Not many Nigerian artists achieved a clear cut at the age of Odunsi’s in the early days of their career. But this isn’t the case for Odunsi The Engine, whose Engine has been running steady before and since he decided to pursue his career professionally in the first month of 2016. Since then, he’s been toiling on a path that has been made clear for him through privileges, howbeit, his hard work and focus plays a major role.
Odunsi’s growth could only have been seen by a clairvoyant. He says in an interview with Okay Africa, he himself didn’t see it coming that by the time he has walked more than two decades in life, he would have remarkably landed a spot on Spotify’s Viral 50, a feature on Billboard’s playlist and two comprehensive body of works: Time of Our Lives and War EP. His +1 leap into another year should also be clear-cut to leaving progeny matters behind. At this point, Odunsi is having fun with the music making process, being in the same sect of those we expect to push the Afro-culture forward. In honour of his birthday, we are doing a count down of his 5 most definitive work from his small but extensive catalogue.
5. “Adura”
https://soundcloud.com/odunsi/adura
“Adura” was released in 2016 and directly translates as ‘prayer’ in English. Odunsi’s narrative on the track is just succinct enough to embody where he was at that point of his career. Odunsi croons, “working everyday for promotion, failure no be my portion” on a mid tempo beat produced by himself with steady assists by Ghost, GMK and God who’s got his back. Well, his journeying so far clarifies any dubiety about his success. After his “Situationship” landed him his Billboard win, earning him more audience and a wider reach. And if “Adura” were truly a prayer, it’s clear it interceded neatly for his succeeding releases and level of fame.
4. “Lose U”
His unlikely Afro soul work of art on “Lose U”was our best new music last month. The single has all the markings of a cult collectible in years to come and it comes with the brevity of fleeting emotions. The innate ambiance of the track leaves you wanting more at the end of the 1 minute 33 seconds track. Albeit everything he says on the track is made clear on the chorus that he’ll persevere on his own in spite of any loss he encounters.
3. “Desire”
Released in February, “Desire” marked Odunsi’s entrance into 2017 as his first official single for the year, featuring Bantu Music’s Tay Iwar and The Collectiv3’s Funbi. “Desire” takes off on ambient synths and slightly reverted vocals, and listens like the exact kind of neo-Afro-R&B song you’d expect from Odunsi, Funbi and Tay Iwar. Although none of his collaborators feature on the visuals released for the single in the early days of last month, he brings pretty images to life with red accents and beige tints across shots filmed in Chinese Village, Ojota, Lagos. Even better when you know it was shot using a smart phone.
2. “Situationship”
“Situationship”, the one that earned him the big fish —if you deign to call it that— on two critically acclaimed platforms. With a lyrical sample “Whether you like am, whether you no like am” from Eldee-Led Trybes Men crew single, “Shake Bodi”, Odunsi sings about wanting no complications from a ‘so-what-are-we?’ relationship on a mid tempo beat featuring Aylo. On this song along with most of his other releases, Odunsi has shown a mastery of sampling songs to create a feel of nostalgia without actually biting off the person by riding on the same wave, but rather curating and creating his own sound.
1.“Happy Hour”
Odunsi’s success story proves among other things that with careful attention to quality production and lyrical content, Nigerian songs have the potential to be dancehall hits around the world. “Happy Hour” was released at a time when Afropop was already thriving globally, but instead of settling for just the vibe, Odunsi pushes the boundaries of dance pop. Here, he fused his Afropop melodies with an EDM baseline and it turned out to be a genius idea. “Happy Hour” is laid-back but it remains hollow till Odunsi’s imagery as he sings “Ehin ara wa gbemi lo”, makes it more compelling. Okuntakinte features and his verse gives the song just enough edge to make it memorable.
Street-pop star, Asake, has released a surprise new single titled “BADMAN GANSTA.” Produced by super...
Street-pop star, Asake, has released a surprise new single titled “BADMAN GANSTA.” Produced by super producer, P.Priime, the single, Asake’s second of the year, arrives with a crisp black and white feature and a stellar guest verse from French rapper and singer Tiakola.
The singer posted the full music video–a monochromatic montage of dazzling shots and scenes of his opulent lifestyle–across his different social media handles on Thursday evening, July 24, with a caption that read, ‘The World Of Money.’
