Staying True To Our Mission Reshape The Face Of African Popular Culture, The NATIVE Team Curates A Monthly List To Spotlight The Best And Most Exciting New Artists On The Continent. Some Of These Artists Have Dropped Songs To Some Regional Acclaim, While Others Are Brand New On The Block, Working Towards Their First Big Break. Tune In To What’s Next. Click Here For May’s Fresh Meat.
Music is the most accessible it’s ever been. It might be trite to say, but the impact of streaming and social media can just not be overstated. In the era of tap/click to listen, the endless scroll, and multiple avenues for instant connectivity, there’s an endless stream of new music always waiting for us. With this and the effect of the democratisation of music-making and distribution tools, there’s an influx of young, exciting and rule-breaking artists to discover.
As a publication and community dedicated to championing the sounds of tomorrow, today, The NATIVE’s editorial team always look forward to the end of each month where we share some of the best, nascent musicians we’ve become enamoured by over the last few weeks. On a perhaps more selfish note, our Fresh Meat column, now in its 16th consecutive month, is the team’s consistent way of rededicating itself to music discovery, a tenet that’s always been integral to The NATIVE even as we’ve improved and diversified how we cover music and youth culture. The column offers us a chance to intensify the spotlight on budding stars, and champion artists helping to redefine the perception of the music meant to be made by Africans.
This month’s instalment is no different. As usual, the selection of artists don’t cater to any stringent sonic rules, emboldening the diversity of the music being made by young Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. From PRVNA’s lilting, Dance-meets-R&B melodies, to Skolleywood’s unflappable raps, to the vulnerable Neo-Soul of Dato Seiko, and more, here are eight artists you should be paying attention to—if you haven’t been already. (Check out last month’s instalment here.)
Dato Seiko
Dato Seiko took the scenic route to becoming Botswana’s latest breakout star. The singer began to garner initial attention with moving, innovative covers, and acoustic live renditions of her own written material, establishing the efficacy of her sweetly-scented voice. If you scroll long enough on her Instagram page and go through her YouTube channel, these covers and acoustic performances date as far back as 2017. “I started singing since my consciousness, and I haven’t stopped since,” she said in an interview with Sunday Standard last December. “It has always been my way of expressing myself.”
Last year, she made a wondrous guest appearance on “How It Feels,” the emotional centrepiece on Botswanan rapper/comedian William Last KRM’s debut album, Willian. On the song, Dato serves the anchor, singing the affecting chorus that perfectly accompanies the introspective gushing on William’s verses. With the early year release of its equally moving music video, which has amassed respectable 800k-plus views and counting, “How It Feels” quickly became Dato’s biggest star turn yet, setting the tone for a year that has seen the release of her long-awaited debut project.
Grace Effect, Dato’s 5-track EP, is a superb presentation of the artist’s inclination towards creating songs with intimacy and vulnerability at their core. Listening to the project is akin to gaining unfettered viewing as she fills out pages of her diary. The opener “The Wait (Gravity)” dramatizes the winding process of resolving a romantic situation where one party is hesitant. Similar to several other songs on the EP, her voice emotively stretches out over minimalist musical choices—usually just languid piano and/or guitar chords, and a little percussion. This inclination draws attention to her expressive writing and the way it impressively depicts the tensions in interpersonal relationships, like on “Lunathi,” where a piano is the only instrument as she sings of being platonically enamoured.
Showcasing her versatility beyond acoustic/ballad sensibilities, Dato also turns in looser, more blue-eyed cuts. On “Kaone Kario,” she slinks over a fleshy Neo-Soul groove, in her coy and sweet attempt to woo a love interest. Joined by Botswanan R&B star Mpho Sebina, she rues falling into an unsuccessful romantic situation on “Moonstone,” the chill bounce of the contemporary R&B production helping to convey their optimism that next time will be better. With Grace Effect, Dato Seiko has created an atmosphere for listeners—especially Black women and Queer folks—to relate with the relationship woes and hopes she shares on wax. Already, there are loyal supporters singing Dato’s songs faithfully, a fan-base that will continue to expand as her music enters more pairs of ears and connects with more hearts.
(Recommended if you like: Jazmine Sullivan, Elaine, Kehlani)
Skolleywood
The first thing I noticed about Johannesburg-born rapper Skolleywood is the glaring portmanteau that makes up her stage name. In a recent interview released earlier this year on BreakRoom Africa, the rapper was faced with a very important, yet seemingly daunting question that would frighten any newcomer. Who was Skolleywood? However, her response made an excellent showcase for her unfiltered confidence in herself and her musical abilities. “I am a rapper who is just trying to show inspiration to other kids out there, by being unique and unapologetically expressing yourself by creating your own SKOLLEYWOOD (world),” she shared, admitting the secret ingredient behind her confidence was her remarkable worldview as a storyteller. With lyrics imagining shopping trips round to the Vivien Westwood store and dallying with the rich and famous in Hollywood, it was clear that this was an artist armed with all the tools within herself to fully immerse others into her vibrant world.
