run of Mo’Hits Records that gave us D’Banj’s first three albums, Wande Coal’s iconic “Mushin 2 MoHit” and successful debuts from D’Prince, Dr Sid, Tiwa Savage and Reekado Banks.
Aside from competing with some of the hottest music producers, Don Jazzy’s CV includes Oliver Twist, one of the most essential songs in Afrobeats’ exportation. He built Mavin Records and created new global stars like Rema and Arya Starr. Although Jazzy has become less active in the production scene, and his music executive and social media influencer brand might have overshadowed his Afrobeats’ presence, he’s still the greatest since 2000.
Tems, Seyi Sodimu and “Love Me Jeje”
Seyi Sodimu’s hit Love Me Jeje (1997) isn’t recognised as the start of Afrobeats. However, there can be an argument that it’s more original than Shakomo, which borrowed the instrumental of MC Lyte’s Keep On Keeping On. 27 years later, Love Me Jeje, a nice gift from a cool, distant Uncle Seyi staying abroad, is reimagined by 28-year-old Grammy-winning Tems on a song of the same name. This Seyi Sodimu’s classic has just given birth to a modern love record for Gen-Z romantics.
The reaction trailing the song since Tems first performed it on Coachella’s stage last week and its actual release is an all-pointer to the fact that Tems has another charts-climber on her hand. Seyi Sodimu’s version leans on Juju elements, while Tems’ has Highlife influences. I wonder how trippy it must be for millennials who have witnessed these two eras.
Tems is in the news again for being THAT girl. On April 15, she rocked the Coachella stage in California.
Less than 24 hours later, the Rebel Gang leader delivered the news her fans have anticipated for three years — Tem’s debut album is due for a May release, and it’s titled “BORN IN THE WILD“.
As music listeners are gleeful about the “strategic timing” of the album and its prospective collaborations, I decided to rank her best collaborations by how much they slap.
X.com: @TXTMag
Soon with Blackmagic
The first track on the third volume of Blackmagic’s titular album series is a song of frustration and optimism. She compliments Blackmagic’s rap style so well. No one else could have carried the chorus like Tems did.
Soon is an inspirational tune for anyone looking forward to the light at the tunnel end. Keep grinding.
Good Time with Lady Donli
It’s all positive vibrations and energy in this jam. Tems feels alive and starts the song with a vibrant force that ushers in Donli and her rapper vibes. The beat and delivery sound like a good time, and you can tell they had a blast making this.
Decided with Odunsi, the Engine
A few days after lockdown in 2020, Odunsi and Tems dropped their collab, Decided. While Odunsi sang about not knowing his dad and his passion to dive deeper to understand his feelings, Tems poured out her emotions about not losing herself. Deep, deep cut. Up there among Tem’s best.
Essence with Wizkid
Tem’s story is incomplete without Essence, the Wizkid-collab from 2020. If you’re looking for a smooth fusion of Afrobeats and R&B, Essence is the one.
Since its release, the song has won Collaboration of the Year award at the 2021 BET Awards, gotten a Grammy nomination for Best Global Song Performance in 2021 and it’s still the biggest song on “Made In Lagos.”
Trouble with DRB Lasgidi
On this one, Tems declares she’s “Trouble making trouble” and it’s what excites her. No one should doubt that. Tems elevated this song with her chorus, and I wonder if her back hurts from carrying the whole song. Her performance makes Trouble make it a top two song on the “PIONEER” album.
Fountains with Drake
Tems landed her second Billboard Hot 100 record with Fountains when it hit number 40 after its release in 2021. It’s a soft jam directed at a love interest. Definitely one of Drake’s best attempts at African rhythms.
Peace with Mannywellz
Tems is done wasting time and energy on one-sided relationships. This collaboration with Mannywellz is a very good one. If you’re not a peaceful lover, leave it to us and go find your trouble.
Shadow of Doubt with Show Dem Camp (SDC)
The message of this song is in its chorus, performed by Tems, and it’s simple: live beyond the doubts keeping you back. SDC and Tems are frequent collaborators and Shadow of Doubt is an indispensable one in their catalogues. Here’s another proof that Tems eats choruses for fun on any beat.
Nothing screams high fashion on a global scale like the MET Gala. Hosted by Vogue Magazine editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour (AKA the real-life version of Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada), the MET Gala brings together the biggest stars on the planet for some music, finger food, and of course, fashion.
With this MET Gala 2023 honouring the late Chanel head designer, Karl Lagerfeld, stars like Rihanna, Tems, Doja Cat and Viola Davis all showed up in designed or inspired outfits by the late fashion icon.
These were some of the night’s most memorable looks, good and bad.
Rihanna
Source: Getty Images
Let’s kick things off with the queen of the MET, Miss Robyn Rihanna Fenty. This woman made me stay up till 2 a.m. WAT, waiting for her to show up on that damn carpet. But was it worth it? Yes, it absolutely was. This Valentino look gave me life. Our makeup sis knows this fashion thing, and no one is seeing the hem of her dress.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Lil Nas X
Source: Getty Images
Lil Nas X’s dependence on the shock factor was cute when it started, but now it’s plain tired, and we’re over it. Tell me this man doesn’t look like one of those Nollywood demons that haunt Tony Umez or Kanayo O. Kanayo after they use their wives and children for blood money. You see it, too, right?
Verdict: Worst Dressed
Tems
Source: Getty Images
Temilade Openiyi, the woman that you are. Thank you for not embarrassing us on a global platform like the MET Gala. The hat and gloves with the feather details, and the bottom half of the dress clearly reference vintage Chanel. Tems and her stylist, Dunsin Wright, are a match made in fashion heaven.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Ice Spice
Source: Getty Images
Like Tyra Banks once said:
Source: Giphy
Ice Spice pulling up to the MET in a longer version of what the girlies wear to Quilox on a Friday night in Lagos is not the serve I expected from hood Princess Diana. If she thought people would feel this dress, then I’m sorry to say, she’s the munch here.
Verdict: Worst Dressed
Michaela Coel
Source: Getty Images
One word, “iconic”. You know what? One more word, “mother”. This dress is so stunning I had to clutch my imaginary Chanel pearls when Michaela showed up on the carpet. While I wouldn’t have immediately thought of cornrows (AKA “all back”, to all my Nigerian secondary school girlies) with this dress, Michaela slays this look so hard it’d be a crime to find any fault. By the way, can we get into that face? Sheesh.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Letitia Wright
Source: Getty Images
The strength of this blek pentha has definitely been stripped away. I love me some Letitia Wright, but this Pentecostal youth pastor look is not for the MET Gala. It’s giving Covenant University graduation fashion, and like M’baku said in Black Panther:
Source: Giphy
Verdict: Worst Dressed
Anok Yai
Source: Getty Images
I don’t want to say much when it comes to Anok Yai’s consistent slayage of the MET Gala red carpet. Instead, I leave you with this message from philosopher and life coach, Tiffany Pollard:
Source: Giphy
Verdict: Best Dressed
Viola Davis
Source: Getty Images
Viola Davis is a queen, and that’s on Annalise and her bottle of vodka. But you want to know what’s not queenly at all? This look. Viola’s love for bright colours has always been one of my favourite things about her red carpet style. And while this pink looks stunning on her, the feathers on this dress do nothing for her look. Maybe it would’ve been better if the feathers were smaller. Mrs V is an icon, but even Bobrisky pulled this look off better than she did.
Source: Instagram/Bobrisky22
Doja Cat
Source: Getty Images
Doja Cat showing up as Karl Lagerfeld’s cat and meowing her way through all her interviews is my definition of camp. You have to admire Doja for always committing to a look (her fingernails were designed to look like claws), no matter how unhinged it sounds on paper. Plus, this dress is a beauty, cat or no cat.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Lizzo
Source: Getty Images
Lizzo is always a mood, but this black dress with pearl detailing is not a serve. It looks like something we’d see on the AMVCA red carpet, and that’s not a compliment if I’m keeping it one hundred.
What we’d give to be part of Halle Bailey’s world. Our Ariel is a vision in this dress, giving old Hollywood glamour but in melanin and natural beauty. Major props to her hair stylist because I don’t know what jazz they use to transform her dreadlocks into something new every time she steps out. You can’t convince me that she and Chloe’s hair styling is done by a mere mortal.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Asap Rocky
Source: Getty Images
Maybe it’s beef that he’s with my wife. Or perhaps, it’s beef that he put her in the family way AGAIN, and now, we don’t know when R9 is dropping. Either way, Rakim Mayers, it’s on sight whenever we jam. On sight, bro.
Verdict: He shouldn’t be on the worst dressed list, but I have bad belle.
Cardi B
Source: Getty Images
None of the other rap girls are seeing Cardi B when it comes to fashion. None of them. Cardi served four looks last night, but this Thom Browne number is my favourite. She looks like a character out of a Tim Burton fantasy film, and I’m gagging. I love a woman who likes to have fun with her looks, and it’s clear Cardi is having the time of her life as a fashion “it” girl.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Yara Shahidi
Source: Getty Images
For someone who has the potential to be a fashion baby girl, Yara Shahidi has refused to give us the serve we deserve. This look isn’t bad, but knowing the potential for greatness both Yara Shahidi and her stylist Jason Bolden have, it doesn’t work for me at all.
