Yemi Alade has spent more than a decade building a career around infectious Afropop records, energetic performances and music that travels across different African markets. However, being good at making hit songs does not necessarily translate into being good at making albums. This is an area where Yemi Alade has struggled for years, and her […]
When an artist has a fan base that has become attached to a particular sound, experimenting with a different genre can be difficult. The artist has to introduce the new sound without completely losing the listeners who connected with the original identity. Magixx takes an interesting approach to this problem on “Be the One.” Instead […]
Bnxn’s “Online,” produced by Telz, is the kind of song that can easily be underestimated on the first listen. It does not immediately throw a complicated arrangement at the listener or depend on an oversized production to make its presence felt. Instead, the song works through a carefully layered Afropop production that becomes more interesting […]
Kizz Daniel returns to music with a song that feels less interested in proving a point and more interested in expressing gratitude. After spending some time away from releasing music, he steps back into the conversation with Ọwọ Oluwa, a collaboration featuring Young Jonn, KrizBeatz and the Wave Choir. It is a thanksgiving song, but […]
Young Jonn has reached a point where the laziness in his music is becoming difficult to ignore. The Nigerian singer and producer has built a reputation around his understanding of sound, his ability to make records that move people, and the experience that comes with years of working behind the scenes. However, his recent releases […]
Ajebo Hustlers have built their music around relatable stories, street language and the everyday experiences of people trying to navigate love, friendship and life. Their latest song, 365 Day featuring Ghanaian singer Gyakie, continues in that direction, but musically, it does not offer much that feels new. The song has a familiar contemporary Afropop sound, […]
Rema’s last release, Tea, was tagged a stage and party song after a clear analysis of the music. It was a record that understood its purpose, and its appeal was tied to the atmosphere it created. With Oh No, however, Rema takes a different approach. He has released a song that people can sing at […]
The US Open has always been more than a tennis tournament. It has been one of New York’s great cultural occasions, a place where sport naturally meets fashion, celebrity and the city’s appetite for spectacle. Actors, musicians, designers and other public figures have long occupied the seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium, while the tournament itself […]
James Brown was probably not thinking about criminal justice, motherhood or the killing of children when he sang that it is a man’s world. He was speaking about the enormous influence men have historically had over society, while also acknowledging that none of that influence exists independently of women. The song became a celebration of […]
There are not many Nigerian artists who truly understand how to make an album. Too often, albums feel like collections of songs thrown together because an artist has enough material for a body of work. The songs may be good individually, but they do not necessarily belong together. Llona’s On the Road is different. With […]