It’s no surprise that Skolleywood has this innate sense of identity in herself given that the rapper has been making music for as long as she can remember. When Skolleywood was a young girl, she created an all-female band with her sisters but as she tells it, she was undeniably the main character in their dynamic. Bolstered by these experiences over the years, the newcomer released her debut single “Giddy Up!”last year April, just as the world around her descended into lockdowns and screeched to a standstill. In contrast, “Giddy Up!” was fast-paced, urgent and packed with sharp, clear raps that showed the rapper came into the game cocky, loud and ready for a good time. “Niggas out here pissed on facts that I’m spittin’/It’s in my DNA, I’m a star player” she quipped over the bass-thumping beat produced by Redash as she delivers a glittering debut that in one breath curses out the competition and in another, stakes her claim in the South African rap scene.
By her sophomore release “Thanks For Nothing”, released three months after her debut, it was clear that Skolleywood was just getting started. Once again, she linked up with close collaborator, producer Redash who delivered an uptempo hi-hat heavy beat with ample space for Skolleywood to fire off her menacing raps. “They thinkin’ I’m countin’ on their tips cause they asked for me/ Don’t need your call cause I know what you gon’ ask of me” she raps grimly, unafraid to mince her words and full of all the smoke for her last nigga. It’s hard to imagine Skolleywood letting anything get in the way of where she wants to be and that applies with niggas and coons alike.
Although women rappers have always been an integral part of rap culture’s fabric, they’ve often been shifted to the background as decoration for their male contemporaries or pitted against one another whereby only one can come out victorious, but this new generation of female emcees are changing the narrative. From the big-ticket names such as Doja Cat and Megan thee Stallion to new names arising on the continent including SGaWD, Lioness, Benzo, Brazy and more, it’s clear that the female rap evolution is well underway and anyone still sleeping on them is sorely doing themselves a great disservice. Tap in before it’s too late.
Jody
Jody makes music that is translucently confessional, subsuming desire, angst, and pain into smartly engineered mid-tempo songs that convey vivid messages. Born and raised in Lagos, the singer born Chukwuemeka Ugemba Emmanuel has always used music as an outlet for his feelings for as long as he can remember, drawing broad strokes with his pentatonic voice. Initially, he was drawn to hip-hop, joining his elder brother to rap over rudimentary beats as a secondary school student in the early 2000s before graduating to professionally recording a series of demos at the tail-end of his time in secondary school.
Beset by financial hindrances, Jody’s path into the music industry was plotted via strategically-released covers and freestyles, with one such effort catching the attention of Jos-born producer, Chopstix, in 2018. Drawn to his emotion-laden delivery and nimble flow, the producer worked extensively with Jody before introducing him to Skales. A chance to work with Skales on his Mr. Love album was a part of Jody’s development and, by the end of 2020, he appeared alongside Skales and Shegxz on a freestyle titled “Bounce On Beat” where his sing-rapping cameo was the highlight of the song. Concurrently, Jody was working on a series of songs that’d form the bulk of his introductory project as the finer details of a record deal with Skales’ OHK Entertainment were being smoothed over.
Set entirely with a minimalist palette, Waves, Jody’s debut EP, features more of his rueful emoting set to simple beat patterns bolstered by his latitudinal voice. Mixing neo-soul and R&B with the skittering drums of Afropop, his project is rangey, introducing listeners to new planes of rhythmicity while keeping his lyrics light, memorable, and incisive. But the real highlight here is his voice and how he wields it to express his yearnings like on “Fling,” where he expresses his fancy for a love interest over a light dancehall-influenced instrumental with the material troupe of Afropop without sounding cringey. The previously released single, “Non Stop,” sees him glide over a spectral beat to detail his affection before switching up his cadence around the 1-minute mark to intently reveal the depths of his passion.
At other places within Waves, Jody is almost languid, stretching out his vocals over warm guitar riffs on “For Nobody” to chronicle how he wants to be loved, before flipping the song to how he enjoys a love interest’s company. The back end of the project bears marks of an artist under Skales tutelage, with songs like “Moscow” and “Slide Slide” showing pop leanings, but, even then, Jody’s lively vocals don’t make these songs slapstick fodder, they are songs of elation taped unto songs of desire and want for those who choose to indulge. Not many can move through styles without diluting standards as Jody does here. On his debut, his voice emerges almost fully formed, breezily documenting his interests and dreams with grace and clear-mindedness.
