We’re here because sometimes you stumble on a voice that feels like something you’ve been missing without knowing. For me, that voice sounds a lot like Reiinn.

From the moment you press play, there’s something disarming about her. Reiinn’s music sounds like a prayer, carrying a softness that makes you want to listen again and again.

Born Oluwatimileyin Lawrence, Reiinn takes us into a world that feels expressive, intentional, and very much her own.

Growing up, she would follow her brother to the studio, writing songs over YouTube beats and instrumentals he produced. According to her, music has always felt tied to her existence.

When she eventually chose to step into music professionally in December 2024, it wasn’t because everything was perfectly lined up. It was because music became the one thing she could create, even in the absence of resources.

Reiinn describes her music as soul music that feels like a prayer, and that description becomes clearer the more you listen. In many ways, Reiinn’s music sounds like a prayer because of how personal, honest, and unforced it feels.

Her world also extends beyond sound into visuals and aesthetics. She leans into a reindeer-inspired identity, with bold eyeshadow, expressive styling, and statement pieces that feel like extensions of her personality. I was pleasantly surprised when Reiinn confessed to not knowing how to apply makeup. It’s all a bet every time, she says, and I hope all my bets are as successful as her attempts.

Unlike the vibe you might get from her visuals, Reiinn doesn’t see the studio as a playground. Instead, she treats it as a space for focus and creation, working intentionally across whatever comes to her. She also shared plans to incorporate her drawing abilities into her music in the future.

Her sound sits somewhere between alt-pop and Afro-soul, but even those labels are loose references rather than definitions. Her debut EP, Deer She Is, is introspective, reflective, and emotionally layered. Reiinn’s music sounds like a prayer here in the way each track feels like a moment of stillness rather than performance.

On the second part of her recent drop, “Don’t Know,” she delivers a contrast that defines much of her music. It carries a groovy rhythm paired with heavy emotional weight. It’s easy to move to, but beneath that ease lies burnout, emotional exhaustion, and the struggle of trying to meet expectations while feeling disconnected inside. The honesty in lines like, “these days I don’t feel nothing, there’s a void in my heart I just can’t explain,” lingers long after the track ends.

With “Beautiful,” Reiinn shifts into a softer space. The tone becomes reassuring, almost like a gentle reminder directed at someone who needs to hear it most. It’s a song that feels like affirmation, and each time she says, “if you forget, I’m your reminder, you’re just so fire,” I smile a little.

Her spirituality also runs through her work. On “Nobody,” she brings her faith forward in a way that feels personal rather than performative, asking for peace and guidance in a tone that mirrors dependence.

That thread continues in “Lullaby for you,” where she revisits a familiar childhood comfort song and reframes it as a promise to her inner child that things will eventually be okay.

When asked what inspires her, Reiinn described something broader than just individual artists. She finds inspiration in life itself. In the world, in people, in experiences, and in the idea of being able to share those moments with others. While she acknowledges influences like Ye, her inspiration isn’t limited to names or categories. It’s rooted in everything around her, and in the endless possibilities that come with creation.

Her session on Cool FM with Charly Boy offered a glimpse into her mindset. What stood out to her was that people will always be opinionated, so it’s up to you to be yourself and remain madly in love with the person you are.

Honestly, if you haven’t listened to her yet, this is your sign to tap in. When asked what she hopes people take away from her music, she emphasized that it’s okay to feel everything as a human being. She hopes her music leaves listeners feeling as if their soul has been hugged and listened to — with a big kiss on the forehead — while they dance freely in their own space. As a frequent listener, I’m here to say: mission accomplished.

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From Streets to Sound: Who Is Danpapa GTA?

Born Akinlemibola Omotoyosi Daniel in Lagos State and raised in Ikotun, Danpapa GTA is not your typical breakout story. He’s a singer, rapper, producer, and sound experimenter whose music resists neat categorisation — a hallmark of the underground’s deepest thinkers. Growing up absorbing the chaotic rhythms and textures of Lagos, from early comfort to sudden financial hardship after his parents committed fully to evangelism, he blends Afropop’s cadence with trap-inflected rhythms and alternative sensibilities that feel simultaneously familiar and refreshingly alien.

His aesthetic from silver-blonde hair to a lithe, grunge-meets-alte presence — reflects a generation of creatives drawing on eclectic influences without being beholden to one lane or sound. He channels socio-cultural realities with lyricism as sharp as his production choices, grounding his work in everyday politics and street vernacular often drawn from lived childhood isolation, silence, and later self-expression through rap and drawing.

Musical DNA: Style, Experimentation, and Sonic Identity

Danpapa GTA’s music occupies the liminal zone between Afrobeats, hip-hop, and experimental electronic production, a space that defies genre purity. Where mainstream Afrobeats often leans polished and universal, his sound revels in texture, mood, and structural unpredictability — long intros, odd beat switches, and intentionally unpolished pacing. Tracks from his ‘Genz Kuti’ era, following earlier releases like the Chanel EP and Pressure in 2024 and Balenciaga Kuti in 2025, display a willingness to fuse danceable rhythms with introspective lyricism and raw sonic palettes.

