As a Nigerian music connoisseur, these are the best of times. Every week, another crop of new music drops. August is turning out to be a month of hit music as some of our favorite artistes have been putting out world class materials. As a listener, it can sometimes feel like an arduous task to sieve through the new releases that pile up this time of the year.
Luckily, a number of new albums that have been put out in the last few days are amazing, and Glazia has already done all the heavy lifting for you and provided you with the highlight reel of this new music.
So here are the essential new albums to stream today.
Twice As Tall by Burna Boy
Singer-songwriter is a term that brings certain things to mind—simplicity, well-thought-out lyrics, gentleness. In the right hands, however, this type of music can be as exciting and groundbreaking for any genre. And thankfully, for the afro beat scene, Burna Boy represents what this means to us.
The Grammy-nominated, platinum-certified Burna Boy, is back with the Twice As Tall album comprised of 15 new tracks. It kicks off in joyous fashion with the single — “Level Up” where he collaborated with Senegalese music icon Youssou Ndour — and also features the recent blockbuster “Wonderful”
Burna Boy sounds terrific on this collection, further cementing his status as one of today’s top music acts, as he continues to elevate his game on one album after another. He receives some mighty assists on the album as well with legendary hip hop mogul Diddy as Executive Producer, with appearances from Naughty by Nature, Youssou Ndou, Sauti Soul, Coldplay’s lead vocalist, Chris Adams amongst others.
Apollo by Fireboy DML
Looking for a fresh and fun new voice on the afro beats music scene? Then lend an ear to Fireboy DML, who has toured with such artists as Olamide, Wizkid and the likes.
Fireboy is the rave of the moment and he’s doing his YBNL imprint and Nigeria proud at the moment. His debut album Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps smashed streaming records and also brought along with it international limelight and recognition for the Olamide protégé. This new album has further cemented his meteoric rise as Nigeria’s newest hit maker. The Apollo album which has 17 tracks already has over 16 million streams on audiomack.
Though it’s his sophomore album, Apollo really introduced us to the world of Fireboy’s unique brand of music and telling a story in the process. In this piece of work, he has wonderfully showcased his ability to create stylish, vibrant pop tunes, highlighted by the incredibly catchy tracks “New York City Girl”
Afro Pop Vol 1 by Adekunle Gold
The long-awaited new album from ADEKUNLE GOLD, one half of Nigeria’s darling music couple and acclaimed singer and song writer doesn’t disappoint. The Lagos-based creative spent the last year writing and recording the project, and has turned in a meticulous collection that leaves no ambition unfulfilled. Stunning work.
Adekunle Gold broke out in 2015 with “Sade,” and as his sound continues to evolve, Afro Pop Vol 1 is a sampler of where he’s at right now. The album comes packed with 10 tracks. Released under EMI with licensing from Universal Music Operations Limited. The 33-year-old had earlier released some tracks as lead singles like AG Baby featuring Nailah Blackman. There are also guest appearances from Patoranking, Olayinka Ehi and Tekno.
Original Copy by DJ Cuppy
Nigerian DJ, songwriter and producer, DJ Cuppy has finally released her debut project, “Original Copy” album. It is incredibly difficult to be both popular and cool. Most things that are cool become popular. Prior to the release of this album, there was a notion shared by quite a few that DJ Cuppy’s music aspirations was mediocre.
Some even claimed she lacked the talent and was only able to push her career due to the name and wealth of her father. Well, the jury is now out and for all the naysayers and doubters who might have listened to her debut album, I doubt they will be holding that view any longer.
The general consensus is that Original Copy is a very good album and has quite a few hit SONGS. Not only has the album become a hit both stateside and overseas, it is doing well on all streaming platforms and has earned high praises from both fans and critics. The 12 track album features Efya, Wyclef Jean, Wale, Darkoo, Stonebwoy, Teni, Sir Shina Peters, Nonso Amadi, Julain Marley, Ms Banks, Ycee and Seyi Shay. The album has has production boost from Pheelz, Killertunes and many others.