Jaye IV
In Nigeria, indigenous rap has been a slow burn, as many people from Hip-Hop purists to music fans alike believe that the language barriers pose a challenge to the genre. However, over the years, rappers from Ruggedman to Olamide to Davolee and more, have shown through their success that their local tongue is not a hindrance to their rapping abilities. Cue in Alternative Hip-Hop/Afrobeat rapper Jaye IV who might just be taking the genre in a subtly different direction than his peers. Visiting his growing discography, you’d discover that the rapper’s melodious delivery on every track he puts his mind to is refreshingly distinct from any other artist out today. There’s definitely a thing or two to learn from an artist of his calibre.
The 24-year-old wunderkind from Lagos Nigeria makes sure that his melodies are front and centre on everything that he makes, as he takes advantage of the uniqueness of his sound to express pain and passion. In late 2019, he released his debut EP ‘Pick A Side’, a smooth 18-minute listen which he used to connect with the streets, telling his story as a hustler and painting a clear picture that visualises his journey to finding himself in the face of adversity. Barely a week ago, the rapper followed up this project with the release of his sophomore tape ‘Pay The Price’, a 7-tracker with the gritty number “DND” as the lead single off the project. The lyrical genius also uses songs such as “Messiah Complex” and“My Life” to walk listeners through his journey of pain and his hustle story to success; “Imma grind for the money now, it’s my fight /put my mind on the game now it’s alright”. The songwriter, rapper and record producer has proven his versatility with this tape as he has successfully crafted what seems to be his own unique sound in every way. Jaye IV with his growing discography has proven that he has a lot more to offer and deserves to be on your radar this year. Watch this space.
Mo$hpit Cindy
Stumbling upon the Instagram account of Mo$hpit Cindy, home to the singer’s budding 2K following, you’re likely to confuse her for your regular, down-to-earth 20-year-old with her quirky captions and distinct sartorial choices but the Zimbabwean-born singer is one of the past year’s best discoveries. Armed with a timeless voice of gold, the singer, born Nono Madzi is a fresh face on the scene whose music constantly teeters the intersection between crisp R&B melodies and trap-leaning production.
Raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mo$hpit Cindy made her official musical debut last year during the lockdowns in May. Titled “You Thought”, the smooth R&B number was filled with instant quotables on how women could treat these niggas exactly the same way they do them dirty. Mo$hpit Cindy then spent the rest of the year releasing a string of loose singles including “Post Club Depression”, “Karma”and “Alter Ego”, each number widening the scope of her ability and the depth of her lyricism. While the singer may be considered a rookie by most veterans, there’s no denying the potential star quality she exudes through music. Her songs are best described as coming-of-age numbers that chronicle the love trysts and life experiences of Gen Z Africans in a rhythmically captivating way that appeals to anyone who has been through similar moments in their lives. In the past month, Mo$hpit Cindy has released her biggest effort yet, her debut EP ‘21st Century Luv’, a title that aptly describes the project’s subject matter which never strays far from her own worldview as a young Black African woman.
It follows Cindy’s journey to loving herself and others around her. Intro track “Indifferent” is a bold assertion of her confidence as she finds the courage to move on from an undeserving lover. “Nothing seems to faze, haven’t felt things lately/I’m kinda suffocating/I told you baby there’s no fixing me”, she sings over the song’s bass-thumping production. While she’s focused on talking about love, she uses it as an opportunity to talk about the state of her mental health. This theme follows through into the next track “Daily Affirmation”, where she delivers affirming words for women like her “Loving who I am and I’m trying, I’m evolving/I am a work of art/Cup runneth over, I don’t know famished”. On “Therapist”, she gives listeners a further purview of her mental state and her tendency to overthink every situation. Her lyrics are deeply thought out and straightforward but also far beyond her years as she quips “to know me is to leave me”, a line that perfectly encapsulates her skilled lyricism. She showcases a unique mixture of versatility and style over the project, at one moment skating over different productions with ease and at another, adopting the jaded detachment of a rapper. ‘21st Century Luv’ is a 23-minute melancholic confessional from a fresh face on the scene whose inspiringly firm sense of identity is welcome and should be encouraged in young African women just like her. If you’re looking for a little release this month, check out Mo$hpit Cindy.
PRVNA
South London-based, Mauritian-born singer, PRVNA, has a voice that sounds like melted butter, flowing stickily over thrashing electro-inspired beats with a calm certitude. Since starting music a little over five years ago, her range has expanded from the party-starting rawness of jungle music to incorporate alternative R&B as well as funky House, seeing her sing over genre-melding instrumentals that retain the heart of her Londoner origin in them. In a dreary world beclouded by sadness and negatives, PRVNA envisions her music as something to help people feel better. “The music I create needs to be the right cocktail of relatability and release,” she says. “Making music that people can dance to and also find a bit of hope in too.”