Verdict: Worst Dressed
Brian Tyree Henry
Source: Getty Images
Finally, a man who didn’t show up to the red carpet in a boring suit. Brian Tyree Henry pulling up looking like a monarch who colonises continents over tea and crumpets is a serve I wasn’t expecting at the MET Gala. I’m always here for men playing with proportions and taking risks. This will probably go down as one of the most iconic looks from any man to ever walk the MET steps.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Skepta
Source: Getty Images
Skepta, what is this blanket you have on? This looks like something a Chelsea FC stan would wear for a match, and I won’t stand for it. The annoying part is the suit on its own might’ve been a hit.
Verdict: Confused
Keke Palmer
Source: Getty Images
Baby, this is Keke Palmer, AKA True Jackson VP, one of Hollywood’s funniest women. Keke hasn’t taken her foot off our necks since she had her baby. We can all see how much she loves her post-baby body. Like the Gen Z babies would say, “She’s taking it”.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Idris and Sabrina Elba
Source: Getty Images
Sabrina’s decision to stick with her man through COVID and bad fashion choices should be applauded. This is a woman who takes the “In sickness and in health” part of her vows seriously. Their look wasn’t the worst on the red carpet; it was just boring. Give us something, guys.
Verdict: Mid
Teyana Taylor
Source: Getty Images
Is it a Teyana Taylor look if we’re not reminded that this woman’s six-pack can be used to grind pepper? This look is sickening, and now, I can’t help but wonder why I’m not in the gym.
Verdict: Best Dressed
Mary J Blige
Source: Getty Images
Mary J Blige’s dress would’ve worked better for the BET or MTV VMAs. But I have to give it to my fave for staying consistent with her thigh-high boots. The MET said, “Karl Lagerfeld”, but Mary heard, “Let’s take it to the dancery”.
Nigerian women are killing it when it comes to music. Whether it’s Tems making history every three days or Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr and Teni dropping chart-topping bangers, women on stage are booked and very busy. But the moment we step off that stage and go behind the scenes, especially in music production, we’re faced with the harsh truth that the music industry is still male-dominated.
Source: www.instagram.com/temsbaby
Music producers are an integral part of the music creation process. Even though they’ve been behind the scenes for years, we’ve come to know some of them and recognise their sounds. From Don Jazzy’s “It’s Don Jazzy again” carrying Mo’Hits in the mid-2000s to the signature sounds of KelP, Tempoe, P.Priime and Rexxie. These days, you can almost tell how good a song is going to be, based on the producer tag that starts it off.
It’s easy to assume Nigeria doesn’t have female music producers when you hear the names dominating that aspect of the music space. But the truth is, female producers exist. They just don’t seem to be getting the same level of attention and clout as their male counterparts.
It’s a global issue
Women not getting their flowers or even opportunities in music production isn’t just a Nigerian thing. A 2020 Annenberg Study carried out by the University of Southern California found that women represented only 2% of credited producers of songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from 2012 to 2020.
While Nigeria doesn’t have data on female producers, I doubt our numbers would be better. After all, no female producer has ever won the prestigious Headies award for Producer of the Year, even though three of the ten men who’ve won this award won it for producing songs for female artistes: Don Jazzy for Weird MC’s Ijoya in 2006, Cobhams Asuquo for Asa’s Bibanke in 2008 and Pheelz for Teni’s Billionaire in 2020.
Some of your favourite female singers are also producers
Source: www.instagram.com/symplysimi
Producers becoming singers is nothing new in the Nigerian music industry. Before Young Jonn sang about being on his ten toes for Uloma and Pheelz sang about finessing in the face of SAPA, they produced songs for Olamide, Tiwa Savage and many others. Similarly, some female singers dominating the game right now are geniuses when it comes to cooking up beats.
Tems’ For Broken Ears which had Damages, Free Mind and Higher was almost solely produced by the singer herself. She also co-produced Try Me alongside Remy Baggins. She recently revealed in an interview that she started producing after everyone else refused to produce for her. Can you imagine any producer saying no to Tems now?
Simi is another singer who doesn’t get the flowers she deserves for her work behind the scenes. Simi produces most of her own music and is credited as a producer and sound mixer on Adekunle Gold’s first album, Gold. She’s also a co-writer on Adekunle’s later songs like AG Baby, Call On Me and Mercy.
“Who’s Bloody Civilian?” was a question that came up a lot when the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever featuring Burna Boy, Fireboy DML, Rema, Tems and CKay dropped in 2022. Wake Up, Bloody Civilian’s song on the album was a major standout and was produced by the singer herself. She’s also the producer behind her biggest hit yet, How to Kill a Man.
Taking in Tems’ comment about being ignored by popular producers when she started, it’s easy to see why most of these women learnt how to produce and create the sound they wanted for themselves. But this doesn’t mean female producers aren’t laying down tracks for other people.
Singer and producer, Dunnie is a graduate of the Sarz Music Academy, which also gave us Tempoe and P.Priime. Her client list includes Falz, Niniola, Ric Hassani, Busiswa, Focalistic and Yemi Alade. Wande Coal also revealed that Dunnie produced three songs on his upcoming Legend or No Legend album, describing her work as a masterpiece.
The industry needs to create space for more female producers
Source: www.instagram.com/officialdunnie
Inclusion should be an important topic of conversation in the Nigerian music industry as we push Afrobeats to the world. One of the main reasons female producers, mixers and engineers haven’t gained the same level of traction as the men is because society inherently deems women unqualified to handle “technical” jobs, same as engineering, piloting and some other areas of tech.
However, looking at the track record of some of these women who became producers out of necessity, it’s clear women can and have been doing the job. They just need the men to scoot over and create space at the table. That’s all.
The 2023 Grammy Awards came, saw, gave Tems her first Grammy, aired Burna Boy and failed to give Beyoncé her flowers… again.
Here’s a recap of all the moments that had us shook and the ones we’d very much like to forget.
Criminal: Beyonce losing “Album of the Year” for the fourth time
The most shocking moment of the night has to be when Beyoncé’s Renaissance lost the Album of the Year trophy to Harry Style’s Harry’s House. After putting out the most impactful and well-thought-out album of 2022 (still no visuals sha), everyone assumed this would be Beyoncé’s year to win the top prize, but the Grammys said:
Like Adele said in 2017, after winning Album of the Year, “What the f–k does she [Beyoncé] have to do to win album of the year?”
Say What?: Harry Styles saying, “This doesn’t happen to people like me very often”, after winning Album of the Year
As if beating out Beyoncé wasn’t bad enough, the As It Was singer went on to say things like this don’t happen to people like him. People like who, Harry? White men? British people? Straight men? Former One Direction members?
Boy, bye.
Best: Tems winning her first Grammy
If the world was ending, best believe I’ll carry Tems and her Grammy and leave the rest of you to deal with all the wahala. Tems showed us once again that she’s THAT girl when she took home the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance alongside Future and Drake for their song, WAIT FOR U. Considering the year Tems has had, I knew she wouldn’t walk away empty-handed. Now, we have to get ready for the Oscars.
Not too bad: Burna Boy losing in both categories
I didn’t see Burna Boy losing in both the Global Music Performance and Global Music Album categories coming. Even if Love, Daminididn’t take home an award, I at least expected Last Last, a massive worldwide hit, to win in its nominated category.
Anyway, maybe this is what you get for insulting and kicking your fans.
Best: Aunty Viola Chinonye Davis winning her first Grammy and getting EGOT status
Viola Davis has had us in a chokehold since How to Get Away With Murder, so it’s time to pop champagne to celebrate her win. Not only did Aunty V win her first Grammy, but the award also makes her the third black woman and one of only 18 people to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. Talk about iconic.
I know that’s right: Lizzo shouting out Beyoncé during her speech for Record of the Year
Is it really the Grammys if one artiste doesn’t talk about how Beyoncé inspired their career? Adele did it in 2017, Megan Thee Stallion did it in 2021, and now, Lizzo. It’s the consistency for me. Grammys, we hope you’re hearing the crowd? The crowd is a lot. Many people are shouting.
Interesting: Samara Joy winning “Best New Artist” over Latto, Muni Long and Tobe Nwigwe
I didn’t know Samara Joy until today — apparently, she’s a jazz artiste. But she’s black, and one thing about me?
I.C.O.N.I.C: Beyoncé making history at the Grammys
Coming into the 2023 Grammys, Beyoncé already had 28 Grammy awards and the record for the most-awarded female musician of all time, but the good sis said, “Hold my cup”.
Winning Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best R&B Song, Best Dance/Electronic Recording and Best Traditional R&B Album, Beyoncé moved her total to 32 Grammys, surpassing classical music conductor Georg Solti’s record of 31 Grammys.
Quick question: Where is she putting all these Grammys, abeg?
Here for it: Mary J Blige, DJ Khaled and Rick Ross stanning Tems… as they should
Forget Solape, it’s high time we ask Temilade what she put in her stew.
