rolling afropop 2022

A friend turned me onto this great lo-fi afropop track from Nigeria (not to be confused with the Toronto indie-pop act of the same name):

Hotkid - "Star"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksEfm6MuJ0w`

^^ really nice, thanks to your friend

liking the boj album a great deal, even if he does tend to fade into the background and let the guests shine sometimes

Focalistic touring the US through June. In Houston MY 13; Dallas May 14

but who knows, he might catch a wave again someday 🌊

disclaimer: unabashed Oxlade fanboy here, but here’s yet another song of his I just•can•not•stop playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x80x3_JqOws
Smallgod ft. Oxlade • Biou Biou

Oxy is permanently crazy in love, basically.

Smallgod is a Ghanaian-Dutch entrepreneur-turned-artist/A&R guy whose new album features an impressive line-up of Ghanaian, Naija, UK and Dutch guest artists: https://thenativemag.com/essentials-smallgod-connecting-the-dots/

Omah Lay has announced his first album Boy Alone is being released on 24 June 2022. Woman is the latest song revealed after Understand and the Bieber duo. I find it dangerously drowsy though, which I suddenly have less patience for after Rema's energy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFtZqhnXyGw
Omah Lay - Woman

For those interested, Kwaku the Traveller now has a video. The guy loves the camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIDiI5kyBDQ

In the last hour or so I've been discovering King Promise who has shaped up a nice career. This little ballad is unassuming but pleasant enough to post, I dig the use of amapiano. Other favorites include his early singles Selfish, Alright with Shatta Wale which I will post for pleasure (2020), Fine Wine with R2Bees, CCTV. His other single from 2022, Bad 'N' Rude with WSTRN, is not bad either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCbAYj9tH2k
King Promise - Ginger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgA3PEO9V9U
King Promise (feat. Shatta Wale) - Alright

Also, I'm usually not a fan, but legit sound production from Stonebwoy on his latest and I didn't remember he was doing such an excellent Burna Boy impression.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD2pME-cLiY
Stonebwoy - Therapy

Fresh and irresistibly groovy from SA, hope it hits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0RbA4RntcA
Konke & Musa Keys (feat. Nkulee501, Skroef28 & Chley) - Kancane

The man behind Dorobucci and Adaobi is reborn from his ashes to gather some young stars around... a very soft beat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SNlvR86xc
Mavins, Crayon, Ayra Starr (feat. LADIPOE, Magixx & Boy Spyce) - Overloading (Overdose)

that is a beautiful tune, thank you

after all these years i'm still a total sucker for classic dorobucci/passionfruit kinda vibes

Two new Ghanaian hits that both incorporate that big backing chorus line thing that’s all the rage in Naija pop this year.

Wendy Shay’s bleak “Survivor” even has a bit of Yoruba in the chant - in hopes of a crossover perhaps? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUbqTYsQpGs

Kuami Eugene’s “Take Away” is all about tauntingly flaunting it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZBYRX6USqE

more of a good thing:

is there such a thing as “too much Oxlade”? don’t think so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pDQjwaH3qk
Oxlade • Ku Lo Se

more of a good thing, part 2:

lyrically at least, this is Bloody Samaritan Redux, but do we need more female fuck-you songs in afropop? I think we do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S06IoLBDI7I
Ayra Starr • Ase

(oh, and London producing)

2022 will be remembered as the Asake takeover.
Here’s Peace Be Unto You:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MefXQvGTYtE

^^ in at 92 in the midweek UK chart, another milestone for afropop.

“Last Last” climbed to number 20 last week, making it by far Burna’s biggest UK hit as the main artist.
Meanwhile, after almost *six* whole months, “Peru” is *still* in the top 20.

sorry i'm a real newb to afropop, just hearing "last last" and damn that's a good song.

welcome aboard, map!

thanks, i have ambitions to keep up that i'm sure will recede shortly

that Asake song is fantastic. I'll probably tire of that naijapiano/rubbery bass sound soon-ish but not yet

otm about "last last" and about the new asake, loving them both a lot

new DaBaby (yes, this is the Afropop thread):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QJl3NMDePs
DaBaby ft. Davido • Showing Off Her Body

that's a dud imo

what makes this a dud for you? the track itself ( I happen to think it’s a jam) or the fact that it’s DaBaby (which, sure)?

mostly DaBaby, who I've rarely loved but don't have any prejudice against. But I don't get anything from his presence here, the chorus is particularly eye-rolly. Production isn't bad or anything, I could see liking it with a vocalist I like more. Probably doesn't help that I'd listened to Last Last and PBUY right beforehand

idk maybe I am a bit prejudiced about crossover attempts tbh. but compare that to this, which just has tons more atmosphere & character:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmZ7KQD5Qvg

loool you’re going to apple-and-orange me with an *Oxlade* track? of course that one is much better, it’s from last summer’s Eclipse EP, one of the musical highlights of 2021, as noted upthread. didn’t know he dropped a video for “More” after all this time, so thanx for the headsup!