It is a testament to the sense of hope that she hopes to inspire that there is such a steering sense of warmth within her small catalogue, primarily composed of singles from the very beginning of her career in 2017. “Homework,” a lilting ballad is her most morose song, mourning the complexities of opening up intimate aspects of one’s life to the wrong person; while her voice quite intently mourns the loss of what could have been, there is a sense of letting go within the pulse of the song. Another standout from her catalogue, “Fever,” sees him luxuriate in the melodrama of past bad relationships.
If PRVNA’s music from that age can be characterized as her nostalgic period, the music she is making presently is hopeful, playful even, seeing her dance across genres to create experimental melodies bolstered by a scenic songwriting skill that recalls details in warm fashion. On “Get Down,” PRVNA urges her listeners to take control of their lives with the song flatlining into “get it, get it, get it together,” while her distinctive, poignant voice gives soul to the record. Her latest song, “Believe,” is even more buoyant as she asks a love interest to believe that their affections can take care of any obstacle in the way of their romance; the song sounds sentimental and capable of powering a party, hinting at PRVNA’s evolving of the mystery of both emotions are dual sides of one cohesive story.
T3agray
Beyond music-related information, there isn’t really anything on the internet by way of personal details on T3agray. His Instagram page is sparsely populated, with the only post not related to a music release being a short gaming video. It seems to be on purpose, directing every ounce of focus from both familiar and new listeners to his music, which makes sense since his songs are evidently, deeply personal. These are vignettes from his life, raw emotions distilled into a catalogue portraying a teenager dealing with classic teenage issues.
With Punk Rock, and the offshoot Emo Rap, as his primary sounds, the U.S.-based singer has a long list of forebears who’ve defined the (sub)genres’ musical thrash and thematic, self-exploratory tropes. T3agray follows in that tradition, and it’s his willingness to be unabashedly open with his own experiences that make his songs affecting—or worthwhile, at the very least. There’s very little novelty to what he sings about since his music mostly centres on the quest to establishing a personal identity and the rollercoaster of falling in and out of young love, but there’s an intensity and conversational depth to his voice and writing that positively heightens how it all lands.
On “Crawl Back,” the intro to his late 2020 project Altruism, he adopts a lethargic flow to deliver a toxic kiss-off to a previous love interest, dismissing the idea of calling back and promising to make them double back simply because he’s all that and more. It’s a place most of us have been, swearing off someone and posturing even though there’s more to the situation. By the very next track, “3Xoneration,” he admits to missing the same person. In a way, Altruism is an admission that life isn’t exactly linear, especially when it comes to figuring one’s self out and how to approach interpersonal connections.
Between his SoundCloud and Apple Music pages, it appears T3agray has only been making music for little more than a year, but his commitment is represented in his already prolific streak. Chamomile, his project released earlier this year, is a collection of emotional exhales. On the 6-track EP, he’s as open as ever, wondering out loud about his place in the world (“Home”), groaning about his wounded heart (“Obliviate”), and ranting about being grounded for watching “Adult Cartoons.” By definition, T3agray’s music isn’t catchy, but it’s set to draw more people in due to its intensely personal tilt, especially amongst those of the same age range going through similar motions.
(Recommended if you like: Lil Peep, JELEEL!, Santi)
Written by Wonu Osikoya, Tami Makinde, Dennis Ade Peter & Wale Oloworekende
Louddaaa sees Nigeria’s distinctive sonic identity as a responsibility, something to preserve and carry...
The world first discovered Louddaaa's artistry on Ayra Starr's eponymous debut EP, where he produced three of...
The world first discovered Louddaaa’s artistry on Ayra Starr’s eponymous debut EP, where he produced three of the five tracks. “Away,” his first collaboration with Mavins Records, became Starr’s breakthrough, gaining over one million Spotify streams by April 2021 and establishing him as a force behind the boards.
His signature lies in the spaces between sounds: synths that drift like the morning mist of Lagos, percussion that falls with the gentle persistence of rain, and arrangements so delicate they seemed to float. On Starr’s debut album, ‘19 & Dangerous,’ Louddaaa’s evolution unfurled across five tracks: “Cast,” “Beggie Beggie,” “Lonely”, “Amin,” and “In Between.” By then, his work had blossomed, the beats becoming muscular without losing their supple grace, and the melodies flowing like liquid silk across each composition. Now, in 2025, the quiet kid from Lagos has found his voice.
Like many great artists, Louddaaa’s calling found him. Walking home from a church rehearsal at just eleven years old, he experienced what he describes as divine revelation. “God showed me that I was going to be a producer,” he says during our Google Meet conversation on a chilly Sunday afternoon in mid-July.
Born Kehinde Alabi, he grew up in Oshodi, Lagos, where he had his basic education. At age nine, his family moved to Ejigbo, the part of the city he would come to call home. A true Lagosian, he traces his ancestral roots back to Ekiti through his father and Osun through his mother. He’s one of three children—and a twin. Music wasn’t a profession in his household. As a child, he’d sneak out to church rehearsals to play, fearful of the punishment that might follow if his father found out.
