1. M.I – Illegal Mixtape 3: The Finale
The Short Black Boy took listeners back to his mixtape roots with the third and final installment of his Illegal mixtape series.
Though a mixtape, the 45-min long offering mostly had M.I reflecting on the state of the music industry, while the track, ‘Not Just Ok/Savage’ was aimed at his critics.
2. Lil Kesh – Y.A.G.I (Young And Getting It)
Lil Kesh made a decent effort with his debut release, crafting an album worthy of commendation. The hustle-themed narrative of the project sat well with critics, who lauded the 19-track long project as a ‘victory for the streets’.
Showing a somewhat rare lyrical dexterity on the opening track ‘Fuck Shit Up’, other tracks such as ‘Ibile’ and ‘Igba Iponju’, made the album tick.
3. J Martins – Authentic (The African Edition)
Featuring notable acts across the continent such as DJ Arafat from Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda’s Jose Chameleon and Koffi Olomide, the album’s preceding single, ‘Touching Body’ led a dance carnival of some sort on the project.
4. Yemi Alade – Mama Africa (Diary of an African woman)
The album’s title put enthusiasts in expectation of some African consciousness on the 15-track long offering, but it found the ‘Johnny’ hit maker majorly catering to mainstream pop success.
She however still managed to churn out hits like ‘Ferrari’ and ‘Nakupenda’.
5. Jaywon – Oba Orin
Themed towards a narrative of his consciousness, love and life lessons, the former Kennis Music act made a worthy impression.
‘Back to Sender’, ‘My Way’ and ‘Banuso’ are some of the gems on the 21-track album.
6. Brymo – Klitoris
The album from the father of one mostly caters to a love theme, while the usual dose of conscious reflection was on full display.
‘Happy Memories’, ‘Billion Naira Dream’ and ‘Dem Dey Go’ are just some of the gems from this masterpiece.
7. Kiss Daniel – New Era
The singer masterfully overcame a possible cold feet and rose above his disappointment of last year’s Headies ‘Next Rated’ snub.
Safe to say he has so far shone more brightly than his contemporaries in the same category earlier in the year.
‘Mama’, ‘Good Time’, ‘Gobe’ and ‘New King’ are just few of the several gems from the highly impressive debut from the Abeokuta-bred singer.
8. Sojay – So Far (EP)
The budding singer possesses one of the finest voices in the music industry at the moment, and only just needs a major break to harness his talent.
Already with high-profile features on the Nigerian music scene, singles such as ‘Holiday’, ‘Fook You’ and ‘Everything’ make his EP a worthy release.
9. Yung6ix – Billionaire Ambitions (EP)
Despite his obvious talent and having previously released his debut album, 6 o’clock to critical acclaim, the budding rapper did little to accentuate his status as a rap elite with the new EP.
‘Blessings’ feat Oritsefemi is the standout track from the 6-track offering. No Fields Found.