In particular, “Suffering & Smiling” showcases Danpapa’s ability to marry commentary with contagious energy, narrating societal frustrations over vibrant yet introspective production, a recurring theme across his catalogue.

What makes his approach distinct isn’t just genre blending; it’s how he uses sound as context. Trap-leaning beats become vessels for Lagos street humour; minimalist synths channel tension, and rhythmic play invokes both physical movement and emotional complexity. It’s music for hustlers, thinkers, internet natives, and city wanderers — a generation that doesn’t draw boundaries between global influences and local truth.

Breakout Single: “Ikeja (No Go Thief)”

Earlier this year, Danpapa GTA dropped what might be his defining moment so far: “Ikeja (No Go Thief)”, a song that refuses to be just a viral moment and instead stakes a claim as a cultural one. The hook, an earnest, cheeky, and utterly memorable refrain warning, “No go thief for Ikeja”, encapsulates Lagos’ sprawling contradictions: joviality, tension, hustle, and humour — a playful but pointed warning rooted in everyday street reality.

First teased in late December 2025, snippets of the track spiralled across TikTok, catalysed by creator use and early co-signs from figures across Nigeria’s creative spectrum including Odunsi, Lady Donli, and Dandizzy. That snowball effect turned the track into one of 2026’s earliest underground anthems, and its release, distributed by WeTalkSound, has sent ripples far beyond internet virality, including a strong debut on Spotify Nigeria’s viral charts.

Built on dynamic production, where Afrofusion meets spirited experimentation, “Ikeja” captures the everyday pulse of urban life while flipping it into art. 

Danpapa GTA and the Future of Nigerian Underground Music

There’s a larger context to his rise: the Nigerian underground is reshaping the musical conversation. Artists like Danpapa GTA, Zaylevelten, and others are blurring borders between Afrobeats, trap aesthetics, and internet-shaped listening habits. Listener priorities have shifted from strict genre loyalty to energy, authenticity, and feeling.

Danpapa GTA’s vision, one that channels street vernacular, internet culture, and incessant experimentation while carrying the quiet pressure of not wanting to fade after a viral moment places him at the forefront of this evolving wave. The mainstream may still chase Afrobeats formulas, but the underground is quietly building spaces where sonic innovation and cultural commentary cohere. That’s where the next big ideas in Nigerian music might just emerge.

Closing: The Pulse Beneath the Surface

Danpapa GTA represents a new kind of creative urgency: music as reflection, friction, and possibility. He absorbs his environment, Lagos, internet culture, and global rhythms and spits it back as art that feels raw, unfiltered, and undeniably now—often produced entirely by himself, driven by the fear of returning to silence.

Whether Danpapa GTA’s “Ikeja (No Go Thief)” becomes a commercial chart-topper is only part of the story. More compelling is how it signals a broader shift: Nigerian music’s next frontier will be dictated and shaped by voices who are unafraid to disrupt it. That’s where Danpapa GTA lives, right at the threshold of impact — a “Genuine Type of Artist” by name and intent.

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This year in music has delivered a restless mix of moments, especially in the quality of releases. Stakeholders have held wildly polarizing opinions on almost everything: singles, albums, collaborations, even the number of crossover records breaking out of the continent. Some insist it’s a sign of declining quality in West African music, that Afrobeats is losing its essence.

But in the midst of the proclaimed gloom from consumers and critics — and the excessive glut of low-quality drops every New Music Friday across Afrobeats’ sprawling subgenres — a few rays of light have cut through. Here and there, new shrubs of genius have sprung from the now desert-like sonic soil, offering work that feels novel yet deeply resonant. Some of these new acts have, knowingly or not, birthed a new genre in the process of experimenting. One of the most striking of them is Zaylevelten.

Zaylevelten, born Chisom Lucky Okoro, has carved out a niche sound that could only have mutated from sheer instinct, a spark of curiosity, and countless iterations. The result is a level of execution in production, pen, and performance that feels almost clinical. A producer (under the alias “Tenski”) and a rapper rolled into one, his sound is an impossible leap that somehow works. It feels thrilling, borderline unreal, like an idea that should only make sense on paper but somehow exists, fully formed, in the real world.

It’s this novelty, originality, and odd relatability that fuels the mass adoption of his music. For an independent, underground act to funnel so quickly into mainstream visibility is as awe-inspiring as it is improbable.