At age 11, didn’t know what the term “music producer” meant. He simply knew that his destiny lay in creating music. The calling required preparation, and unknowingly, he had been getting ready for it since the age of seven. While his siblings attended children’s church, he would linger behind the drummer during services, soaking in the rhythms. Eventually, at nine, he took up the role himself, becoming one of the church drummers.
As he grew older, he added the keyboard to his repertoire, driven by instinct. “I’m the kind of person who likes to learn new things,” he explains, excitement audible in his voice. “Everything was just God preparing me for production.” It would take some time for the prophecy to come to pass because prophecies, even divine ones, require patience.
Louddaaa’s earliest musical influences came from home: his father played a lot of gospel, Apala, and Baba Ara, while his mother was a huge fan of Tope Alabi. Growing up, he gravitated toward artists like 2Face and Styl-Plus, D’Banj and Don Jazzy, who left a lasting impression on him. As a professional drummer throughout much of his young adulthood, he was exposed to a wide range of genres, learning to adapt his playing style for different artists and audiences.
In his first year at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Louddaaa began telling anyone who would listen that he was a producer despite having never actually produced a single track. The universe, it seemed, was listening too. In his second year, tired of Louddaaa’s endless talk about production without action, a friend put a laptop in his hands. The gift came loaded with FL Studio, a software that would become his gateway to actualization.
That night marked the first of countless all-nighters spent hunched over glowing screens, crafting beats while his classmates slept. His hunger was insatiable. His makeshift production journey began when he salvaged a pair of old speakers from his dad and set them up in his school dorm. With nothing but earphones and those aging speakers, he started calling up friends who could sing, drafting them into his self-declared label. In 2016, he officially founded his record label, Tal Entertainment. Throughout his years in university, he visited local studios, absorbing knowledge through internships and observation.
Armed with an Industrial Design degree and an unfulfilled musical prophecy, Louddaaa graduated from school in 2017 into a world that had no immediate use for either. He found himself in Port Harcourt, interning as a sound engineer, still chasing the dream, just from a different angle. Then fate intervened. In 2019, he moved back to Lagos, and not long after, a friend forwarded him a job listing: Mavin Records was looking for a recording engineer. It wasn’t his dream of music production, but it was a door, and Louddaaa walked through it.
If you had told him then that he would one day craft hits for Ayra Starr, he would have laughed at the possibility. In 2020, he was simply the sound engineer who stayed late, making beats when no one was watching. He expected nothing in return. But the universe rewards persistence in mysterious ways. One evening, as Louddaaa lost himself in a rhythm that had been haunting him all day, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Don Jazzy paused at the door, drawn by the loop spilling from the speakers.
“Who owns this beat?” he asked.
“I’m just playing around with it,” Louddaaa replied, perhaps too casually for a moment that would reshape his entire trajectory.
Don Jazzy wanted Mavin Records’ newest signee, Ayra Starr, to try something over it. By the next day, she had, and history was quietly being written in that Mavin studio. His first collaboration with Ayra Starr never saw the light of day, but it did something else: everyone who heard it believed. “She started sending me ideas to help her make beats,” he recalls. At the time, he couldn’t fathom why.
This period of his life was Louddaaa at his most vulnerable: a producer who didn’t yet trust the title. No one had ever paid for his beats. His credentials consisted of a childhood prophecy and an ambitious university label. When the melody that would become “Away” first whispered through his headphones, he had no idea he was architecting his breakthrough. “I didn’t even know why Ayra wanted me to produce for her,” he admits, the bewilderment still fresh in his voice years later.
“Away”soared. It became number one on the charts, earning millions of streams locally and internationally, morphing into a cultural moment that transformed two careers simultaneously. For Ayra, it was stardom. For Louddaaa, it was validation on the grandest scale possible. The prophecy had flesh now, and the producer who once questioned his abilities finally understood what everyone else had already seen. “Away” was his creative genesis, not just the song that introduced him to the world, but the voice that said: You can do so much more. That voice has since become a roar, leading to collaborations with Afropop royalty including Davido, CKay, Simi, Ladipoe, and Lojay.
The origin of his name dates back to when he worked as a sound engineer at Mavin Records. Kenny (as he was called) preferred to keep his speakers at a modest volume, but the artists and managers around him wanted high volumes. “Kenny, turn it louder!” they’d urge, again and again. Louddaaa stuck, first as a joke, then as a brand. Now, a Louddaaa instrumental is instantly recognizable by his vocal tag and the emotional core running through the music. He calls his sound “soulful,” and it’s a quality that is traceable across his work.
