Essential Afrobeats Albums

Nigerian singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but attended secondary school in London where she played trombone in her school’s band. She began working in music at age 16 as a background singer for George Michael, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, and the Spice Girls’ Emma Bunton. After inking a publishing deal with Sony in 2009, Savage wrote songs for artists like Fantasia and Monica, but ultimately returned to Nigeria to launch her own career. Savage released her third studio album, Celia, in 2020. The R&B and soul-tinged afrobeats record, which was named after her mother, was inspired by the singer’s divorce and experiences as a woman in a male dominated industry.

Damini Ogulu, better known as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer who’s credited with popularizing afrobeats and afro-fusion music globally. He rose to stardom in 2012 with “Like to Party,” the lead single from his debut album L.I.F.E — a record that draws inspiration from the music of Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Bob Marley. Burna Boy often confronts Nigeria’s socio-political landscape in his music which blends R&B, hip-hop, dancehall, and reggae styles into traditional West African rhythms. His sixth studio album, Love, Damini, was released in 2022 and is one of the singer’s most personal and emotional records where he celebrates career highs, wrestles with his lows, and wonders what’s next for him. Love, Damini’s star-studded tracklist features contributions from singers Popcaan, Kehlani, Ed Sheeran, J Balvin, and Khalid.

Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer Tems, born Temilade Openiyi, quit her job in 2018 to pursue a music career. She released several singles before dropping her debut EP, For Broken Ears, in 2020. On the record, she forgoes afrobeats’ usual uptempo sound in favor of R&B and dancehall styles to give For Broken Ears a mellowed-out, serious tone. “Free Mind,” the EP’s standout track, became the longest-running single by a woman to top Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Later that year, Tems was featured on Nigerian singer Wizkid’s “Essence,” which earned her even more popularity and allowed her to further penetrate the American mainstream. In 2022, her vocals from “Higher” were sampled in Future’s “Wait For U.” The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the singer a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

Ayodeji Balogun, known as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and one of afrobeats most commercially successful artists. Though he began recording music at age 11, Wizkid didn’t achieve international recognition until his 2016 collaboration with Drake on “One Dance.” The afrobeats and dancehall fusion song was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and made Wizkid the first African artist to breakthrough in the United States. Wizkid often blends afrobeats with R&B and continued this practice on his fourth studio album Made In Lagos. Lyrically, he focuses on positive themes and promotes cultural exchange through collaboration with a variety of artists including Damian Marley, H.E.R., Ella Mai, and UK grime rapper Skepta.

David “Davido” Adeleke is an American-Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer who has also been credited with popularizing afrobeats internationally. Davido was born in Atlanta, but raised in Lagos. He returned to the US to study business at Oakwood University in Alabama, but dropped out to pursue music full-time. “No African parent really wants their child to be a musician at first,” he told GQ. “It’s something they’ll come around to after you’ve proven yourself to be a great artist.” Davido’s 2012 debut album was panned by critics. He finished school, while managing to release a series of buzzy singles and an EP, before attempting his next full-length album. A Good Time, released in 2019, was recorded in Atlanta and is a sunny and cohesive afrobeats and hip-hop album that features some of rap and R&B’s biggest names, including Gunna, Summer Walker, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and Chris Brown.

Oluwatosin Ajibade, known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and pioneer of Banku music — an afrobeats subgenre that mixes Ghanaian highlife and traditional Nigerian music with reggae, R&B, and hip-hop. Ajibade moved to Ghana to study mechanical engineering and started recording music while in college. He released his debut mixtape in 2013 which spawned the hit single “Bankulize.” He relocated to Nigeria the following year and continued to release music, often delivering his lyrics in Ghanaian Pidgin English over Nigerian melodies. However, in 2020, with no desire to write or record a full-length project, Ajibade was ready to quit music. The persistence of his producers E Kelly and Kel-P, and a transformational experience with fine art, led him to record his most personal music yet. His debut studio album, The Evil Genius, was released in 2023 and previewed alongside 16 commissioned paintings by contemporary African artists at exhibitions in Accra, Ghana, Lagos, and London.

Nigerian singer-songwriter Yemi Alade is a multi-faceted artist who draws afropop, highlife, dancehall, pop, and R&B styles — and sings in several languages, including Igbo, Yoruba, French, and Swahili — to make music. While in college, Alade participated in a singing competition program called Peak Talent Show. After winning and signing a record deal with Effyzzie Music Group, Alade released her debut album, King of Queens, in 2014 and her sophomore LP, Mama Africa, in 2016. She blended pop, highlife, R&B, hip-hop, and coupé-décalé — a percussive style of Ivorian dance music — to create Mama Africa, an album she hoped would “capture all of Africa in one CD.” The record focuses on the experiences of African women and features appearances from afrobeats artists such as P-Square and Sarkodie.

Michael Addo, known by his stage name Sarkodie, is a Ghanaian rapper and songwriter. Sarkodie often rhymes in Twi, his native language, and is considered one of the most versatile African emcees for his ability to flow over nearly any beat. He began his career as an underground rapper and gained popularity through local battle rap competitions. Sarkodie released his debut album, Makye, in 2009 and his sophomore record, Rapperholic, in 2012 which laid the foundation for his international breakthrough. In 2012, he was recognized at the BET Hip-Hop Awards and was the only African artist to participate in a cypher alongside Talib Kweli, Jean Grae, and Ab-Soul. He released his third studio album, Sarkology, in 2014, which included features from Ghanaian singer Efya and other afrobeats artists, including Davido, Tiwa Savage, and Burna Boy.

French singer Aya Danioko was born in Mali and immigrated to France with her family as a child. She grew up in the suburbs of Paris and gave up studying fashion to become a musician, naming herself after the character Hiro Nakamura from the sci-fi television series Heroes. After releasing a string of singles from 2014 to 2016, Nakamura signed a record deal with Rec. 118 and Parlophone and released her debut album, Journal Intime, in 2017. Her sophomore album, Nakamura, came the following year and was the singer’s international breakthrough. The album’s lead single, “Djadja,” became a viral hit within Europe and topped the charts in the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy.