The African music giants you should be listening to

African music is taking over the world. All you have to do is look at the top playlists and soundtracks in other countries, and you’ll find everyone’s jamming to our songs. These artists have been instrumental in making African music dominate the global charts

KWESTA

An award-winning lyricist, Kwesta’s list of bangers include ‘Khetile Khetile’, ‘Spirit’, ‘Ngud’’ and ‘Vur Vai’. He’s been dominating the game since the release of his rst album, Special Rekwest, and made history as the rst local rapper to have seven singles on the radio charts in the

rst year a er his debut. Kwesta followed that with a second album, DAKAR (Da King of African Rap), which debuted at number three on the itunes South Africa Hip-hop/rap chart. His distinct voice and approach to his cra earned him the title Best Hip-hop Artist of the

Year at the SA Hip-hop Awards in 2018. He also captured the attention of international artists and has collaborated with the likes of Wale and

Rich Homie Quan. Most recently, he worked with multi-award-winning New York-based artist Rick

Ross on the single

‘I came, I saw’. In the music video, Ross pulls up in a black Porsche in Kwesta’s hometown, Katlehong – that’s some iconic shit right there!

NASTY C

Dubbed the coolest kid in Africa, Nasty’s debut mixtape One Kid,

A ousand Co ns set him up for a successful music career. He was still in high school when he entered the music scene, and it was his ability to hold his own at such a young age that made him a worthy contender on the global stage. His debut album, C L.A.M.E and second mixtape Price City made his industry peers respect him. But it was his hit single ‘Hell Naw’ from his rst studio album Bad Hair that put him on the map. Nasty bagged a string of awards for his body of work, including Song of the

Year, Best Hip-hop Album and Best Male Album at the 2016 Metro FM Awards. He followed that album with an equally successful one, Strings and Bling, which was named one of the best hip-hop albums of 2018. Signing to American record label Def Jam Recordings to record his 20-track album Zulu Man With Some Power was a historic moment for the young rapper.

DAVIDO

Born in Atlanta, awardwinning vocalist and producer, Davido is famous for his take on Afro-pop. e music giant discovered his love for music as a teen and relocated to Nigeria to pursue his career. He released his debut single ‘Back When’ in 2011, capturing music lovers and club goers’ attention, followed by his second single, ‘Dami Duro’, claiming the number one spot on Gold Myne’s top 10 songs of 2012.

en, he dropped his much-anticipated debut album Omo Baba Olowo, featuring ‘Dami Duro’. His global appeal has lead to international collabs with artists such as Meek Mill, Summer Walker and Gunner. His recent o ering, A Better Time, features Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Young ug and Tiwa Savage. e album, which dropped in 2020, has broken records on several local and international charts, a rming that it’s Africa’s time now.

WIZKID

Nigerian singersongwriter Wizkid has achieved international acclaim as one of Nigeria’s most successful R&B crossover artists. His debut album Superstar features the hit single, ‘Holla at Your Boy’, which elevated him to superstar status. His collaboration with hip-hop giant Drake on the track ‘One Dance’ saw him make history as the rst Nigerian artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. e track also dominated many charts in 15 countries, including the UK,

Canada and France.

en, RCA Records/sony International o ered him a multi-album deal. He released his major-label debut album, Sounds from the Other Side, in 2017, ranked 107 on the US Billboard 200 and 58 on Canadian Albums charts.

e star also played an instrumental role in the #ENDSARS movement in Nigeria, and his latest album, Made in Lagos, is impactful and showcases a more mature side to the Prince of Afrobeat – we’re here for his evolution!

DIAMOND PLATINUMZ

e Tanzanian megastar was the rst African artist to reach one billion views on Youtube, making him one of the most in uential artists on the continent.

e singing sensation has won numerous awards at major ceremonies including MTV Europe and MTV Africa. All his albums have gone triple-platinum in Africa, and some of his singles have topped the charts internationally. He’s worked with several music industry heavyweights, including AKA,

Ma kizolo, Neyo, Rick Ross and Omarion. His collaboration with Alicia Keys on the track ‘Wasted Energy’ is one of our current favourite jams.