But perhaps the producer’s most intriguing dimension is his growing intersection between music and film. “Film is my retirement plan,” he used to tell himself until a conversation with director Kemi Adetiba reframed that thinking. “She asked me, ‘Why make it your retirement plan when you can start now?’” The question stayed with him, especially since scoring films had been a long-held dream. So when director Afolabi Olalekan approached him to work on the score for ‘Freedom Way,’ it felt like destiny.
The score came naturally to Louddaaa, as Freedom Way draws from his own lived experience with police brutality. That personal resonance shaped the project’s emotional core. Since its completion, the film has premiered on prestigious international stages, including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, and a screening in New York. On July 18, 2025, it finally made its debut in Nigerian cinemas and is now available for public viewing. For his work on ‘Freedom Way,’ Louddaaa earned a nomination for Best Score/Music at the 2025 AMVCAs.
Louddaaa is part of a compelling wave of Nigerian producers and artists expanding their creative reach beyond the charts, venturing into film scoring and sound design. This cross-pollination of talent has been brewing for years. Take Falz, for instance. Known for his genre-blending sound, he’s also made a name for himself onscreen. His breakout role in Jenifa’s Diary earned him an AMVCA in 2016, followed by appearances in hit films like Chief Daddy, Merry Men, and 10 Days in Sun City. Tiwa Savage joined this cross-medium movement in 2024 with her film debut, Water & Garri, named after her 2021 EP. The project served as a visual interpretation of the emotions and themes embedded in the music.
For Louddaaa, the pull toward film is rooted in a desire for deeper expression. “Music and film go hand in hand,” he explains. “That’s why we shoot music videos, we’re trying to tell a story, to express ourselves.”It’s this understanding that positions him not as a producer dabbling in film but as a storyteller expanding his canvas, recognizing that some emotions require more than three minutes and a hook to fully unfold.
Today, Louddaaa’s father speaks of his son with pride, often referring to him as “the big producer.” “My dad carries it on his head now, literally,” he says, half in awe, half amused.
A typical day in Louddaaa’s life includes hitting the gym, working on music, and reading self-help books. “My favorite book depends on the problem I’m trying to solve at the time,” he says. It was while trying to navigate one of those problems that he decided—on a whim—to create a few ideas for Davido. At the time, he didn’t even know the global superstar was working on a new album that would become ‘Five.’ He sent the ideas to Davido’s manager without overthinking it. To his surprise, Davido liked them. “Next thing I knew, David started following me on Instagram.”
Louddaaa went on to produce “Anything” and “10 Kilo” on the album, both tracks carrying the signature elements of a Louddaaa production: emotive, featherlight, and breezy. There comes a moment in an artist’s journey when the work begins to speak louder than the name, and Louddaaa was honing in on that moment.
Louddaaa sees Nigeria’s distinctive sonic identity as a responsibility, something to preserve, evolve, and carry forward through both music and cinema. “It’s a blessing that I’m able to contribute to the evolving nature of African music and film,” he says. The future he imagines reaches far beyond mere music scores. “I don’t plan to wait a long time before directing films,” he says with the same certainty that once made him claim the title producer long before the world agreed. It doesn’t sound like ambition; it sounds like purpose, stepping into his next chapter. That sense of purpose has become his anchor, transforming what might otherwise be an anxiety-laced career into a stress-free one.
“I don’t enter a session to make a number-one song,” he says. “I enter to tell a story.” That distinction defines everything he does. The charts might applaud his work, but his heart is tuned to something deeper. “I don’t know how long this moment will last, but I do know I want to contribute something. I want my work to touch someone’s life.”
The Rave Lorde has kept to his word to deliver a summer hit.
Rema has released his highly anticipated new single “Kelebu.” Early last month, the Benin-born star took...
Rema has released his highly anticipated new single “Kelebu.” Early last month, the Benin-born star took to social media to promise an incoming summer release. ‘Still owe y’all that summer Banger,’ he tweeted. Weeks later, he gave more insight about the direction of his forthcoming release, tweeting, ‘Ok.. I want y’all to DANCE this summer!’
After much anticipation, the singer posted a snippet of “Kelebu” in usual fashion, promising $10k for whoever comes up with an easy dance challenge and raising excitement for what is probably about to become a dancefloor staple quickly.
The self-proclaimed Rave Lorde seemed to have favoured a more tempered approach in the last few months, opting for the sheen and soulfulness of R&B on his first two releases of the year. “Baby (Is it a Crime),” which had already taken on a life of its own even before its official release, gives Sade’s 1985 classic “Is It A Crime” an Afropop and R&B facelift, while “Bout U” sounds like it was picked out of a 2004 Marion Winans release.
With the release of “Kelebu,” Rema returns to the familiar chaos of 2024’s ‘HEIS,’ borrowing from an array of genres to create what is, without a doubt, one of his most exhilarating releases to date. Teaming up with close collaborator London and the German-born Ambezza, “Kelebu” takes inspiration from a host of regional genres like Dominica’s Bouyon and Mara, the new Street-Pop subgenre that’s recently come into prominence. There’s also strong Makossa and Coupé-Décalé influences across the track as Rema tears through the riotous beat with breakneck pace.
Whether “Kelebu” fits into a bigger picture oris the start of something new remains to be seen. You can never be too sure with Rema. He could be teasing several Trap-inspired songs one minute, and then go ahead to release a sensual R&B record the next. The Mavin star is somewhat unpredictable, and that’s part of his huge appeal. You’re not certain what comes next, but you’re seated for the ride regardless.
Markers of those places inevitably show up in the music of our favorite stars, enriching our soundscape and...
The concept of origin and heritage has never been more important in Afropop than right now. As the edges of...
The concept of origin and heritage has never been more important in Afropop than right now. As the edges of the sound broaden and influences spring forth from all over, artists are increasingly taking on ambassadorial roles that see them represent the people, attitude, and ideals of where they hail from. Whether by birth or upbringing, artists are intrinsically tied to and influenced by these places where they have spent significant time socialising and soaking up influences. The markers of those places inevitably show up in their music, enriching our soundscape and furthering our collective cultural memory.
Whether it is Olamide putting on for Bariga on “Oga Nla 1” in tandem with Alhaji Wasiu Alabi Pasuma and Lil Kesh or Burna Boy beautifying Port Harcourt on “City Vibration,” we get a glimpse into these places beyond run-of-the-mill news that doesn’t offer a rounded perspective on the inner workings of the community. We are at once witnesses to communal struggles and pain via these artists’ perspectives, as well as willful participants in their ascension to musical superstardom while doing their best to hold on to their communities.
We compiled a list of some artists whose rise and continued success pay homage to the communities that raised them.
Wizkid, Ojuelegba, Surulere
It’s pretty befitting that the quintessential Wizkid song is “Ojuelegba,” a cut from his 2014 sophomore studio album, ‘Ayo’. While the singer has paid homage to his birthplace on a few previous occasions, no song venerates the Lagos suburb quite like “Ojuelegba.” Even as he made the smooth transition from national hero to global superstar shortly after the release of ‘Ayo,’ the album’s standout track continued to serve as a melodious autobiography that helps establish his roots for those unfamiliar. The song’s accompanying music video also captures the suburb’s bustling energy, as well as the unforgiving conditions that produced him. – B.A
Burna Boy, Port Harcourt
One of the many things that Burna Boy speaks with pride about is his native Port Harcourt. He constantly ensures that his city is at the forefront of his craft, dedicating songs that either narrate his experiences in the Garden City or highlight some of the social and political issues plaguing his home city. Songs like “Where I’m From” and “Ph City Vibration,” highlights from his third studio album ‘Outside,’ double as sturdy deep cuts and brief history lessons about Port Harcourt. In late 2022, the pop star also released a short documentary for “Whiskey,” detailing the environmental crisis in his birthplace. – B.A
Olamide, Bariga
No Nigerian artist is as representative of mainland Lagos as Olamide Baddo. Still, even the mainland is not a monolith, as different areas have their quirks and unique colorations. Bariga, Olamide’s neck of the woods, has been an ever-present in his music from the very beginning of his career, providing inspiration and grounding for the street-pop juggernaut who references the lessons learned and tales handed down in his hood. “Money,” the opening track from his sophomore album, ‘YBNL,’ features a bus conductor calling out for passengers to Ladilak, Bariga, forever immortalising the Lagos hood on wax. On “Rep Adugbo” from his incendiary ‘Baddest Guy Ever Liveth,’ he’s similarly unabashed about his dedication to Bariga, its inhabitants, and authority figures. Even superstardom hasn’t dulled those representative instincts: on “Supplier,” from his 2023 album, ‘Unruly,’ he’s keen to remind anyone listening that he carries Bariga with him everywhere he goes. – W.O
Asake, Lagos Island
Asake could only have emerged from the crucible of Lagos Island. There’s something about his carriage that undoubtedly suggests an upbringing in the oldest part of Lagos, and even though he doesn’t always directly reference Lagos Island, the seeds of its influence are in the margin of his work. The back and forth between Islamic and Christian motifs in his work is a legacy of the religiously tolerant culture of Lagos Island, and his slang usage reflects a stint living in the ocean-side community. Perhaps the clearest sign of his connection to Lagos Island came on his third studio album, ‘Lungu Boy,’ a detailing of his come-up story from Lagos Island hopeful to global superstar. On “Uhh Yeahh,” he sings, “Beere mi ni Kakawa,” directly shouting out the popular street in Lagos Island. Visual elements of his tour dates from 2024 also heavily featured and celebrated the streets of Lagos Island as the singer leaned into his heritage. Places like Adeniji Adele, Freedom Park, and Marina were featured, letting the world know that Asake has not forgotten his roots. – W.O