Very very somehow: Jay Z joining DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and John Legend to perform God Did right after Beyoncé’s loss
DJ Khaled’s set for God Did would’ve been a great and timely performance to close the show if Beyoncé had won. But with the direction the show took, the song and performance felt off. God does many things, but I doubt Harry’s House winning over Renaissance was his handwork. I’ll find out on Sunday.
Since she gained popularity in 2019 with her song, Try Me, Tems has been unstoppable. We’ve deduced that not only is she talented and hardworking, but her soap is also STRONG. So if you want to be unstoppable like Tems, here’s how you can collect her soap.
Disguise as her soap case
Witchcraft has come a long way. Once upon a time, you could only poison people. Now, you can be anything you want. So join a coven, perfect the tricks of the craft, disguise yourself as Tems’ soap case and just swallow the soap.
Appear to her in a dream
Sync your sleep with Tems’, so you can move from your dream to hers. When you get there, tell her how you’ve come from many dreams ago just to tell her to give you her soap.
Tell her you had a dream
If you can’t enter her own dream, you can have yours. Tell her something revealed to you that she has to give you the soap she’s using or else crazy things will truly start happening.
It’s not like you have Temilade money, but you can try.
Trade by barter
Offer her fuel and new naira notes. If she doesn’t collect, you can give us. We’ll help you beg her.
Beg
Humble yourself and calmly ask for the soap. The highest she can say is no. Well, actually, the highest she can get you arrested, but prison can be a positive thing.
Since Tems might not give you directly, maybe you can go through her friend, Beyoncé. How you’ll do that one is really not our problem, but good luck.
Carry signboard the next time she’s performing
Pay for a front-row ticket to her next performance, and carry a signboard asking for the soap. She just might give you because she’s in high-performing spirits.
Become her pet
Your village people who turn into cats have been preparing you for this moment. The moment you transform into her favourite animal, just stay in front of her house. Trust us.
Let’s be real, the music from 2022 slapped harder than the aftertaste of the best agbalumo you’ve ever had. Asake, Wizkid and Rema took us to the dancefloor. Asa, Victony and CKay made us fall in love, while Omah Lay and Obongjayar had us deep in our feelings. It was a great year for Nigerian music. But can 2023 repeat that magic?
With new stars on the horizon, and some of our faves returning with brand-new albums, 2023 might have some musical juju up its sleeves. These are some of the albums you should be excited about this year.
Davido
After showing us A Good Time in 2019 and A Better Time in 2020, Davido is gearing up to show us the best time in 2023. Initially scheduled for 2022 but postponed following a personal tragedy, Davido’s fourth album is one of the year’s most anticipated projects. With singles like Stand Strong and collaborations like Electricity with Pheelz and High with Adekunle Gold, it’s safe to say Davido has served us appetisers, and now, we’re ready for the main course in March.
P-Square
Mary Slessor is somewhere grinning for joy because her efforts were not in vain. After public back and forths pushed our favourite twins to try out life as solo artistes, Peter and Paul of P-Square reunited in 2022, proving that blood is thicker than beef. While the duo have been on tour since their surprise reunion, they’ve hinted at a new album in 2023, their first since 2014’s Double Trouble which gave us bops like Collabo and Shekini.
Tems
Billboard Hot 100 regular, BFF to Beyoncé and Rihanna, BET International Act of the Year winner and Oscar nominee? God of Tems, your boy is loyal.
With two goated EPs to her name and a long list of hits, the only thing left for Tems is a debut album, and 2023 might be the year we finally get it. This album is sure to have the whole world shook, but for me, I’m just hoping she considers calling it “Tems and Condition”, or “On My Own Tems” at least. That’s all I want from Temilade.
It’s been one year and six months since Olamide dropped his last album, UY Scuti and wallahi, I’m not okay. Despite working with Phyno and Wande Coal, and helping artistes like Asake and TI Blaze cross over into mainstream consciousness with his remix of Omo Ope and Sometimes in 2022, Olamide has been guarded with his own material for a while now. But all that is about to change in 2023 with the release of Unruly, his 10th and final album. No, you’re not the only one crying.
Asake
If there was one artiste who had their foot on our necks with back-to-back hits, it’s Ololade mi Asake. From the moment he dropped the remix of Omo Ope with Olamide in February 2022 to his latest single of 2023, Yoga, Asake has refused to leave the studio and the charts. Knowing his itch to drop new music every three to four business days, there’s a high chance Asake might drop a whole other album in 2023. But don’t fight me if he doesn’t.
Lady Donli
It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since Lady Donli showed us a good time with her 2019 debut album, Enjoy Your Life. From Tems to The Cavemen, that album introduced us to artistes who eventually became major rockstars. But most importantly, it provided an avenue for joy and escape despite all the wahala Nigeria kept throwing at us. With a new album, Pan African Rockstar, on the way, I can’t wait to see what Lady Donli has up her musical sleeves.
Tay Iwar
Tay Iwar is one of the most exciting voices on the Afrobeats scene right now. You don’t believe me? Well, ask Wizkid, M.I., Asa and Tiwa Savage why they’ve worked on features with him. Since dropping his 2018 debut album, Gemini and the 2021 pandemic-influenced Love and Isolation, Tay has worked behind the scenes with Wizkid and other artistes. But we might finally be getting a new EP this year. Hopefully, it has the song he recorded with Ayra Starr during that recording session they both posted on their Instagram stories .
Odumodublvck
Odumodu’s time is now, and he’s seizing the moment. The Abuja-based rapper, known for his punchy flows and Okpu Agu, has built a cult following within Nigeria’s burgeoning drill and rap scene since 2017 when his first tape dropped. But with the release of the Zlatan-assisted Picanto in 2022, Odumodu seems poised for a major crossover season. Currently lining up songs with Santi, BOJ and Blaqbonez, Odumodu’s next album might be his biggest yet.
Tems first caught our attention in 2019 with her defiant hit, Try Me. Since then, she’s blown up big time, moving from an underrated alté artiste to one of Nigeria’s biggest afrobeats exports.Whether it’s dropping songs of the summer back-to-back, with Essence in 2021 and WAIT FOR U in 2022, or becoming the first Nigerian singer to be nominated for an Oscar, Tems is the leading vibe right now, and no one can deny it.
Here are all the times she’s had us calling on the “God of Temilade Openiyi”.
When she wrote Lift Me Up
You just had to have been there the day the first Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer dropped. We were all happy for Letitia Wright and co., but it was Tems singing a cover of No Woman No Cry that turned Nigerian Twitter upside down.
When she got an Oscar nomination for writing Lift Me Up
It was cool enough to write the official soundtrack for Black Panther and have Rihanna sing it. But just like BNXN, Tems refused to stop. She had to go ahead and get a nomination for Best Original Song at the Oscars, making her the first Nigerian singer to achieve that.
It always takes one person to cross the invisible line, and now that Tems has done it, more Nigerian singers can work towards it too. I love a ceiling-breaking history-making queen.
The time she became the first Nigerian female artiste to win the BET Award for Best International Act
After years of the Best International Act at the BETs rotating between Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido, Tems pulled up in 2022 and said, “Guys, it’s enough. Even God rested on the seventh day.” Taking home the award alongside another for Best Collaboration for Essence, Tems broke the yoke of the three GOATS. Hallelujah!
The time she told everyone to “move out di way” so she, Grace Jones and Beyoncé could party
Beyoncé is officially Tems best friend in my head, and that’s on period. After years of making the world wait for a new album, Queen Bey AKA Iya Ibeji AKA Mummy Blue finally dropped her seventh album, and guess who was one of the only three artists to feature on the album? Yes, sis, Tems baby.
Not only did Tems co-write the song Move, but she also dropped vocals alongside Grace Jones. Who run the world? Sorry, I couldn’t help it.
The time she got more Grammy nominations than the African Giant himself
Tems is no stranger to the Grammys after being nominated back in 2022 alongside Wizkid for Essence. Even though she lost that Grammy, our girl returned Daft Punk-style, harder, better, faster and stronger, with three nominations in 2023 for the inescapable WAIT FOR U alongside Drake and Future.
Dear Grammys, don’t play with us this year o. We will riot if Temilade leaves that place empty-handed. Shalom.
I thought I’d seen it all in this life until I bumped into the TikTok trend where dogs try to harmonise with Tems on her hit record, Free Mind. Now, Free Mind is an Instagram reels and TikTok fave for all those influencers pretending to wake up in front of the camera. But who knew Bingos around the world also loved homegirl, Tems? The power of good music.
When she became the first Nigerian artiste to debut at number one on Billboard Hot 100
It’s one thing to get onto the Billboard Hot 100; I mean, Wizkid, CKay, Rema and Burna Boy have all done it, but to have your song enter at number one? That’s a feat few international acts can add to their LinkedIn. Debuting at the top of the charts in 2022 for WAIT FOR U with Future and Drake, Tems became the first Nigerian to get this major win.
