Which are your favorite Nigerian music singles? There is no dearth of music in Nigeria. Almost every day, new songs are being dropped by Nigerian musicians as they hold their ground as the lifeline of parties in the country.
Here are 10 outstanding Nigerian music singles rocking the music/party scene.
Yolo Yolo by Seyi Shay
Seyi Shay delivers Yolo, Yolo with a practical blend of House music, Afrobeat, Latin Jazz, and Highlife. Yolo, Yolo is a playful tune that echoes the truism that ‘You Only Live Once.’ Produced by DJ Coublon, the feel-good music advocates happiness under any circumstance. The Britain-born Nigerian artiste alludes to the fact that pretense is not easily portrayed in Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele’s movie, ‘Jenifer.” Instead of pretending, be yourself and be happy is Seyi Shay’s message.
The 31-year-old artiste delivers the tune with unique vocal gymnastics that would stick the Yolo, Yolo chorus to any mind. Her makeup in the very colourful video of the single pays tribute to the legendary Afrobeat King, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Seyi Shay, real name Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, also sampled tunes from the late Afrobeat King’s 1976 hit, Zombie,’ with the Joro-Jara-Joro ending the track. Set in the tropical region of South Africa, styled by Swanky Jerry, with creative direction from Bella Adeleke, the video features a copious dose of salsa moves and several captivating dance steps.
YCee ft. Maleek Berry – Juice
With over 19 million views on YouTube, Juice has kept its reputation as a club banger. YCee, real name, Oludemilade Alejo, dropped the highly danceable tune as a foretaste of his debut Extended Play record in April 2017. Hitting the music scene hard, Juice stayed on Playdata’s Radio Chart for five consecutive weeks. With his unique vocals that got people hooked to Jagaban and Omo Alhaji, the 24-year-old signed to Tiny Entertainment’s record label and got a one-up from the song. Maleek Berry’s touch juiced it up to keep the “Too much juice, too much sauce” hook replaying on the radio and in the mind.
Juice is about a lady that caught the attention of the singers as they step into a party, and her body is so lovely that the singers wouldn’t let anything stop them from getting close to her, dancing with her, and perhaps taking it further.
WizKid featuring Drake – Come Closer
Come closer is not the typical WizKid pattern. It is not the typical Naija Hip Hop/Afrobeat like his earlier hits, Pakurumo and Ojuelegba, but it is a big hit all the same. The way WizKid dropped the raga flows, allowing Canadian rapper Drake to weave in and out, is a fantastic testimony to the 26-year-old’s vocal versatility.
Come closer hit an incredible 2 million YouTube views only two days after the video was dropped online. The video has since then garnered over 56 million views and counting. One of the things people keep going back to watch is the way WizKid celebrated African prints in the video. The song is widely applauded by many as one of those reinforcing Africa’s top spot in the world’s popular music industry.
P-Square – Nobody Ugly
The singing twins, Peter and Paul Okoye, delivered this excellently. Nobody Ugly is a socially conscious song that humours the tons of deception perpetrated by people, especially ladies, on social media. Borrowing a few elements from their previous hit single, Bank Alert, the song describes how photo filters on popular photo sharing website, Instagram, and other such social media sites help to ensure that every imperfection is perfectly masked….that it is allowed online.
After a rough last quarter of the year 2016, marred with in-fighting between the Okoye wins and their big brother, Jude Okoye, who also doubles as their manager, Nobody Ugly consolidates their return to a peaceful co-creation of a solid hit after Bank Alert.
Runtown – Mad Over You
Even though Runtown’s Mad Over You dropped in December 2016, the Afropop tune has retained its freshness and appeal.
Produced by Del B, the song talks about Runtown’s love for a beautiful girl who is from Ghana. Apart from physical beauty, being able to cook waakye, a popular Ghanaian cuisine, is another skill Runtown wants his woman to have.
Though he is Nigerian, Douglas “Runtown” Agu, a singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer has won himself a huge number of Ghanaian fans. He doesn’t look like he is stopping anytime soon.
Falz – Wehdone Sir
This hot one by comedian, singer, and songwriter, Falz the Bhad Guy, is a crossbreed of good comedy and good music. The lawyer-turned-musician sang about everyday people who live a lie and pretend to be living large when they are not. It is hilarious. It bears a striking resemblance, in context, to P-Square’s Nobody Ugly.
Falz, real name Folarin Falana, is the son of human rights lawyer and social commentator, Femi Falana. Falz studied Law in the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. After Law school, he worked in his father’s chambers for a while before following his heart’s desire in entertainment.
Davido – If
After a not-too-impressive outing in 2016, Davido’s first single, If, after the release of his Son of Mercy EP, is a sign of greater things to come for Davido. In four months, the music video has gathered more than 63 million views on YouTube.
The self-acclaimed Omo Baba Olowo (Yoruba for Son of a Rich Man) showed his romantic side in this mid-tempo number. He promises to give everything he owns to the love of his life, making sure to tell the subject of his serenade that he has a lot of money (30 billion to be precise) in his account. Departing from the fads in most Nigerian music, the father of two beautiful daughters prefers to sip Burukutu, a local beer made from sorghum, ahead of exotic liquor brands. Even if the reference was made purely for the want of rhymes, it is now a favourite part of the music produced by Tekno.
Niniola – Maradona
Niniola delivers Maradona with a fresh blend of Afropop and House style music produced by Sarz. The song is about a serial cheater nicknamed Maradona. Maradona as a slang in Nigeria derives its origin from the legendary Argentine player with the name. The Argentine player, Diego Amando Maradona, is known for his dribbling prowess on the soccer field, so any man who plays with the emotions of ladies is described as a “Maradona.” Niniola spiced the song up with a lot of innuendoes indicating how she was played by the player.
Tiwa Savage – All over
Mavin Records First Lady, Tiwa Savage, dropped All Over as a welcomed gift to all of her fans after returning to Nigeria from touring the United States of America and other parts of the world. The new song was produced by BabyFresh.
Tuface a.k.a. 2Baba – Holy Holy
Serial hit maker, Innocent ‘Tuface’ Idibia, delivers Holy Holy smoothly like he is known to do. The song is themed along the sentiments shared in You No Holy Pass from his 2004 album Face2Face.
In Holy Holy, the 41-year-old talks about the self-righteous attitude of many people who try to judge him by his past.
Somehow, the song sounds like a double entendre. Apart from talking about people judging him, the former member of the defunct three-man Plantashun Boiz band tells the story of Nigeria with the video and some of the lyrics. The song seem to be his alternative to the protest march he planned to lead on February 6, 2017. He aborted the protest for security reasons.