Earlier in June, the ex-YBNL star announced a new album titled ‘Money.’ A few months before that, he released a loosie titled “Military” and then “WHY LOVE,” his first official single under his new imprint Giran Republic. “Military” served as a bookend to the first arc of his impressive career as much as an announcement of a new era, while “WHY LOVE” officially kicked off season two.
Following the release of “WHY LOVE,” Asake has also featured on songs like Olamide’s “99,” J Hus’ “Gold”, and Young Jonn’s “Che Che,” delivering standout verses that favour a melodious, laid-back approach as opposed to the spirited, fast-paced style that earned him success early on. “BADMAN GANSTA” also excels with this approach, as Asake’s melodious musings about his current lifestyle dovetail nicely with Tiakola’s equally sturdy verse over a plush beat that samples Amerie’s 2005 classic “1 Thing.”
With Asake releasing three albums in as many years, it’s not unreasonable to assume ‘Money’ might arrivebefore the end of the year. There’s also the possibility that he might be willing to take his time a little more now, seeing as he his under his imprint now.
Whatever the case may be, ‘Money’ is likely to arrive sooner rather than later, and it will be fascinating to see what other aces Asake has up his sleeves.
Ayra Starr has released her highly anticipated single “Hot Body.” The Mavin popstar has been teasing...
Ayra Starr has released her highly anticipated single “Hot Body.”
The Mavin popstar has been teasing the new single for a few weeks now, posting multiple promotional videos across social media that built up significant excitement for her third official release of the year. The release of “Hot Body” comes on the heels of recent reports that confirmed the Grammy-nominated singer had officially joined Roc Nation’s roster, the American music label, entertainment, and sports services company founded by rapper and business mogul JAY-Z.
Earlier in February, Ayra Starr shared “All The Love,” a sumptuous Afropop ballad produced by labelmate Johnny Drille and Teemode, before releasing the sleek and sensual Wizkid-assisted “Gimmie Dat” about months later. In that time period, the singer picked up two awards at the 2025 MOBO Awards for Best African Music Act and Best International Act before also clinching her first BET award for Best International Act in June.
It was recently announced that the pop singer would be joining Coldplay on the UK leg of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour between August to September, and her impressive year continues with the release of “Hot Body.” Once again, teaming up with close collaborator Ragee and UK production duo The Elements, Ayra Starr manages to deliver a sweetly erotic summer jam that’s sure to elicit plenty lip-biting, hip gyrating, and flirty winks. “Look what a hot body can do,” she sings repeatedly, almost like an enchantress performing a magic trick.
With her current deal with Mavin and Universal Music still running and the recent confirmation of her management deal with Roc Nation, it’s safe to assume that “Hot Body” might garner significant momentum both at home and abroad. Outside of her music, the singer recently wrapped up the shooting of the film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone which is reportedly set for release in early 2027.
Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a...
ZULO is no stranger to reinvention. Formerly known as Lil Trix, the rapper rose through the ranks with a...
ZULO is no stranger to reinvention. Formerly known as Lil Trix, the rapper rose through the ranks with a series of gritty mixtapes that chronicled his upbringing, thrills, and connection to the community. Since his rebrand, he’s steadily grown into a renowned voice in South African Hip-Hop, regarded for his storytelling, cultural homage, and genre fusion.
Three years after the release of ‘Talk To Me Naace,’ his reintroduction to the scene, ZULO has returned with ‘Z,’ a three-track EP that shows a glimpse of his evolution as an artist and human. Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a refined sound that’s bold, emotional, and distinctly South African.
The three-tracker opens with “God’s Armour,” a gospel-inflected protest anthem layered with brass and trap drums. It is followed by “Sweeter Success,” an infectious Afropop-inspired groove built around a nostalgic sample of UPZ’s iconic “Pure Surprise”. Beneath its shine lies a darker message: the emotional cost of ambition, the toll of always pushing for more. ZULO produced the track himself, with additional production from Miglow and SpiceDrums.
‘Z’ closes with “Spaan”, a gritty street anthem that samples Kamazu and confronts addiction, poverty, and the lingering scars of apartheid through the lens of coloured identity. “These songs are battle cries and war journals,” ZULO says. “‘Z’ is everything I’ve fought through to stand where I am. The EP follows a strong run of 2024 singles, including “Adawise,” “JOL,” “Garden,” and “Smaak To Love (Lamza).”