(you really should listen to that whole EP tho!)

I have! I'm super grateful for your Oxlade hyping

And yes that was an extremely deliberate thumb on the scales / hey check out this new video :)

thanking you for your Oxy fan service!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZquVz7FBdQg
Gyakie - Something

been loving ruger - "girlfriend" ... just a sublime song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1D6qsTEVj0

lasmid - "friday night" ... big song out of ghana right now, love this chorus. a bit reminiscent of fireboy "new york city girl". very sweet, memorable song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrghLct81sc

yes, “Friday Night” is so good! it’s like the friendly cousin of Kuami Eugene’s “Take Away” - you can tell that Lasmid’s favourite nightspot does *not* have a VIP section

cucurucuu!

yes, Ruger has ever so slyly established himself as a serious player in Omah Lay’s slipstream.
“Girlfriend” spells out his cock bandit persona times two. it’s a great song, but I love “WeWe”, another new track on his upgraded The Second Wave EP even better: https://www.youtube/watch?v=kG68cdAC_Do

it has distinct echoes of W4’s decade-old, semi-legendary “Kontrol”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udDglAxeV0c

https://thenativemag.com/shuffle-re-visit-kontrol-w4s-afrotrap-afrotrap/

(although Ruger doesn’t seem like a guy who would relinquish control to his female partner, at least not on (the) record)

btw, this was the biggest banger on the first edition of The Second Wave, which came out in November: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzFUM5AW1YQ
Ruger • Dior

cucurucuu!

“WeWe”, once more, with feeling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG68cdAC_Do

Enjoying Girlfriend
Speaking of Omah Lay, his new album is finally coming out July 15

So I'm digging the Omah Lay. No surprise, it's on the introspective and minimal side (see cover), only two features and no obvious hit, but it's consistent, heartfelt, like a little brother to Rema's album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=258haho4GRE
Omah Lay feat. Tay Iwar - Tell Everybody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Eu7rMtmcc
Omah Lay - Never Forget

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmq2txrRu2w
Omah Lay - Bend You

I could have posted I'm a mess or Soso rather than Bend You
They don't outline his whole program like those lyrics though

I put my all in till I see evidence
For her face and her leg e dey shake
Like say she get epilepsy
She say the taste is a sweet and e bitter
At the same time peppermint
Crocodile teeth, Skillibeng
Yes my thing strong no fit bend oh
By my face I innocent
Until I bend you

no obvious hit

I haven't gotten to the album yet, but I thought "woman" was nice when I heard it—which doesn't make it a hit ofc

this is spectacular:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpnlnMq2S3I
BNXN fka Buju ft. Wande Coal • Kenkele

sound and song-wise it reminds me of nothing so much as Wizkid and Duncan Mighty’s “Fake Love” from 2018, another new-star-with-inspirational-veteran duet, coincidentally or not.

…which, and this is totally coincidental, I nominated for the 2010s Poll - search under ‘Starboy’ and consider voting for it!

that is great... "BNXN" has to be one of the more confusing midstream name changes in recent music history

That is nice...not sure it reaches the heights of Fake Love, but good lord that's an extremely high bar! (I do hear why your mind went there though.)

I was listening to some slightly older BNXN the other day (Cold Outside, Confident, For Days), and he definitely has that special something.

Joining the chorus on Ruger's Girlfriend: that song is fantastic. I would not have gone with a lyric video though lol

yeah his catalogue on Tidal is a total mess thanks to the name change: entries for BNXN, BNXN fka Buju, and Buju

yes, “BNXN”, let alone “BNXN fka Buju” is just terrible in every respect. they should have gone for *Daniel ‘Buju’ Benson* or something, but it was probably deemed not modern enough as artist names go.

BNXP lol

LMAO

now that i know it's supposed to be read as "benson" i'm like "ok..." but removing all vowels and having the x stand in for two diff letters, it's just a lot

ANYWAY... great song

Kenkele really interesting use of autotune and singing by Buju, it wasn't always clear he could diversify his style, but he's been taking it one step at a time and is always interesting to follow. Very good song indeed.

First Video for Boy Alone after Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOGJ76ct8G8
Omah Lay - I'm a mess

halfway during “Kenkele” Buju seems to invoke the Dutch snack kaassoufflé, which is very distracting indeed