When she also became the first female Nigerian artist to enter the Billboard Hot 100 with no features
When Tems dropped her debut EP, For Broken Ears, in 2020, everyone was obsessed with the song, Damages. Fast-forward to 2022, and Free Mind, a cult fave from the EP, blew up out of nowhere on TikTok, turning Tems into a social media queen. The same song ended up being her first solo entry onto the Billboard Hot 100, and she’s avoided putting out a pointless international remix to keep it on the charts. A true queen with dignity.
Back-to-back lewks on magazine covers, because why not?
Look at the material, and you be the judge of it. We don’t have to say much here.
The times she had Adele and Rihanna fangirling over her
A short clip of Adele (!) singing “Try Me” by Tems…to Tems 🤯
It’s one thing to have fans — shoutout to the rebel gang — but to have Adele singing your song back to you, and Rihanna telling you you’re the shit? Girl, Tems is on another level, and I can’t help but stan.
Zodiac signs are great at helping us understand people, but what if I told you a person’s Spotify Wrapped tells you a lot more about their personality than any Leo moon rising sun in Lucozade?
Don’t believe me? Continue reading, and let me know if I’m reaching.
Asake
2022 was your year. You killed it at work and still managed to remain the life of every party you attended. Your vibe is unmatched, and you always know how to have a good time, so people naturally gravitate towards you. While you know many people, you don’t have a lot of actual friends because you’re mysterious like that. There’s also a high chance you asked for a raise this year, and your new salary has everyone at work shook.
Omah Lay
You’re a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute you’re tearing up the dancefloor, and the next, you’re in the corner of a club, crying or overthinking everything. The best part is you’re not ashamed of being vulnerable. Your mental health and space are very important to you, so you’re cautious of the people you let into your life, even though everyone likes you.
Ayra Starr
You’re either peak Gen Z or a millennial who uses slangs like “Purr” and “It’s giving” unprovoked. People underestimate you a lot and complain about your style or taste, but you don’t care because you’re out here living your best life. 2022 was a great year for you, but you’re always gingered for what’s next, so you’ve already started drafting your 2023 goals. No time to waste.
Burna Boy
Everyone is always hyping you, and honestly, you deserve it. Can you do with a bit of self-control in your life? Yes. Choosing violence is your favourite thing to do, even when it’s completely unnecessary. You’re great at what you do, but your chaotic nature makes you unpredictable. Hopefully, you’ll learn to calm down in 2023.
Tems
You’re a bad bitch and you know it. Everything comes effortlessly to you, and 2022 was your best year career-wise. People are constantly guessing what you’re up to, but you love to move in silence, so all they see is results and not the hard work you put in. You’re humble and love to meditate and shit, but your motto is: “Fuck around and find out,” so you’re not above dragging someone’s child for filth.
The Cavemen
From music to fashion, old-school trends are the hill you’ve chosen to die on. You like to tell people you were born in the wrong generation, even though there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Speaking your native language is your personality trait, but the gag is your cousins from the village don’t rate you because they believe you’re not speaking it correctly.
Dear, one question: How many weddings did you attend in 2022? You can’t remember? No problem. The money you’ve spent on Aso Ebis this year is enough to buy a Kia Picanto. But if you don’t go to weddings, how will you find your missing rib? Please, continue listening to Roju and have a good time at the next wedding reception you attend. We love to see it.
Show Dem Camp
You’re 30+ and you don’t like stress. A good Friday night for you involves a good bottle of wine or keg of palm wine, a nice Netflix documentary and food. You and clubs don’t go well. Even when you try to go out, you end up leaving by 10 p.m. because, once again, 30+. The youth corpers and interns in your office want to be like you when they grow up.
Dwin, the Stoic
You’ve been served breakfast multiple times in 2022, but like eba, still you rise. You’re a hardcore romantic who believes in having one soulmate, so you’re constantly on dating apps and Twitter trying to find them. There’s a strong chance you always complain that Igbo babes are wicked. Still, every time you hear the name Ada or Ifunaya, you’re the first person on the queue to submit relationship application letter.
Wizkid
You’re the best at what you do, and you know it. You don’t like stress, and you’re the type of person who’ll cut people off when you feel like they’re doing too much. All you want to do is enjoy, date older people and wear outfits that match your shoe. Good for you, boo.
Cruel Santino
We get it. You’re different and quirky. Let us rest, abeg.
Kizz Daniel
You like 40+ music but are not ready to admit it to yourself. All the uncles and aunties in your family are obsessed with you because your presence gives them endorphins. You sometimes say offensive things and then act shocked when people call you out on your bullshit.
Yinka Bernie
Babes, are you okay? Do you need tissue or space?
Remember, it’s okay to cry and connect with your emotions. It’s only human, and your vulnerability is what makes you fly.
After teasing everyone with the Tems co-written Rihanna ballad Lift Me Up, the full Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Soundtrack has finally made its way to the public, and it takes a significantly different direction than the 2018 soundtrack for the first film.
While Kendrick Lamar was at the helm of the first Black Panther album in 2018, the film’s soundtrack was very American, with appearances from SZA, Travis Scott and The Weeknd. Kendrick seemed to ignore the African heritage that inspired the fictional kingdom of Wakanda and made the album like T’challa (Chadwick Boseman) was an Atlanta-based superhero.
Finally giving Black Panther and its fans the album we deserve, The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever album is a diverse mix of Nigerian, South African and Mexican sounds. Despite featuring international stars like Future, Stormzy and Rihanna, it’s African stars like Tems, Burna Boy, Fireboy, Busiswa, Ckay, Bloody Civilian, DBN Gogo and Rema that steal the show.
Taking us on a journey from grief to celebration as Wakanda tries to deal with the loss of T’Challa and Chadwick Boseman in real life), these are the standout songs from the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
Anya Mmri — CKay and PinkPantheress
It’s hard to listen to the flutes on Anya Mmri (translates to tear-filled eyes) and not remember those Old Nollywood films with Pete Edochie as the king and Genevieve Nnaji as the resident village maiden. The combination of ancient Igbo flutes and house-like beats is great, but the unexpected collab between Ckay and PinkPantheress (two artists who blew up on TikTok) is what makes Anya Mmri an attention grabber on the soundtrack.
Remember when we said Burna Boy was in his sad boy era? Well, it looks like Damini has found another record to channel his deepest thoughts into. Reflecting on the need to be grateful for every second, Burna Boy’s Alone fits perfectly in this album about celebrating life amid grief.
Even though the song is titled Alone, listening to Burna Boy sing on it, you start to realise that the last thing this man wants right now is to be alone.
Pantera — Aleman and Rema
We all know Rema can sing (and whisper like he did on Soundgasm), but why didn’t this man tell us he could rap too?
Collaborating with Mexican rapper Aleman, Rema goes ham on Pantera. He mentions how he doesn’t condone violence, violence condones him. His flows on this song are so smooth it’s easy to assume he’s been doing this rap thing for a while. Come through, Mr Divine.
Love & Loyalty — DBN Gogo, Sino Msolo, Kamo Mphela, Young Stunna and Busiswa
Love & Loyalty is hands down one of the best amapiano songs I’ve heard this year. Coming right after Rihanna’s deeply moving Lift Me Up on the album’s soundtrack, the song is not upbeat enough to have you stepping like crazy in the club, but it still has enough energy to ginger you.
I had Love & Loyalty on repeat in the gym, so I highly recommend it for moments when you just need that extra push to do something.
Probably one of the saddest songs on the album, Stormzy’s Interlude dives deep into the concept of grief and how to move on after someone you love dies. My favourite rap genre is when rappers get really vulnerable and rap-sing about their deepest emotions.
On Interlude, Stormzy understands that blaming or questioning the person who died won’t do anything to bring them back, but he can’t help himself from doing it. It’s a sad song about channelling pain, and I can see this playing during a scene with Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister, who’s been rumoured to be the new Black Panther.
Coming Back For You — Fireboy DML
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Fireboy DML’s Coming Back For You is the next song on the album after Stormzy’s Interlude.
Although Fireboy sings Coming Back For You like a romantic song, a closer listen to the lyrics will show that it’s more or less a response to Interlude. “When the tears fall like shooting stars, remember who you are,” he sings on the bridge before adding, “Look up to the sky, and you’ll see. I’m coming back for you.” His reassurance that they’ll never be alone makes Coming Back For You feel like a warm hug from the great beyond — or wherever you believe dead people go.
Wake Up — Bloody Civilian and Rema
If you haven’t heard of Bloody Civilian before (and didn’t listen to her incredible song, Goliath, before it was taken off streaming), please go listen to How to Kill A Man as soon as you finish listening to Wake Up. As the only somewhat unknown Nigerian artist on this soundtrack, Bloody Civilian holds her own on Wake Up, leading Rema on a mission to wake everyone up for war.
After making us wait for six years and five months, Rihanna is back.
Even though I initially thought Lift Me Up would be a Wakanda-themed push-up bra or contour palette, I’ve finally listened to her latest single for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, and I love it.
Co-written by our very own Tems, get ready to feel these emotions in stages while listening to Lift Me Up:
Doubt
We all love Rihanna, but we also know Ms Robyn Fenty can lie for Africa. She’d been saying new music was on the way since 2017, so it makes sense to doubt that she’ll actually sing on this track. If you mistakenly play Lift Me Up’s instrumental instead, the doubt might give way to heartbreak as you wait for vocals that never come.
