Afrobeats is one of the most diverse sounds the world has come to know. From its early days of seeing melding different Nigerian cultures to create peculiar tunes, as with the case of Nyanya’s Kukere to Wizkid’s chart-topping hit, Essence, the genre has grown to become one of the most globally recognisable sounds, with select artistes rebranding their take on the genre as Afro-fusion.
For each decade that the sound has existed, nuanced changes have earned it the era-defining title, and within each of those decades, a select few acts propelled its trajectory, becoming the new torchbearers.
For instance, in the early 2000s, the likes of 2Baba and D’banj were the poster kids of the genre, going on to become global ambassadors of the brand by breaking moulds with awards won, late-night show interviews, and of course, performances on the global stage, making it a first at the time.
As time progressed, more and more talents, having seen the opportunities that existed, embarked on their journeys to further the course of the Afrobeats genre through their own take that is fully reflected in the music they churn out.
Since 2020, more and more acts have been able to reach a global audience, reigning for a while, and bowing out. This, however, isn’t the general story, as some have greater staying power. Showbiz Writer, IYKE BEDE, curates a list of 10 game changers of 2024.
Burna Boy
Nicknamed the ‘Odogwu’ of the Nigerian music industry, Burna Boy (Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu) has been on a winning spree since the release of his fourth studio album, African Giant that got him his first Grammy nomination. His follow-up album, Twice as Tall earned him a Grammy win in the Best Global Music Album category in 2021; making him the first Afrobeats act to achieve this feat with a solo work. Since then, he’s earned nominations each year, including four at the 2024 edition (66th Grammy), culminating in 10 career nominations.
Before gaining international stardom, Burna Boy has always had an air of self-preservation about his musical style, describing it as “music I make for myself.” In other words, he needed no public approval to publish any of his materials. However, this changed in the album-making process for African Giant – an opus he wields as an instrument to better relay the African story that is often narrated to highlight suppression, corruption and political instability.
In the album, the singer not only relays matters that are personal to him, but he also delves into the backstory of post-colonial Africa, explaining the concept of slavery clearly through beats and rhythm to the much younger, tech-savvy generation. He’s equally open to collaborating with a broad spectrum of acts to better reflect each track’s theme effectively. This approach to making music is replicated in his subsequent album.
In an interview with The FADER, the singer redefines the concept of crossover in the music. Normally, musicians work to gain mainstream appeal and acceptance but Burna Boy’s approach veers off the conventional. His plan hinged on delivering true African content and inviting the world to come to witness it in an authentic form that necessarily doesn’t infuse Western pop influence. Even while on an international stage as Coachella, he maintains this authenticity.
With just a decade under his belt, Burna Boy has achieved a trifecta of making appearances in three late-night shows in the United States: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
As far as poster boys go, Burna has transformed from sticky dough to a finely baked pastry to become the mouthpiece for Afrobeats. Currently, international audiences reckon with his musical prowess, thus further increasing the reach of African music and other acts on the continent.
Fun Fact: Burna got his first tattoo at age 15.
Rema
Even for international artistes in the US and the UK, selling out the iconic O2 Arena that boasts a capacity of 20,000 at a time for a concert, is no easy feat. However, Rema, born Divine Ikubor, made it look easy with his ‘Ravage Uprising’ tour of 2023.
At only 23, Rema already bears the charisma of a full-grown man. His plan, apparently, is geared towards world domination, and nothing less. Evidently, this formula seems to have worked.
Aside from making the year-end list of former President of the United States of America, Barack Obama in 2019, the singer has proven that he’s no one-hit wonder kid following his very successful Extended Play (EP) Rema.
Rema’s debut studio effort, Rave and Roses shot him straight to the international limelight with Calm Down, which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard US Afrobeats Song. A reissue of the track, which featured American singer, Selena Gomez helped shoot it up the charts, peaking at number 1 on the US Afrobeats Charts for a record-breaking 58 weeks. It also gained a Top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 3.
Rema’s musical style leans towards ‘vibbing’, a creative process he loosely defined as producing rhymes and sounds that fit snugly with produced beats. With this stroke of genius, he birthed the infectious Dumebi from a sound rejected by many other acts.