Zlatan, Ikorodu
Zlatan Ibile takes great pride in giving game to ambitious young hustlers looking to move beyond the current situation of their lives. His rise from Ikorodu hoodrat to Nigerian Hip-Hop royalty is the stuff of legend, but the stories of his woes, troubles, and sufferings in Ikorodu keenly display the relentlessness and dogged determination that saw Zlatan make a name for himself. He’s keen to reminisce on those days from time to time. On “Elevated,” off SuperWozzy’s 2021 ‘Light Of The Trenches,’ he sings, “Won fe k’enu mi gbe seh, biti church rat/ Mo moyan pupo n’Ikorodu ton ti te Shoprite,” reflecting on the lack that plagues huge swathes of Ikorodu. It’s a similar impulse that births his verse on Ajebo Hustlers’ “Dreams II,” which features a reference to his mischievous streak growing in Ikorodu. – W.O
Rema, Ekenhuan Road, Benin
If the syrupy trap-adjacent flow Rema employed on his introductory project or his incursions into diverse genres on several occasions since then have fooled you, his 2023 album, ‘HEIS,’ was a defiant reclamation of his identity as a Benin boy. To be fair, ‘HEIS’ didn’t just drop out of the blues; the Mavin singer had been preparing his audience for that home-leaning lurch since he stepped on stage adorned in a replica of the iconic mask of storied Benin royal, Queen Idia, during his first sold-out concert at the O2 Arena in London.
Reminding his audience of the painful history of British incursion in Benin, Rema set the stage for ‘HEIS,’ an album steeped in Benin-specific lore and acts of remembrance. “BENIN BOYS,” his blockbuster collaboration with Shallipopi, could not have passed the message of his origin better. Featuring a shoutout to his old neighbourhood, Ekenhuan Road, and an urge to the Oba to award him a medal, “BENIN BOYS” is a larger-than-life celebration of his city. Taken together with the rage-inducing “OZEBA,” it was a spiritual return home for one of Benin’s most iconic sons that showcased his identity for the world to see. – W.O
Seyi Vibez, Ikorodu
No one puts on for Ikorodu quite like Seyi Vibez. While the singer was originally born in Ketu, it’s in Ikorodu that he honed his craft as a skilled musician. He’s referenced his upbringing and Ikorodu specifically in a lot of his earlier interviews and songs, and it’s in that same administrative division that he put together his first show that pulled a crowd of about 200 people. The singer returned in 2023 for a free homecoming concert as a way to celebrate and give back to the community that helped kickstart and support his musical journey. He’s continued to rep Ikorodu even in recent times, most notably on his hit record “Shaolin.”– B.A
Mohbad, Ikorodu
Mohbad was one of Ikorodu’s crown jewels. In August 2023, just about a month before his passing, the singer posted a video of himself on Instagram visiting his old neighbourhood in Ikorodu. He went around distributing gifts and reconciling with longtime friends without any security, interacting organically with a community that regarded him as one of their own. He put on for his community just as much as they did for him. After his unfortunate passing, the youth rallies that were organised in Ikorodu to commemorate and demand justice for his death highlighted just how important he was to one of Lagos’s most populous hubs. – B.A
Shallipopi, Sapele Road, Benin
Even if his golden drawl and sonorous pidgin didn’t betray his Benin heritage, Shallipopi wouldn’t pretend to be from anywhere else but his hometown. That Benin heritage is in how Shallipopi perceives the world, the way he talks, and, particularly, how he approaches his music. “Obapluto,” the standout on his debut project, ‘Planet Pluto,’ features a prominent sample of Pa Monday Edo’s “Ogbaisi,” an homage to the Oba of Benin. It’s a trick he repeated on “ASAP,” off his sophomore album, ‘Shakespopi,’ sampling Alhaji Waziri Oshomah’s “Ikwekiame Nedumhe.” The chorus of his 2025 hit single is almost entirely sung in Bini, displaying the reverence that Shallipopi has for Benin – W.O.
Omah Lay, Port Harcourt
On the opener of Omah Lay’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Boy Alone,’ he’s unequivocal about where he’s from. ‘All of the way from Port Harcourt/Water Side,’ he sings proudly, emphasising the city that shaped his music and creative voice. Throughout the album, he makes multiple other references to his background, whether it’s singing in his native Ikweere language or name-dropping neighbourhoods like the Marine Base area. In a Hypebeast interview from 2022, the singer spoke about his city with similar pride. “Port Harcourt is different from the rest of Nigeria in the way that we talk, eat– everything. It’s really different. All of that definitely influenced my music so much because it was really tough growing up in Port Harcourt, but that experience made me who I am today. I’ll never forget that or stop repping my city.” – B.A