Fear and anticipation
Once the humming starts, fear and anticipation follow. It’s been six years. What does her voice sound like now? Can she still sing? Will the song be a disaster? Why Black Panther? Are you going to have to defend your fave on the internet in front of the people that call her “The Mary Kay Lady”?
So many questions.
Shock
There’s a high chance you may collapse as soon as you hear Rihanna sing, “Liffffft me up.” You knew the vocals were coming, but it still feels like they come out of nowhere.
As Lift Me Up starts to build up with the strings and backing vocals, you’ll start to lose your shit because of how glorious the song is. There will be tears because Rihanna is back and better, tears because the song actually slaps and more tears when you remember the song is about Chadwick Boseman.
Confusion
Deep in your tears, you start to wonder if it’s Rihanna singing or our sister, Temilade. There’s no way you’ll get through Lift Me Up without pausing to acknowledge Tems’ pen game and vocal influence on the song. Remember when we said Tems and Rihanna are like the same artist? This song confirms it.
Warmth
Lift Me Up is such a beautiful inspirational song that it starts to feel like a warm hug towards the end. You start thinking of all the people you’ve lost, the people you love and how nothing in life is promised. All you can do is love and cherish the moments you have right now.
Anger
Anger sets in when you realise Lift Me Up is just a little over three minutes long. Why? Other artists are making six-minute-long songs, and since we’ve waited impatiently for six years, we deserve a longer song.
Tems and Rihanna were destined to work together. They’re on the same wavelength, with similar sounding alto voices and songs like Try Me and Hard that announced each of them as women not to be messed with.
When I heard Tems was co-writing Rihanna’s new song for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it reminded me of these Tems and Rihanna songs I’ve always thought share similar vibes.
Crazy Tings / Work
Tems really sang Crazy Tings are happening, and crazy things started happening to her career for real — Grammy nominations, working with Beyonce, and now, Rihanna. Even though Crazy Tings and Rihanna’s Work talk about different things, their videos have the same house party energy that makes me want to break my waist and drink from a red cup till I pass out.
Found / Looveeeeeee Song
It’s not a coincidence Tems collaborated with toxic prince, Brent Faiyaz, on Found, almost ten years after Rihanna collaborated with the king of toxicity, Future, on Loveeeeeee Song. These women are obviously kindred spirits, even when it comes to their collaborations.
Damages / Bitch Better Have My Money
Tems and Rihanna already warned us that they’re not to be messed with on Try Me and Hard, but in case people didn’t listen, they recorded Damages and Bitch Better Have My Money to reiterate their points. The latter songs will unleash your inner bad bitch whenever the world tries to bring you down. Trust me, I’ve been there too.
Live Life / Live Your Life
Two features in which Rihanna and Tems sing about living life to the fullest and ignoring the haters? Inject it inna mi veins with a quickness. Tems’ part on Show Dem Camp’s Live Life makes for the perfect pregaming vibe, while Rihanna’s voice on T.I’s Live Your Life might make you order that bottle of Azul you know you can’t afford.
Fighting for a relationship is great, but it’s important to know when to walk away. Tems and Rihanna explore this in their songs Avoid Things and Fading. On Avoid Things, Tems tells her lover she’s sick of his games, while Rihanna is quick to tell hers to bounce on Fading. These are the songs you listen to when you need ginger to break up and regain your freedom.
Higher / Higher
Rihanna opens up Higher with the line, “This whiskey got me feeling pretty. So pardon if I’m impolite,” before she goes on a rant to convince her lover to come over. The same energy could be felt on Tems’ song of the same title, in which she asks her lover if they’ll come for her if the world was ending. These two were definitely in their feels when they recorded these songs.
Free Mind / Redemption Song (Bob Marley Cover)
It’s hard to go on TikTok and not see a morning routine video set to Tems’ Free Mind. Off of her 2020 EP, For Broken Ears, Free Mind is a delicate song about mental struggles and adulting. Even though Redemption Song is not a Rihanna original, her haunting version of the song is on the same frequency.
Vibe Out / Cheers (Drink to That)
Tems rarely makes songs about partying, so Vibe Out is a special one for me. Coming off a Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and carrying the whole summer of 2021 on her back, with Essence, Tems deserved a big ass party. Looking for a party is something Rihanna can also relate to on Cheers (Drink to That), which came out after her long LOUD Tour of 2011.
Looku Looku / Stupid in Love
Dealing with a man who doesn’t deserve you is the theme that unites Tems’ Looku Looku and Rihanna’s Stupid in Love. I support women’s rights, so I support their choices after they realise niggas ain’t shit.
Did Show Dem Camp (SDC) just release the waviest album of the year? Yes. While albums like Asa’s V and Burna Boy’s Love, Damini showed different sides to the artists behind them, and Omah Lay’s Boy Alone delved deeper into the mind of a rising star, something about Show Dem Camp’s Palmwine Music 3 feels like the ultimate breath of fresh air.
With appearances from past collaborators like BOJ, Moelogo and Ladipoe, as well as new entries from Tay Iwar, Victony and Nesta, Palmwine 3 feels like the best way to close the group’s highlife-inspired trilogy. So with 16 features across 17 songs, which features slapped the hardest?
Apollo (feat. Tay Iwar)
It’s been eight years since I first heard Tay Iwar on his debut project, Passport, and this man’s voice still gives me goosebumps all over. Apollo is an obvious party starter, just like most of the songs on this album, but the way Tay Iwar skates seamlessly on the chorus with this rap-song type of melody makes it a major highlight for me.
PS: If you need another reason not to trust men, listen to how SDC and Tay Iwar make having apollo sound sexy AF!
Wyw (feat. Bellah)
“I hope she cheats on you. I hope she makes a fool of you. I hope she carries belle for your friend,” Bellah chose violence on Wyw, and it’s giving me endorphins. Taking the blame game to another level, the song follows a messy break-up with Tec and Ghost trying to end the relationship peacefully and Bellah constantly saying, “No, fuck that shit!”
I’ll always support women’s rights (and wrongs), so this song is a contender for my number one track on Palmwine Music 3.
Live Life (feat. Tems)
Tems wasn’t playing when she told us she was the leading vibe on Higher, because what? This babe bullies the beat from the very moment she opens Live Life with its smooth ass chorus. There’s a switch reminiscent of Lady Donli’s Cash and it just makes me want to throw my hands in the air and truly live life to the fullest. This is the one song on Palmwine Music 3 that’ll get you hyped real fast.
Head Over Heels (feat. Victony)
Can someone tell Victony that his heavenly race is no longer pure? After declaring that all power belongs to bumbum on All Power earlier this year [2022], Victony comes back on Head Over Heels to involve God in matters of the bumbum again. Conflict of faith aside, Victony’s vocals carry this song with so much vim, it’s easy to see why he’s quickly becoming one of the go-to guys for hooks in 2022.
Songs like Feel Alright and Compose are receipts that prove it’s always a madness when SDC links up with BOJ, and Kele is no different. It opens with, “You’re now rocking with the SDC. it’s the Show Dem Camp, omo, yes, indeed,” and it just feels full circle for everyone who’s loved SDC from their Feel Alright days. While Kele doesn’t come close to their previous collaborations (the bar is too high, bruh), it still manages to leave a mark of its own.
OldFlame (feat. Nesta and Ladipoe)
SDC introduced me to FLASH in 2018 with Tropicana, and now they have me obsessed with Nesta thanks to his chorus on OldFlame. While Ladipoe comes through to remind the audience that he’s still one of the best lyricists with his performance, it’s the skit at the end that steals the show for me. Enobong, how far?
Mine Alone (feat. Oxlade)
If there’s one song that is sure to blow up from Palmwine Music 3, it’s Mine Alone with Oxlade. I can already picture radio stations and playlists rinsing this song till its collar starts to fade. Oxlade delivers again in a way that reminds me of his iconic hooks on Blaqbonez’ Mamiwota in 2018 and DJ Tunez’ Causing Trouble in 2019. Once again, I’m confident this’ll be the major commercial hit from the album.
No Regrets (feat. Moelogo)
SDC made a gospel song for creatives and that’s on period! No Regrets is a song for dreamers who have been able to taste their dreams and those still struggling to reach the other side. Moelogo’s decision to sprinkle some Yoruba in the chorus makes No Regrets a more spiritual listening experience than the other songs on the album. Major shoutout to SDC for being vulnerable and sharing their story because this song is now my motivational anthem, for real.
With new music dropping faster than you can say, “Kapaichumarimarichopaco”, standing out and making a hit song takes a lot of work. But do you know what’ll make that work easier? Knowing the right artist to feature. Looking at their track records, we believe these are the artists that are guaranteed to give you a banger in 2022. Don’t say we didn’t do anything for you.