Although, he has yet to scoop a Grammy nomination, Rema has left an indelible mark on the global music scene. And judging by the pace at which he’s moving, being the only Afrobeats act to date to achieve one billion streams on Spotify, the best is yet to come for the youngster.
Fun fact: Rema made his first million at 17.
Ayra Starr
The Mavin princess, famous for her petite outfit, is always out for blood, and she has the hits to show for her kills.
Born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, Ayra Starr’s first contact with the entertainment industry was through a modelling agency at age 16. Three short years later, she was discovered by music producer and head of Mavin Music, Don Jazzy. Their meeting resulted in the phenomenal eponymous EP that spawned the infectious Away in January of 2021.
By August, her debut album, 19 & Dangerous came to fruition with a slew of hit songs like Bloody Samaritan and Fashion Killer, but it wasn’t until the album was reissued as a deluxe version that she achieved fame on the global stage.
The deluxe version housed the earworm Rush, earning her her first Grammy nomination ever in the Best African Music Performance category at the 66th edition of the awards. Since that development, Ayra Starr has remained a staple on the global pop scene, securing collaborations with the likes of NEIKED, David Guetta, Lil Durk, and Tyla.
In a recent chat with Bajan beauty, Rihanna during a Fenty event, the singer expressed her love for Ayra Starr’s musical style, inquiring, “You got an extra verse for me? Call me.”
Fun Fact: Her favourite food is yam and fried eggs.
Fireboy DML
Flunking grades isn’t exactly a quality all parents admire in their kids. But this happens to be the case for Adedamola Adefolahan aka Fireboy DML in his second year as a student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.
Switching from a straight ‘A’ student to one who skipped classes to practice music didn’t seem like the right step to take at the time. Eight years later, Fireboy experienced a 180-degree turnaround that transformed him into one of the biggest acts to come out of Nigeria.
Before all that success, the fresh graduate of English left for Lagos for better opportunities as an independent artiste, putting words to pen for a couple of other artistes to subsist at that period. With a countless number of demos, and a simple message from YBNL boss, Olamide, Fireboy became renowned for his earth-shattering hit, Jealous.
According to the singer, his kind of music is a blend of different genres with Afro sounds. He terms it ‘Afrolife’. Describing his music further, Fireboy pointed out that it is a cross of different sounds from Wande Coal, Passenger and Jon Bellion, all mashed up to deliver a peculiar sound to go with his incomparable writing skills.
With three successful albums released between 2019 and 2022, this powerhouse Afrobeats act who has amassed collaboration from the likes of Ed Sheeran and Asake, has more cards up his sleeves in 2024.
Fun fact: Jealous was a product of one nightstand experience.
Kizz Daniel
Leaving the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State where he studied Water Resources Management and Agrometeorology in 2013, Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe, famed as Kizz Daniel, knew exactly where and what he wanted to be, and boy, did he take those chances?
By 2014, the act had already released his hit single, Woju. Following its massive success, his debut album, New Era, came next. Ever since, the RTID singer has maintained a steady course, releasing hit after hit.
Described as “an artiste with no bad song”, Kizz Daniel lived up to the billing, especially with the release of Buga, a nationally acclaimed song that found its way into every playlist, and quickly turned into an anthem for politicians on their campaign trail. He also performed the single at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Kizz Daniel’s latest EP, TZA, translated to Thankz Alot, further solidifies his artistry. It has already produced two widely received singles, Twe Twe and Too Busy to be Bae. The remix of the former, which features Davido, has been named the biggest song of the first quarter of 2024 by TurnTable Charts, amassing an impressive stream across the Big Four: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Audiomack.
Fun Fact: The singer is half Fulani, half Yoruba.
Tems
From the Grammys to Oscars and Golden Globes, Temilade Openiyi has had her name etched in time despite the absence of a debut album.
The singer, who began releasing music professionally in 2018 with Mr Rebel, shot to fame in 2020 following her collaboration with Wizkid on his critically acclaimed Made in Lagos. The pair’s Essence shattered many records globally, earning them a juicy spot on the Billboard Hot 100 where they peaked at number nine (Justin Bieber version).
This success streak continued with collaboration with rapper Drake (Fountains) in 2020. By 2022, Tems became the only African act to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 when a sample of her song, Higher was used in Future’s Wait for U. That same year, she landed a spot on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack covering Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry.
