Straight from your GROK music team comes a list of some of their favourite afrobeat records. This playlist offers the best Afrobeat sound, featuring Burna Boy, Blaqbonez, BUJU, LADIPOE and more.
In no particular order, here are your May picks!
Image Credit – tumundomusical
BLING – BLAQBONEZ ft. AMAARAE & BUJU
‘Bling’ is the third single off Nigerian artist, Blaqbonez new album Sex Over Love. The track features vocals from Ghana’s rockstar singer Amaarae and the Nigerian Spaceship Record’s singer, Buju. It is an addictive song that sets the tone for the album. With this track, Blaqbonez makes a comeback to the top charts scene since the release of his single, ‘BBC (Remix)’, which features Tiwa Savage. ‘Bling’ is a smashing hit with all three nu age acts stamping their trademarks on the modernised afrobeat song produced by Type A.
TONONGO – LOJAY & SARZ
Tonongo is a collaboration between Nigerian superstar Producer-DJ Sarz and Nigerian newcomer Lojay. The production of this track fuses smooth Afropop rhythms with an addictive R&B sound. The track serves as a single off their joint EP, LV N ATTN. This new project proves that Sarz is very thoughtful in his creative process and his selection of collaborators, allowing the artist to make timeless music. This track marks a new point in Lojay’s career, setting him up to become one of Nigeria’s rising stars to watch out for this year.
KILOMETRE – BURNA BOY
The Chopstix produced track proves that the Grammy-winning Nigerian Artist is not yet satisfied and plans on achieving more goals and races. ‘Kilometre’ marks Burna Boy’s first solo release of 2021. In the track, he reflects on how far he has come in his career, brushing aside all doubts as he sings: ‘When was the last time somebody did it like this?/ Too much ice on my bomboclat wrist/ That’s why everybody hating on me like Chris.’ Speaking with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Burna Boy teased, ‘I’m definitely planning to drop my next album this year. Especially, at the same time, I dropped the last one. I’m trying to do that as long as I can.’
FEELING – LADIPOE & BUJU
LADIPOE – aka Rap Messiah – has collaborated on several rap-pop songs that received massive success and topped charts. This time around, he features burgeoning star Buju, who delivers an incredible and catchy hook for the Andre Vibes produced track. LADIPOE’s state of mind is reflected in his opening bars: ‘Way out my feelings and nothing can stress me/ The way I run the game, I’m feeling like a referee.’ While reflecting on the inspiration for the song, LADIPOE remarked, ‘In these times, it’s hard to be grateful. The scars on my face are not as deep as the ones inside. Still, I like the way I’m feeling.’
AJE – DJ BIG N ft. REMY CROWN
In this track, the official disc jockey of Mavin, DJ BIG N, enlists the help of Remy Crown, who provides sonic vocals to the Afrobeat and Amapiano fused production. ‘Aje’ is DJ BIG N’s first offering of 2021, and in the track, he celebrates the wins and his growth as one of the country’s biggest DJs. ‘Only good things from now on,’ comments DJ Big N on the song, ‘We should project positivity, look at the bright side, show the problems that we are bigger than them’. The song has a lot of high energy and listening to it makes one feel good about themselves. It is a song that makes you celebrate life and look forward to the future.
BEAUTIFULLY – FAVE
FAVE is a budding Nigerian songstress known for her amazing freestyle on social media. After her year-long break since the release of NBU, the talented young and upcoming indie artist released ‘Beautifully’, and she did just that with the track. In the song, she shines with her warm-toned vocals paired with her beautiful lyrics to create an atmosphere of positivity, love and youthful spirit. Despite being a new artist on the scene, she is already a force to be reckoned with. Her diverse range of sound intrigues the audience anticipating what her next releases would sound like.
OUTSIDE – BUJU
Buju released his first solo release of the year produced by Blaise Beatz. In this mid-tempo song, the Nigerian star sings about the struggles he has faced while starting out in the industry. The solemn track focuses on a heavy message that has been weighing on the baby giant’s mind. In the first verse, he talks about the several mistakes he has made in the past, and the impact of lack of funds has had on his musical ambitions. Buju is one artist having an amazing year with back-to-back hits – ‘Outside’ making it his third top 10 charted song so far.