1. BNXN (formerly Buju)
It doesn’t matter what name he decides to go with, BNXN is a certified hitmaker. From the moment L’enu hit the airwaves, we could see that this artist was here to stay. Since then, it’s been back-to-back hits both on solo projects and features. If you check the charts, chances are BNXN is directly involved with five songs that are popping — there was the time where his two songs, Feeling with Ladipoe and the solo single Outside were fighting for the number one spot on the charts. Check it and balance it; no one is doing it with as much finesse as BNXN.
The Receipts: Cold Outside with Timaya, Finesse with Pheelz, Bling with Blaqbonez, Mood with Wizkid and Hustle with Reminisce.
2. Tems
Remember when Tems popped up in 2019 and asked us not to try her? Omo, this babe wasn’t playing o. In less than five years, Tems has worked her way to the top of the Billboard charts, a Grammy nomination, two critically-acclaimed EPs and being featured on one of the biggest songs of 2021, Essence. At this point, you can’t talk about Nigerian music and not mention Tems. When she’s not making hits with Wizkid, Drake and DRB, our girl is busy making songs of her own that gets us in our feels.
The Receipts: Fountains with Drake, Peace with MannyWellz, Trouble with DRB Lasgidi and Tales by Moonlight with Show Dem Camp.
3. Fireboy DML
It’s Fireboy DML’s world and the rest of us are just paying rent. This man dropped Jealousin 2019 and decided we will not rest again because why has he been dropping hits consistently since then? When he’s not dropping albums back to back or moving from San Francisco to Germany, he’s laying vocals for other artists and shooting their songs to the top of the charts.
The Receipts: Running with Ladipoe, Southy Love with Peruzzi, History with Cheque, Sere with DJ Spinall and Ogaranya with Reminisce
If you want your song to do extraordinary things for real, you should probably hit up Zinoleesky ASAP! The way it is, it feels like our memory of music has been split into two: music before Zinoleesky showed up and music after Zinoleesky came and put his foot on our necks. Zinoleesky’s vibe is all about not giving two fucks and living your life to the fullest, two things we fully agree with.
The Receipts: Blessings with Niphkeys, Don’t Call Me with Lil Kesh, Good Life with Mulla Rae and Like Dat with Lil Frosh.
5. Tay Iwar
Tay Iwar is hands down one of the most gifted artists of this generation, no cap. While many people may have been introduced to Tay on Wizkid’s True Love, the songwriter/singer/producer has been in the game since he dropped his first EP at 16 way back in 2014. Often credited as one of the pioneers of the alté movement, Tay has featured on and written songs for everyone from M.I to Tiwa Savage.
The Receipts: Special Kinda with Tiwa Savage, Shining with Pa Salieu, Murvlana with Cruel Santino, December with Juls and Steady with Wizkid.
6. Oxlade
Just when you think Oxlade is taking a break, he drops another banger. This guy has been unstoppable since we first noticed him on Blaqbonez’ Mami Wota. Scoring major hits left, right and centre, Oxlade is guaranteed to give you a hit record just by breathing into the mic. Yes, it’s that simple.
The Receipts: Causing Trouble with DJ Tunez, Ojuju with Troniq Music, Kolo with Ice Prince, Non Living Thing with Sarkodie and Myself with Basketmouth.
7. Omah Lay
There’s something about Omah Lay’s music that just makes you want to relax and take life jejely. Coming out at the height of the pandemic with Bad Influence, Omah Lay’s creative combination of Afrobeats and Atlanta-inspired R&B made him stand out immediately. With lockdown finally over, Omah Lay’s songs have moved us from our bedrooms to the streets and we’re here for it.
The Receipts: Infinity with Olamide, Pronto with Ajebo Hustlers, PAMI with DJ Tunez, Forever with Gyakie and Peaches with Justin Bieber.
This year alone, we were met with an overnight Twitter ban and also threatened with another ban that almost prevented our fave IJGBs from spoiling us with foreign currency this Christmas. Through all of these things, music has held us up together in one piece, helping us think, connect or just whine our waists. From the artists we discovered by ourselves to those we stole from other people’s playlists, this has been a good year for Nigerian music. Looking back, we decided to rank some of the albums that gave us good vibes (some made us cry sha) this year.
20. SGaWD – Savage Bitch Juice EP
The rap girls are making an entry into the scene and honestly, we’re here for it. Since she started popping up on our radar with features on songs with Dusten Truce and Sute Iwar, this fearless and unapologetic rapper has demanded our attention. Featuring Princess Mami and Somadina, on her debut EP, SGaWD reminds us that she’s the shit and the rest of us are just playing catch-up.
19. Buju – Sorry I’m Late
Buju is everywhere these days. Providing hooks for artists like Ladipoe, Blaqbonez, and Timaya, you can hardly go through a full day and not hear Buju’s voice somewhere. Buju released the EP Sorry I’m Late to a lot of anticipation. Does it match the energy we expected from the guy whose vocals carried the year? No. But we also can’t deny that this was quite an interesting record.
18. Kizz Daniel – Barnabas
Kizz Daniel is a certified hitmaker at this point. Since Woju attained wedding anthem status, he has switched record labels and changed his name. But despite all these changes, Kizz Daniel has remained reliable, pushing out earworm after earworm. On Barnabas, he maintains the same relatability that has made his songs slap over the years. While we’d like for some artistic evolution, the project carries enough weight to land itself on this list.
17. Ajebo Hustlers – Kpos Lifestyle, Vol. 1
If there was one song that soundtracked the #EndSARS protest of 2020, it’s Ajebo Hustler’s Barawo. Highlighting most of the issues young Nigerians were talking about in their demand for better, the song immediately catapulted this group to the top of the charts. But how do you follow up a song — no, a cultural movement — like that? The result is their debut album, Kpos Lifestyle, Vol.1, which sees the duo create standout moments while maintaining the same in-your-face Port Harcourt energy that made them popular in the first place.
16. Psycho YP – Euphoria EP
Psycho YP is in a league of his own when it comes to making trap and rap in Nigeria. Breaking out of the “Abuja-based” tagline to become a formidable force in his own right, Euphoria shows the artist at his best — hyper expressive, intense and confident AF.
15. Ladipoe – Providence EP
After years of mind-blowing guest appearances and some standout solo moments, Providence EP introduces one of our favorite rappers to a new, larger audience. Songs like Love Essential and Law of Attraction are sure to make it to your bedroom playlist, but it’s on the title track, Providence that Ladipoe reminds us who’s boss. Is this the same Ladipoe that gave us Can’t Forget and the iconic rap verse on Show Dem Camp’s Victoria Island of Broken Dreams? No, but that’s okay, the change here is a welcome one.
14. Prettyboy D-O – Love is War
Prettyboy D-O may just be to this generation what artists like Baba Fryo, Danfo Drivers and Daddy Showkey were to listeners during their time. Drawing from the late 1990s and early 2000s, Prettyboy’s influence goes beyond his multicolored hair and fashion choices; his music is brash and convoluted in a way that keeps you hungry for more. Love is War, his third album in four years, explores love (obviously) and what it means to be a young Nigerian navigating a country that keeps moving mad.
13. Show Dem Camp – Clone Wars Vol.5 – The Algorhythm
When discussing Nigeria’s rap or alternative scene, Show Dem Camp is sure to come up at some point. A decade after releasing their debut album, The Dreamer Project, Tec and Ghost have continued to remain relevant fixtures on both scenes. While their Palmwine series might bring them a lot of commercial attention, it’s the Clone Wars series that binds real SDC stans together. And in this installment, they don’t disappoint either.
12. Teni – Wondaland
After making a major break into the industry with the fuji-inspired Askamaya in 2019, Teni finally put out her debut album this year, and it was worth the wait. Covering afropop, trap, highlife, R&B and yes, house music, Teni gave us bop after bop with songs like For You and Injure Me. But it’s songs like Hustle—which sounds a lot like Uyo Meyo—that remind us that our sugar mummy is an intentional storyteller.
11. Blaqbonez – Sex Over Love
Blaqbonez is to Nigeria what Lil Nas X is to American pop culture. Self-marketing his way into our playlists and hearts, Blaqbonez not only understands the power of the internet, he has also mastered the art of sharing authentic and relatable content. This same authenticity is evident on his album Sex Over Love. While a lot of questions have been raised about the strength of Nigeria’s rap scene, this album proves that rap doesn’t always have to be a monolith; it could be many things all at once.
10. Cavemen – Love and Highlife
In a year where GOATS like Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy and Davido all dropped albums, one album that stood out from the pack was Roots by The Cavemen. Continuing their two-man mission of introducing highlife to a new generation, Love and Highlife is an expansion on the story they started last year. Featuring appearances by Made Kuti and legendary producer Cobhams Asuquo, this album has “modern classic” written all over it.
9. Joeboy – Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic
You have to have been living under a rock not to have heard at least four or five songs off this album. Focus was a regular on TikTok and Instagram stories, while Show Me was playing literally every time we turned on the radio. If there’s something we’ve learnt this year, it’s that this is Joeboy’s world, and the rest of us are just squatting in it.
