Last night, the Recording Academy announced the 2023 GRAMMY nominations. Across 91 categories—that includes latest additions Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical, Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Americana Performance, Best Score Soundtrack For Video Games And Other Interactive Media, Best Spoken Word Poetry Album and Best Song For Social Change (this didn’t feature any nominations, though)—the list sheds light on the music taking center stage in the US and, in extension, the world.
There were some names whose projects and songs we didn’t expect to see that snuck into the list via features. Earlier in the year, Drake, The Weeknd and Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) revealed that they would not be submitting their respective projects (‘Honestly, Nevermind,’‘Dawn FM’ and ‘An Evening with Silk Sonic’) to the Grammys. Drake snagged two nominations for Best Melodic Rap Performance on Future’s “WAIT FOR U” and Best Rap Song on Jack Harlow’s “Churchill Downs,” as well as Future’s “WAIT FOR U,” while Anderson .Paak got one nomination for Best R&B Performance on Mary J. Blige’s “Here With Me.”
Veteran super group ABBA demolished any notion of being out of sync with contemporary music. ‘Voyage,’ their ninth studio album and first project in forty years, snagged Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album nominations, while “Don’t Shut Me Down,” one of the lead singles of ‘Voyage,’ earned them Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance nominations. Beyoncé landed nine nominations, the most of any other person in contention across the categories, followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight nominations, while Adele and Brandi Carlile got seven nominations. Bad Bunny made history with his fourth studio album ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ becoming the first Spanish-language album to earn a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.
Elsewhere, Afropop’s steady climb up the ladder was shown as Burna Boy’s “Last Last” and the album ‘Love, Damini’ earned him two nominations for Best Global Music Performance and Best Global Music Album respectively. In both categories, though, he faces competition from fellow African compatriots Rocky Dawuni’s Blvk H3ro-assisted “Neva Bow Down,” Matt B’s Eddy Kenzo-assisted “Gimme Love” (making Eddy Kenzo the first Ugandan artist to earn a Grammy nomination), Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini & Nomcebo Zikode’s “Bayethe” and Angélique Kidjo’s collaborative album with Ibrahim Maalouf ‘Queen of Sheba.’ Alternative music sensation Tems’ dominance continues as her appearance on Future’s “WAIT FOR U” alongside Drake earns her two nominations in Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
Amid the hypes and debates, the NATIVE team share our reactions to the nominations for the 65th Grammy Awards, which is set to hold in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023.
Best New Artist
Anitta
Omar Apollo
DOMi & JD Beck
Muni Long
Samara Joy
Latto
Måneskin
Tobe Nwigwe
Molly Tuttle
Wet Leg
For a category famed for launching the careers of hitherto up-and-comers such as Sade, John Legend, Adele, Bon Iver, Sam Smith, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish, among others, every year, millions of music lovers keep their eyes peeled for who would emerge as the Grammys’ Best New Artist. Last year, American singer Olivia Rodrigo stormed the Grammy Awards, bagging several nominations and taking home the award for Best New Artist along wins for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance.
This year, the Recording Academy cast its net for the following names: Anitta, Omar Apollo, DOMi & JD Beck, Muni Long, Samara Joy, Latto, Måneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle and Wet Leg. Among these names are both old (and not-so-old) hands and newcomers. The latter includes Brazilian singer Anitta and American singer-songwriter Muni Long. Anitta, who began making music in 2010, is a star in her home country; Muni Long has been writing for other artists and putting out music under her government name Priscilla Renea since 2009. The youngest (career-wise) in this category are Jazz duo DOMi & JD Beck who released their debut album this year.
In my estimation, the strongest contenders in this category are Omar Apollo, Muni Long and Wet Leg. My instinct, though, tells me to place my bet on Omar Apollo and Wet Leg. Omar Apollo is a powerful vocalist whose songs drip with sincerity and depth, and there is a youthful verve about Wet Leg’s music that makes me believe that they might be future Grammy babies. Whatever the case might be, the influence of the names on this list will be felt. While many have brought attention to Tems’ absence from this main category, it is worth noting that Tems cannot be nominated in this category for next year’s award ceremony as she was nominated for two awards last year: including Wizkid’s “Essence” which was nominated in the Best Global Music Performance category. A previous nomination is an automatic disqualifier in this category (assuming the artist had released enough tracks to be eligible in a previous year).