While Tems’ singing chops earned her great acclaim, it was her writing skills that placed her as the golden girl after she penned Rihanna’s Lift Me Up, which got nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy.
2024 might just be another year where Tems extends her artistry as one of Africa’s best. The singer, during her performance at the year’s Coachella alongside Wizkid and Justin Bieber, announced her debut album, Born in the Wild, due for release in May.
Fun fact: Huge anime lover.
Davido
A bonafide hit maker, David Adedeji Adeleke aka Davido, emerged on the music scene with sophomore single, Dami Duro off his debut effort, Omo Baba Olowo released in 2012, and ever since, the hits just kept coming.
Solidifying his status as one of the greatest Afrobeats acts to emerge in the 2010s, Davido’s momentum has not slowed. So far, he has released four studio albums, and an EP, with each piece showcasing his flair for great sounds and setting new viral trends.
Despite suffering a setback from the emotional turmoil of losing his son, Ifeanyi in a swimming pool mishap, Davido bounced back with an acclaimed Timeless, catching the fancy of the Recording Academy to earn three nominations at the 66th Grammy.
In furthering the gospel of Afrobeats, the ‘old cat’ continues to bridge the gap between local African artistes and their foreign counterparts through collaboration, even at a time when it seemed far-fetched. So far, Davido has collaborated with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Tinashe, Summer Walker, Popcaan, Meek Mill, and multiple-time collaborator, Chris Brown.
Wizkid
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun aka Wizkid needs no introduction. He is the face of contemporary Afrobeats that helped break cultural barriers.
Starting his career on the launchpad of Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E.), the world knew he came fully formed on his 2011 Superstar debut album that spawned multiple successful singles like Holla at Your Boy, Tease Me/Bad Guys, and Pakurumo. Subsequent releases were also successful on the continental level.
However, Wizkid’s proper intro to the rest of the world was 2020’s Made in Lagos, which housed smash hit single, Essence. His latest release, SoundMan Vol. 2, is a follow-up to the first volume released in 2019. It was met with generally positive reviews.
Over time, the Ojuelegba singer has shown a great evolution in sound, quickly adapting to changing climes and scoring collaboration with the likes of Drake, Normani, H.E.R., and Beyoncé with whom he jointly won a Grammy.
Wizkid’s chart achievements are also impressive. He has appeared in official charts of several countries like Ireland, the UK, the US, France, Belgium and Canada.
Fun Fact: Wizzy grew up in an interfaith house. Mum, a Christian; dad, a Muslim.
Asake
Although, dancing was his first love, Ahmed Ololade, better known as Asake, quickly ditched it for fame and fortune. He made this known to CNN during a media tour for his sophomore album, Work of Art in the United States.
“The reason I left dance is for my love for money. I want to be very honest. Dance is something that I love. But I’m not sure dance can give me the kind of money I want. Even if you want to make it so gangster-like and there are so many people bumping, you still need to use the dancers. So, as they work together, I think for the love of money, I’d rather be singing,” Asake said.
The favourite new kid on the block has fast become a global sensation following his debut studio album, Mr Money with the Vibe in February 2022. Heavy on Afrobeats, Amapiano and a dash of fuji, the album catapulted him to global fame following its debut on the Billboard 200 at number 66, making it the highest debuting album by an Afrobeats act at the time.
Fun Fact: The adopted stage name, Asake, is his mother’s name.
Flavour
From the early age of 13, Chinedu Okoli widely known as Flavour knew what career path he was destined for, so when the opportunity came to study music after years of drumming at his local church, he grabbed it with all his might.
Starting as a young drummer, Flavour discerned the potential he wielded, and by 2005, his first album, N’abania was born. While successful in the southeastern part of Nigeria, he struggled to gain national recognition until the 2010s when his sophomore effort, Uplifted lifted the barrier posed by obscurity. He would later go on to become continentally recognised with Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix).
Famous for his style of music that fuses highlife and Afrobeats, and mostly sang in Igbo, Flavour is one of the few among his peers to remain relevant in the music scene that has experienced several shifts to cater to the international market.
The singer is also admired for his energetic dance moves, stage presence and live performances that set him apart from other acts. He’s currently enjoying massive airplay with the recently released Big Baller.
Fun Fact: He’s the 3rd child of a family of 12.