8. Tiwa Savage – Water and Garri EP
When Tiwa Savage announced a new EP barely a year after dropping the best album of her decade-long career, we were shocked but excited. Water & Garri proves yet again that Tiwa is great at creating cohesive sounding EPs (Sugarcane, everybody?). While the album opens with Nas and features a collaboration with her vocal role model, Brandy, it’s the songs with alternative acts Amaarae and Tay Iwar that carry the heavy punches on this EP.
7. Tems – If Orange was a Place
From cracking the Billboard Hot 100 to securing a Grammy nomination and hanging out with Adele and Rihanna, there’s no denying that we all want to be Tems right now. If last year’s For Broken Ears found Tems asking existential questions while telling madmen not to call her phone, If Orange was a Place shows a more confident artist, one who finally understands, but still doesn’t buy into the hype around her.
6. Femi and Made Kuti – Legacy +
Does being a Kuti automatically translate to being super talented? We have a lot of questions about this because why did Femi and Made Kuti snap so hard on this cross-generational album? Already a Grammy contender, this album is a beautiful nod to the past and a clear sign that the Kuti clan can step into the future without losing the ethos of what made them iconic in the first place.
5. Lojay and Sarz – LV N ATTN EP
Sarz has told us time and time again that he’s not our mate, and while we already believe him, every year, he drops something to make sure we don’t forget. LV N ATTN finds Sarz working with Lojay to create a record that soundtracks a wild night out in the city. From the strip club on Tonongo to the dancefloor on Monalisa, this EP is filled with bangers. We can’t stop listening, and to be honest, it’s not like we want to.
4. Tay Iwar – Love and Isolation
Inspired by the lockdown, Tay Iwar’s sixth project is an elite body of work that will make you want to give someone your mumu button, eat hot breakfast and still fall in love again like it’s jazz. Minimalistic and burning with intensity, we didn’t even know how much we needed this EP until we started listening to it.
3. Ayra Starr – 19 & Dangerous
This time last year, less than a handful of people outside the Mavin headquarters could identify the name “Ayra Starr”. Fast-forward to today and Ayra Starr has cemented her spot as Nigeria’s first teenage female pop star and one of the most in-demand artists of the moment. With confidence way beyond her years, Ayra owns every track on this album. Not all of us are 19, but we can totally relate to wanting to be a bad bitch every day. A rare no-skips project, 19 & Dangerous was one of our musical highlights of the year.
2. Olamide – UY Scuti
This is Olamide’s 11th album. Yes, not one, not two, but 11 whole albums, and we’re not disappointed. While Carpe Diem was filled with hits like Loading and Infinity, this album replaces crowd-pleasers to show an evolution in his lyricism and approach to story-telling. He also reminds us of the importance of fighting for our lives by avoiding broke niggas. Talk about life nuggets.
1. Wizkid – Made in Lagos (Deluxe Version)
Yes, we know the album originally came out in 2020 but was Anoti, Mood, or Steady on the old one? No. If Wiz drops deluxe plus next year, best believe it would make our end-of-the-year list again. Periodt.
After an incredible year of music, the Grammys recently released their nomination list honouring the “best of the best” in the industry. With Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tems, Made and Femi Kuti scoring nominations, we decided to ask Nigerians what they thought about the list for Love It/Hate It!
Bello – Hate it! Too many predictable nominations
Omo, the last time a Grammy nomination list made sense was 2016. It has been a whole ass mess since then. Shout out to Big Wiz, Tems and Jazmine Sullivan for their nominations, well deserved. But please tell me why all H.E.R has to do is breathe and just like that, she’s nominated. Is her father paying their rent? Apart from Wiz’s nomination, I hate this list.
Max – Hate It! The Grammys have been embarrassing for years
The rap category was a mess – I’m still wondering how Drake’s Certified Lover Boy made it on the list as opposed to Isaiah Rashad and Baby Keem. I feel like the Grammys have been embarrassing for years and it just keeps getting worsePretty sure everyone thinks Wiz has it in the bag but Angelique Kidjo might just end up being a thorn in his side.
Kelechi – Love it! This is the most diverse list they’ve put out in a while
Finally, the Grammys acknowledge that black people can do pop and white people can do R&B. I can’t stand that peaches in Georgia song, but they could’ve easily thrown it into the pop category because there’s a white man involved. Doja in the pop categories? Yassss! This is the most diverse list they’ve put out in a while. I’m into it.
Solape – Love it but Essence should have been in record or song of the year
I can’t believe we used to drag Burna for being extra. Despite being very annoying online, he always gets the job done. This guy has gotten Grammy nominations back to back. I’m happy for that Olivia Rodrigo girl too. That album had a grown man like me in my feelings (and I’m single). The list is balanced, but Essence should have been in record or song of the year.
Esther – Hate it! Are the Grammys relevant?
Every year we have the same argument about who got snubbed and who didn’t deserve to be nominated. These awards are controlled by white men who should be listening to Jim Reeves. They don’t know jack! Are the Grammys relevant? I doubt it. Everyone should free that thing abeg.
Tems has been on some wildfire shit this year as her feature on Wizkid’s Essence helped shoot the song to fame in the US. Landing a feature on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy album is another cherry on Tem’s sundae. Quite clearly, Tems didn’t come here to play. Here are 8 Tem’s songs that prove she is not your mate.
1. Try Me — Tems
This 2018 song shot Tems into the limelight quicker than she could say “o porr”. The hit snuck on many of us and three years down the line, I still want to randomly burst out screaming “Why you wanna try me?” in the middle of the market square.
While we were still trying to figure out 2020 and the pandemic, our caring queen gave us this sweet jam to use as background music for the times you wanted to have a mental breakdown. A top jam, for sure.
The guy who gave us Repete put Tems on Soon, the opener to his third album, Blackmagic Version 3.0. Once again, she shows her ability with a rendition that almost reminds you of Sade Adu. Also, let me use this opportunity to remind you that Blackmagic is GOATed.
This 2019 single introduced us to Tem’s ability to hold a note. The song is almost entrancing in its softness. Tems sabi ball. It’s a song about a man whose hoe ways led him to ruin. Because he be looku looku baby.
Our babe’s 2018 follow up to her hit single Try Me was a banger in its own right. She really flexed her songwriting muscles on this one quite comfortably.
With the song Essence by Wizkid & Tems being the biggest song out of Nigeria right now, we’ll seem like haters telling you not to listen to it. But our advice is from a good place, and we have your best interest at heart. Here’s a list of times you should not listen to Essence by Wizkid & Tems.
1. When you are cheating.
It is bad enough that you are even cheating, you are now telling your cheating partner that they don’t need another body. Really?. You want to eat your cake and have it. Sounds like greed to us sha.
2. When you are trying to move on from your ex.
You don’t need them in the morning and you don’t need them now either. Whatever you feel coming is a lie, please. Don’t let the lyrics of the song deceive you. They are not the one and they really need other bodies. God is going to provide someone else to hold your body.
3. When you are trying to be celibate.
Hold your body yourself. It kuku belongs to you. The last thing you need to listen to when practising celibacy is a song that brings flashbacks of fast and intense sex.
4. When you are in a long distance relationship.
You’ll listen to the song and have hot tears rolling down your cheeks. Then you’ll remember that you are the only body you have and be tempted to cheat because body no be firewood and jerking off is no longer enough for you.
5. When you find out they are cheating on you.
You gave them all they needed and knew what they liked, yet they cheated. Even though the lyrics of the song can confuse you into staying with them, you need to remember that they’re not the only ones that can hold your body. Lastly, their love is a lie and you’re better off without it.
If you listen to Essence when you are lonely at night, you’ll make bad decisions. It is inevitable. You’ll either call Tunde or Femi (terrible men that you have no business talking to) or you’ll cry yourself to sleep from loneliness. Don’t do it.
7. When you are seriously horny.
Essence can make you fall in love when having sex, so we’ll advise you not to listen to it when you are very horny. Only listen to it when you have someone on speed dial, preferably someone who you already loves you.
Thanks to the success of her anthemic hit, “Try Me”, Tems, born Temilade Openiyi, was one of 2019’s biggest breakout stars. Now, she’s dropped a new EP, For Broken Ears, and I’ve already listened to it three times.
Prior to the release of the project, Tems dropped “Damages”, a solid lead single that hinted at what we should expect. Thankfully, the gifted star did not disappoint.
One of the many reasons the EP soars is Tems’ enthralling voice, which possesses an enviable beauty and distinctness. It’s also pretty undeniable that the 25-year-old has a great ear for music.
The mostly self-produced EP, which has just seven songs, is a body of work that fans of Tems will have no problems settling into. While it sounds nothing like her past releases, it still possesses the same soul.
With her dominant voice, the subtle but melodious instrumentals, and her nack for telling engaging and emotional stories, For Broken Ears is a project that will surely win her a swarm of new fans.
From “Higher”, a soulful song about conflict and resolution, to “Ice T”, a standout about finding the good in the bad, this project is full of songs that prove we all need to be paying attention to Tems.
One year ago, we left Nigeria for an 80-day adventure across West Africa. Something is coming. Unshared stories. New perspectives. Limited series. 10 episodes. Jollofroad.com
There’s so much new music being released that it’s hard for even the most loyal fans to wade through the trash to find the gems. That’s why we’ve created #BumpThis – a Friday series that features new songs, by and featuring Nigerians, that you absolutely need to hear.