Earlier this year, Pakistani singer and composer Arooj Aftab won the inaugural Grammy for this category, with her moving, Hindustani folk-meets-Jazz opus, “Mohabbat”, beating out two Angelique Kidjo songs, Afrobeat scion Femi Kuti’s “Pà Pá Pà”, as well as Nigerian singers Wizkid and Tems’ 2021 summer superhit, “Essence.” At the next Grammys’, Aftab is back in contention for the same award, this time for “Udhero Na”, which features British-Indian sitarist, composer and now 9-time Grammy nominated Anoushka Shankar – including this nod and another in the Best Global Music Album category.
The 65th edition nominees in these categories have two prominent running themes: It’s packed with Grammy nominees and winners, and it’s mainly filled with songs by African artists. Arooj’s nod is the only one that defies the later theme, and for the former, American singer Matt B and Ugandan singer Eddy Kenzo are first time nominees for their Dancehall-tinged “Gimme Love.”
Ghanaian roots reggae singer Rocky Dawuni, who was nominated for Best Global Music Album last year and was nominated for Best Reggae album in 2015, is here for his socially conscious, dub reggae song with Jamaican singer Blvk H3ro, “Neva Bow Down”. South African flutist Wouter Kellerman, who is a one-time Grammy award winner and now 4-time nominee, gets a nod for “Bayethe”, his dance-inflected folk-pop song with South African artists Nomcebo Zikode and Zakes Bantwini, both first time nominees. The nominees list is rounded out by Nigerian pop superstar and one-time Grammy winner Burna Boy, with summer ‘22 smash “Last Last.”
With the precedent from last year, the criteria for nominees and the eventual winner amorphous – if unclear to most. I can’t tell if it’s based on feeling, technical brilliance, perception, or a mix of these and other things, so it’s difficult to know where the compass is facing. That’s what happens when it’s a category that lumps together songs mostly from non-American artists across the world without any regard for sonic specificity. For now, my spidey sense is tingling towards consecutive Arooj Aftab wins because, apart from familiarity points for her and Anoushka Shanka, “Udhero Na” is actually really gorgeous and might just be the best song, based on my feel, in this category. If not, I’m rooting for Burna Boy’s best song in a few years.
Dennis Ade-Peter
Best Global Album
Berklee Indian Ensemble – ‘Shuruaat’
Burna Boy – ‘Love, Damini’
Angélique Kidjo & Ibrahim Maalouf – ‘Queen Of Sheba’
Since reinventing from ‘Best World Music Album’ to ‘Best Global Music Album’, the Recording Academy has, with a range of entries over the years, represented the diverse sounds emanating from across the globe. While Angelique Kidjo remains a recurrent winner in this category, the hope for other strong acts has peaked since the nomination and win for Nigerian trailblazer Burna Boy, for ‘Twice as Tall.’ However, considering the home base and astronomical global reach of last year’s nod, ‘Made In Lagos’ by Wizkid, it was a shock to all when the Afropop veteran did not emerge as the winner. Angelique Kidjo won with her 2021 release ‘Mother Nature,’ becoming a 4-time winner and an indisputable shoo-in for the Global Music categories.
This year, the ‘Best Global Music Album’ category returns with Burna Boy’s ‘Love, Damini’, making it the artist’s 3rd nomination following 2019’s ‘African Giant’nomination and 2020’s ‘Twice As Tall’ win. Her 5th nomination in this category, Angelique Kidjo returns with ‘Queen of Sheba,’ enlisting French-Lebanese composer and trumpeter, Ibrahim Maalouf for his outstanding work in jazz, making it his first nomination. In the same vein of spotlighting global talents, Masa Takumi, a Japanese multi-instrumentalist and composer alongside Berklee Indian Ensemble received their first nominations for ‘Sakura’ and ‘Shuruaat’ respectively amongst others.
Considering the exceptional year we’ve had in South African music, factoring in elements such as sound production and masterful lyricism which transcends language barriers, I partly expected one of the standout projects from these parts to make an appearance on the list. However, I am still not surprised that the Grammy’s missed out on this opportunity. For me, Kabza De Small’s ‘KOA II Part 1’and Prince Kaybee’s ‘Gemini’ for example would have formed solid entries. This category is tricky because ‘global’ seems to encompass anywhere that’s not American or Europe and the slew of exceptional sounds from the rest of the world are left fighting for five spots. While it would not come as a surprise if Angelique Kidjo snags another win, I am rooting for Burna Boy to add a second win under his belt. “Different Size”, “Science”, “Vanilla” and of course crowd favourite, “Last Last”, are some personal ‘Love, Damini’ standouts that qualify him for the title.
