Bella Shmurda, Tiwa Savage, Kizz Daniel and more on New Music Friday

New Music Friday always feels like a treasure chest, but this week the gems are particularly striking with records that stretch from deeply personal confessions to street-rooted anthems. Bella Shmurda, Tiwa Savage, Young Jonn, DJ Spinall, Gyakie, and Kizz Daniel all come bearing work that doesn’t only richly fill playlists but sets conversations in motion. New Music Friday isn’t always this loaded, but when it is, you know Afrobeats and Afro-fusion are alive and thriving in every direction.

Bella Shmurda – Holy Jah

On his newest release, Bella Shmurda plays the part of a streets’ griot with a preacher’s tone. “Holy Jah” is a spiritual yet street-rooted cut that bridges divine faith and gritty survival. Produced by Popito, the beat is deliberately minimal, clearing space for Bella’s raw, throaty voice to turn each lyric into a rhythmic prayer. He’s singing to the divine but also to the everyday hustler, folding reggae’s sacred tones into the sharp edges of street-hop. Lines like “Wetin dey you find for sokoto, omo e fit dey your shokoto” cut through with timeless wisdom, while the refrain “Holy Jah, wey know tomorrow” feels like an anthem of surrender and resilience. With his newest delivery on “Holy Jah” Bella Shmurda is still the Ghetto Preacher; raw, poetic, and utterly relatable.

Tiwa Savage – This One Is Personal (Album)

Four years after ‘Celia’, Tiwa Savage comes back with an album that feels like she’s peeled off all her armor. ‘This One Is Personal’ is a 15-track journey that reads like a diary with confessions, heartbreaks, lessons, and the rawest sides of her voice. Recorded over two years across Nashville, Malibu, and Lagos, the album is an expansive yet intimate body of work, blending Afrobeats with R&B and soul in seamless fashion. Standouts include the biting “You’re Not the First (You’re Just the Worst)”, the piano-driven “I’m Done”, and the Skepta-assisted “On A Low”. James Fauntleroy’s pen adds depth on “Change”, while taves brings a sultry edge on “Addicted”. Tiwa Savage executive-produced the project alongside Vanessa Amadi-Ogbonna and Mystro, and you can hear her stamp everywhere. While some may find the feature list sparse, it seemed Tiwa Savage wanted this to be her story, in her voice, with few distractions. Vulnerable, bruised, but confident, ‘This One Is Personal’ is perhaps Tiwa Savage’s at her boldest yet.

Young Jonn feat. Wizkid – Cash Flow

Young Jonn has been steadily building his transition from hitmaker producer to frontline artist, and “Cash Flow: with Wizkid proves he’s fully there. The track is a decadent ride through wealth, desire, and celebration, merging Afrobeats sheen with amapiano bounce. Young Jonn’s verses glide with the confidence of someone who knows the beat bends to his will, while Wizkid’s silky entrance provides that effortless star power. Ragee’s production is lush but uncluttered, letting the groove breathe while adding amapiano flourishes that feel both current and timeless. Coming off “Che Che” with Asake and “Only Fans”, “Cash Flow” is a clear statement that Jonn’s upcoming ‘Blue Disco’ album is set to be a serious contender in Afropop’s evolving landscape.

DJ Spinall – Eko Groove (Album)

DJ Spinall has always carried Lagos in his DNA, but with ‘Eko Groove’, he writes a direct love letter to the city. The 14-track album is an explosive yet measured blend of Afrobeats, amapiano, and reggae, crafted with the intent of global dance floors but rooted in “Eko” energy. The opener, ‘Eko Groove’ featuring Ayinde Bakare, sets the tone with layered percussion and live instrumentation, while “Struggle” with Summer Walker, Buju Banton, and Jaz Karis dives into soulful storytelling. Pre-release singles like “Early” with Victony and “Excited” with Ami Faku, Heavy-K, and Niniola gave hints of the sonic diversity, but the full project makes it clear that Spinall is as much a cultural ambassador as he is a DJ. Features from Wizkid, Teni, and Niniola balance local flavor with international shine, and the production quality reflects his hands-on role. Recorded between tours, the album mirrors Spinall’s journey from Lagos rooftops to Coachella and Glastonbury stages. ‘Eko Groove’ is D Spinall bottling Lagos’ chaos, rhythm, and joy into a global dance soundtrack.

Gyakie – After Midnight (Album)

After a run of successful EPs, Gyakie finally delivers her debut album, ‘After Midnight’. Seventeen tracks long, the project is a sweeping exploration of love, heartbreak, spirituality, and nightlife, crafted mostly in the quiet hours after midnight. Gyakie lets her Ghanaian heritage, her father’s highlife influence, and her Afro-fusion sensibilities melt into something cinematic. The album balances sacred reflections with scandalous nightlife energy. “Sankofa” offers soulful introspection, while “House Party” with Young Jonn lights up dance floors. Guest features are carefully curated with 6LACK adding sultry R&B depth on “Damn U”, Shatta Wale brings grit on “Harmattan”, Headie One fuses drill with her smooth tone on “I’m Not Taken”, and Kojey Radical adds poetic edge on “Party Galore”. ‘After Midnight’ is a project listeners will find organic, with Gyakie writing 90% of the material herself, starting with moods before lyrics.For Gyakie, “After Midnight” is a milestone, an album that could easily cement her as one of the leading African voices in the global conversation.

Kizz Daniel – To Be A Man

Kizz Daniel returns with To Be A Man, a single with conspicuos emotional depth. Running at just under four minutes, the track dives into masculinity, vulnerability, and the heavy expectations placed on men in African society. Rather than masking it all in bravado, Kizz Daniel leans into nuance, acknowledging the weight of stoicism, pressure, and emotional silence. The production layers lush harmonies over crisp percussion, creating a sound that is as reflective as it is groovy. Kizz Daniel’s vocal delivery is textured, balancing strength with fragility, and the result is a track that works both as a dance record and a contemplative listen. In many ways, “To Be A Man” shows Kizz Daniel in a somber state, not just chasing hits, but adding depth to his legacy.

Africaine – Give Me Love

Following her debut in 2020, Africaine has shown a consistency that matches her talent. Now, preceded by a few singles and an earlier release, “Live Life” in March this year, Africaine shares a new vulnerable song titled “Give Me Love”

Wizkid, Asake, Shatta Wale, NSG and More on New Music Friday

The two-minute Afro R&B record, produced by god0marr, blends western influences with a West African delivery that reflects the Connecticut-born singer’s familiarity with her Nigerian roots.

The mid-tempo “Give Me Love” portrays an emotional Africaine struggling to come to terms with a slipping love. She expresses herself in English, Pidgin, and Igbo, possibly picked up from her many summer trips to Owerri, Nigeria, over the years. She pleads with her lover: “If you leave, where would I go / How could I find someone to love me like you,” her delivery cutting through a listener’s heart with honest, heavy lyrics.

Unlike previous years where she typically released just a single, “Give Me Love”—her second release of 2025—may signal Africaine’s intention to take listeners on a lengthier ride through endearing melodies, emotive lyrics, and perhaps even a project on the horizon.