Tems — “These Days”
2019 blessed us with many impressive breakout stars, and thanks to her anthemic hit, “Try Me”, Tems stood out as one of the more exciting and unique discoveries.
Now, following a few standout international and local features, Tems is finally here with her first single of 2020, “These Days”, which she calls a “reflection of our times”.
On the moving track, Tems sings about craving a lover who isn’t necessarily the best for her. Like with all her singles, her sturdy voice is the real star, commanding your attention from start to finish.
There’s so much new music being released that it’s hard for even the most loyal fans to wade through the trash to find the gems. That’s why we’ve created #BumpThis – a Friday series that features new songs, by and featuring Nigerians, that you absolutely need to hear.
Adekunle Gold — “Something Different”
With each new release, it becomes clearer that Adekunle Gold’s new era is set to be his greatest yet. After gems like “Kelegbe Megbe” and “Jore”, he’s now released the astonishing “Something Different”.
On the groovy track, Adekunle Gold sings about a lover who left when he had nothing. It’s an infectious single that showcases the singer’s impressive range and gets us even more hyped for his upcoming album, Afro Pop.
DRB — “Trouble” ft. Tems
Last week, DRB finally dropped their debut album, Pioneers— a project that has been 10 years in the making — and it’s everything we hoped it would be. A standout of the nearly flawless LP is the Tems-assisted “Trouble”.
On the Adey-produced track, everyone gets a chance to shine, but it’s Tems who steals the show with an unforgettable hook (we expect “Trouble is what excites me” to occupy Instagram captions aplenty).
Terri — “My Chest”
Since the success of “Soco”, we’ve been waiting for Terri, one of the song’s standouts, to deliver on all the promise he showed. Well, he’s finally done that with his fantastic debut EP, Afro Series.
Every single song on the project is solid, but “My Chest” is easily the strongest. It’s a fun and instantly likeable track that has the potential to be the singer’s biggest hit.
There’s so much new music being released that it’s hard for even the most loyal fans to wade through the trash to find the gems. That’s why we’ve created #BumpThis – a Friday series that features new songs, by and featuring Nigerians, that you absolutely need to hear.
Khalid — “Know Your Worth (Remix)” ft. Davido & Tems
A few months ago, Khalid teamed up with Disclosure for “Know Your Worth” — their second collaboration following their Grammy-nominated hit, “Talk”. Now, they’ve enlisted Davido and Tems for an unexpected remix.
On the electro-r&b original, Khalid sings about a woman stuck in a shitty relationship. The message remains the same on the remix, with Disclosure adding afropop elements to the stellar production work.
While Davido doesn’t get a lot to do on the remix, he still delivers, but it’s Tems who gets to really shine. Her inimitable voice blends beautifully with Khalid’s, making for a remix that never feels unnecessary.
There’s so much new music being released that it’s hard for even the most loyal fans to wade through the trash to find the gems. That’s why we’ve created #BumpThis – a Friday series that features new songs, by and featuring Nigerians, that you absolutely need to hear.
Odunsi — “Decided” ft. Tems
Every song Odunsi (The Engine) has released since his career-defining debut, rare. has been undeniably solid. His latest effort, the Tems-assisted “Decided” is no different.
On the honest and deeply moving track, Odunsi sings about his non-existent relationship with his father and how that affected him in ways he never even realised.
Tems, who opens the track and handles the chorus, is a marvel, stealing the show with her powerful and emotive voice. It’s a stunning collaboration between two of our most exciting young stars.
2019 gave us a bunch of exciting new stars, including Joeboy, Fireboy DML and Rema. So, as we all settle into 2020, we’ve decided to highlight 10 rising stars that we believe will dominate the music scene this year, based on their past work and unmistakable potential.
Tems
With the undeniable impact of “Try Me”, Tems announced herself as a star on the rise. “Mr Rebel” and “Looku Looku” — the two fantastic singles that preceded that smash hit — also prove the exceptional singer is capable of so much more, and we can’t wait to see her deliver on all that promise.
Gigi Atlantis
Last year, Gigi Atlantis dropped “Wahala On The Rocks” — one of 2019’s best and most underrated gems. Now that she’s dropped a music video, we’re hoping the song catches on, but regardless, if whatever she drops next is even half as good, then 2020 will be her year.
Crayon
While Rema ended up being the bigger star, he wasn’t the only afropop upstart Mavin Records introduced the world to last year. They also gave us Crayon, who quickly revealed his gifts on his astonishing Cray Cray EP. He is more than ready for his own moment in the spotlight.
Terri
Since he landed his big break on 2018’s biggest song, “Soco”, Terri has been releasing solid singles that hint at his potential. With the announcement of his debut project, Afro Series, it’s clear that the Starboy signee is finally ready to make a grand statement.
Oxlade
More than any other artist on this list, it’s clear that Oxlade is right on the cusp of becoming one of Nigeria’s biggest stars. With every new song and feature, it becomes harder to imagine a future without Oxalde at the forefront of the afropop revolution.
BUJU
With the success of his Zlatan-assisted hit, “Spiritual”, BUJU shot to the top of the list of ‘stars to watch’. Since then, he’s dropped other singles that show just how skilled he is at crafting earworms — a gift that will surely help make his 2020 domination a veritable cakewalk.
Tolani
At the start of 2019, Tolani teamed up with Reekado Banks for her biggest song yet, “Ba Mi Lo”. She then followed it up with two equally refreshing singles, “Liar” and “Maybe Baby”. A breath of fresh air in our overcrowded afropop landscape, the r&b star deserves superstardom.
Oladapo
While JoeBoy became emPawa’s breakout star, he wasn’t the only gifted artist that got the Mr Eazi seal of approval. Oladopo was one of the initiative’s most exciting picks, dropping the underrated “Gbe Bodi”. If he maintains that quality, he will become a household name in no time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA8sxCd8Xwk
Lyta
2019 was a really great year for Lyta. He scored a smash hit, “Monalisa” and landed one of Davido’s strongest features. With all that momentum, the afropop star should be able to make a real name for himself this year, as long as he continues to drop infectious hits.
MOJO
The charismatic MOJO broke out with one of 2019’s most essential anthems, “Chop Life Crew”. He then followed that up with the party-starting banger, “Shawarma”. Both songs not only showcase his range, but they also make a great case for his mainstream dominance.
I was inside a bus, ears plugged in and generally minding my business when a random song popped in, courtesy of a random playlist on Apple music. Naturally, the first instinct was to skip to the next song, but Thank God — or whatever you believe in — I didn’t do that. By the end of the second verse, I knew I had found a new anthem; one that filled me with a particular sense of liberation. I don’t know what exactly Tems was thinking when she wrote and performed “Try me”, but if I would guess, it was her middle-finger gesture to something or someone. And now, it is that exact thing to me.
By the end of my bus ride, I felt like I’d been thrown into some sort of superhero movie.
Since I discovered the song in the middle of Lagos road and traffic, I’ve thought about how this song could get me through all I hated about the road and its elements.
Lagos Conductors, Someone is Ready to match your Craziness
We all know for a fact that the angel in charge of home training conveniently missed Lagos conductors when he was dishing the virtue out. And what did we get because of that? Daily doses of uncouthness. I could live with regular verbal onslaught, but we have to draw a line when my money is kind of involved. And boy, do they like to take your change if the chance pops up.
Well, guess what? Since I heard “Try Me”, that #50 I would normally let go of when they pair me with a random stranger during Monday rush hour is mine to fight for. And in the midst of this, if the conductor feels like he’s the street designated verbal merchant, I now have an armory of words at my disposal to unleash. I always thought that I was not made for the craziness in this city, but with the lyrics of this song wafting in my head, maybe I stand a chance. We die here!
Bike Riders, A New Speed Enthusiast Has Joined The Race
Oh boy, how much I used to hate situations where I’ve got no choice but to jump a bike. Those guys love their speed, don’t they? For some reason, your “Kanda kanda” or “small-small, Oga” only feeds their thirst to get more distance between them and the next vehicle. What do bad roads and the death traps in them mean to them?
But maybe I don’t need to worry about that anymore. Nothing has happened so far, has it? Maybe all I need now is to plug my ears, turn the volume up and enjoy the trip I paid for? I am the Ganja, they are the lighter.
Traffic, You Can’t Break Me Now!
For the longest time, this city’s traffic has filled me up with the deepest sense of despair. I mean, what could be crazier than spending the equivalent of your whole trip on a spot?
But why do I bother, really? It’s crazy that I needed a song to tell me that. I broke out of my chains, guys; I broke out of my chains.
I don’t know if you have listened to “Try me” or how it works for you. But it works for me perfectly. It’s like I have discovered traffic in this city in a whole new light. And if that is not freedom, I don’t know what else I can call it.
Maybe I would go back to the old me if my encounter with a conductor hits the roof, or if my new need for speed gives me a scar, or if my new found love for Lagos traffic makes me so comfortable that I miss out on some important appointment. But for now, let me just revel in my new found freedom. I can’t let anything try me now.