Nwanneamaka Igwe
Best Rap Album
DJ Khaled – ‘GOD DID’
Future – ‘I Never Liked You’
Jack Harlow – ‘Come Home The Kids Miss You’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’
Pusha T – ‘It’s Almost Dry’
Soon after the Recording Academy announced its Best Rap Album contenders, rap fans worldwide expressed their disappointment as once again, the academy failed to represent the truth breadth and depth of contemporary Hip-Hop/Rap. While there are definitely strong contenders in this year’s nominations, many Rap fans and artists around the world, from Denzel Curry to music journalist, Nicolas Tyrell-Scott have spoken out about the exclusion of non-commercial acts this year. The reactions aren’t the least bit surprising. The Grammys have a checkered relationship with Rap, from not airing their major rap categories on the official Grammy broadcast to infamous snubs like Macklemore over Kendrick and confusion over the actual parameters of that category came to a head with the recent showdown between Nicki Minaj and Latto.
In my opinion, only two albums: ‘It’s Almost Dry’ and ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ deserved to be in this category. Dj Khaled’s ‘GOD DID’ used the producer’s age-old formula of lumping many high-profile names together to create a gargantuan album helmed by his friends. It’s clear that Khaled benefitted from having names such as Jay-Z on “GOD DID” as the verse earned Khaled not only a Best Rap Album nod but also one for Song Of The Year. While Future’s ‘I Never Liked You,’, Kendrick’s ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers,’ his first release in five years and Pusha T’s ‘Almost Dry,’ are welcome nominations on the list this year, the Grammy’s once again missed out on a real opportunity to showcase the rappers that are forming their own creative footprints and bypassing industry gatekeepers. For example, this year, Kid Cudi released his multidimensional ‘Entergalatic,’ a commingling of cinema and music which touched on themes such as love, growth, becoming and more.
How would my list look if I was an Academy member? First and foremost, Conway and The Machine’s ‘God Don’t Make Mistakes’ would be a contender. This is an honest album with no unnecessary chorus or baby rhymes as Conway paints the real picture of his realities, and breaking stereotypes while at it, as the 42-year-old is making a re-debut. JID’s ‘The Forever Story’ would also be top of my list. Although it was a late release, arriving only a month before the end of the eligibility period for this year’s award, it is undeniable he is a fountain of talent as the project revealed his consistent growth through the years. On the album, JID acts as a bridge between his upbringing and the life he now lives, purposefully decorating the album with relevant features and powerfully poetic lyrics that serve to visualises his past and present. At the end of the day, I do agree with Denzel Curry, The Academy base their rap nominations on an artist’s net worth instead of talent and impact on the industry.
Tela Wangeci
Album Of The Year
ABBA – ‘Voyage’
Adele – ‘30’
Bad Bunny – ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’
Beyoncé – ‘RENAISSANCE’
Mary J. Blige – ‘Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)’
Brandi Carlile – ‘In These Silent Days’
Coldplay – ‘Music Of The Spheres’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’
Lizzo – ‘Special’
Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’
Album Of The Year will always be an important category in the Grammys award history–bestowed only to the best of the crop since 1959. Past winners have included Kacey Musgraves, Bruno Mars, Adele, Beck, Taylor Swift, Daft Punk and Mumford & Sons, with last year’s win going to Jon Batiste for his album, ‘We Are,’ a legendary moment that was celebrated as the artist became the first Black artist in 14 years to win album of the year. Before him, Outkast had been the only Black performers younger than 65 to win the award in this millennium, for their 2003 double album, ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.’
The Grammys have historically been out of touch in recognising Black artists in the major award categories so it’s amazing this year to see nominations going to Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, Mary J. Blige and even Beyoncé who recently released her dance-inspired album ‘RENAISSANCE.’ Also among the nominees are Puerto Rican rapper, Bad Bunny who has quite literally taken the Western world by storm and deserves to be nominated alongside typical contenders such as Harry Styles, Adele and ABBA. With the recent expansion of the category last year, this time around, there’s more room for the Grammy’s to display their knowledge of the musical landscape in review, offering up 10 solid nominations.
While this year’s nods are definitely well deserved, I can’t help wishful thinking that a female rapper could have been recognised in the album of the year category, once again. Women such as Latto, Yung Baby Tate, and more, released albums this year and could have received nominations for their expansion of the Rap genre, and their pop-culture influence. The Grammys wants us to believe that sales aren’t the metric for Grammy success but we’ve seen the Academy play into a popularity contest time and time again. This has proven to fall short of fully representing today’s diverse sonic landscape. Despite this, this year’s nominations are definitely a step up from last year and I, for one, am just happy to see more women deservingly earn their flowers (Mary J.Blige!!). Personally, I hope to see an album like ‘Renaissance’ or ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’ take home the award, as these were two extremely solid projects by artists who have been in the game for a very long time and are still constantly perfecting their craft.
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