Zaylevelten’s rise is more than a breath of fresh air; it’s a spotlight on the quiet revolution brewing in the underground. Like him, these artists are alchemists, patiently distilling ideas into experiments that eventually find pockets of devoted communities. When Zaylevelten debuted in 2024 with “No Gree”, a cloud-rap-leaning record clearly influenced by the likes of Playboi Carti and Travis Scott, he bent a subgenre of hip-hop into a fine blend of his own “unique offering of escapism” inviting listeners to live vicariously through semi-relatable tales of reckless vice and hedonistic lenses that many young Nigerians understand intimately. It’s impossible to pinpoint the singular element that converts casual listeners into fans: the quotable lyrics? The high-end, self-steered production? The world-building? The branding? Probably a constellation of all those things.

Across his discography, one thing is clear: Zaylevelten knows the sound he wants to make. He’s never watered it down. His sonic DNA sits confidently at the core of each release, only evolving into what now feels like an eerily predestined tale of mass adoption. His progression from project to project reads prophetic: from the ‘l0cked 1n’ EP in July 2024, to his debut LP ‘bef0re 1t g0t crazy’ that October, to its deluxe a month later. By the time he doubled down with his second studio album, ‘then 1t g0t crazy’ in October 2025 infused with more native textures, bold experimentation, but an even finer execution — it felt like he’d been sitting on a fully matured sound waiting for the world to catch up. The project didn’t just win him overdue attention; it birthed the deluxe ‘then 1t g0t crazier’. And if all this seems too perfectly timed to be accidental, that’s because very little about Zaylevelten’s ascent feels unplanned.

From the very first listens, ‘then 1t g0t crazy’ doesn’t hide how much of an experimental work it is; it is messy in a carefully crafted, intentional way. The production is dusty, glitchy, alté-inflected, trap-tinged, and sometimes disorienting: you get synths that wobble, percussion that lurches unexpectedly, bass that hits like a punch, melodies that float and don’t settle. That uneasy, restless energy makes the project feel more like a psychedelic experience than an album.

Zaylevelten’s “then 1t g0t crazy” rawness is its greatest strength. The unpredictability keeps a listener on edge, demanding that they surrender to the lore and lean in. That ambivalent nature specifically in delivery makes listening to the full tape an immersive, slightly disorienting ride.

Moreover, his cadence and flow feel like they’re carved to match the beat—jittery when the beat jitters, smooth when the beat lets go. There’s aggression when needed, melancholic haze when the mood shifts, and that sense of an artist refusing to conform to preexisting standards. What makes ‘then 1t g0t crazy’ stand out is that Tenski, his alter-ego/producer tag doesn’t just perform on pre-built instrumentals — he builds many of them, with tracks like “Pawon”, “Bali”, and “Fly” being self-produced. That level of control, writing, producing, and engineering means the project feels like a singular vision, a sonic world built from the ground up. The result is a sense of intimacy and rawness: you hear choices and textures that coalesce into mood.

Because the project is so textured linguistically, sonically, emotionally — each listen unearths a new detail. What might sound chaotic the first time slowly reveals patterns: a lingering melody here, a subtle ad-lib there, an unexpected language switch, a shift in energy. The tension between familiarity and alienness becomes its charm that a listener never outgrows, because every time they return, they find something else.

In many ways, Zaylevelten is both the artist and the architect of his rise, building the world he performs in, brick by brick, under his producer alter ego, Tenski. That duality is part of the lore: the rapper who also sculpts his own soundscape, the hitmaker who whispers his own calling card into the music. And as his producer tag, that now-famous “Tenski save me”, continues to echo across clubs, cars, and TikTok edits, it increasingly feels less like mere words and more like a prophecy. And, if there’s any saving to be done, it’s Zaylevelten saving the rest of us from the monotony of the current soundscape, one chaotic, brilliant iteration at a time.

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Born and raised in the southern state of Rivers in Nigeria, Kemuel’s music testifies to the greatness of the African nation. His musical journey began at 17 when he joined the church choir, learning to play the piano, bass guitar, and drums. Kemuel’s love for the arts also led him to study Fine Art and Design at the University of Port Harcourt.

His debut project, ‘Escape (EP)’, released in October 2022, set the tone for what was to come. Spanning six tracks with a runtime of 16 minutes, the EP showcases Kemuel’s capabilities as a vocalist, songwriter, and creator of that otherworldly soothing after-effect once the play button is hit. Together with his primary producer, Wondah, they craft soulful tracks shaped around varying productions from slow to mid-tempo that collectively tie into the project’s central mood of escape. Yet, Kemuel’s idea of escape on this six-track offering feels like both sides of a romance coin, likely inspired by a number of muses through whom he finds this freedom.

Shortly after the release of his debut project, he got drafted by producer Ozedikus for “Bunda” by Spinall featuring Olamide. He then followed up with the eccentric Afro-pop singles “Alone” and “POLO”. Once again collaborating with his trusted producer Wondah, whose progressions perfectly complement Kemuel’s melodies. Together on “POLO”, the duo craft a foot-stomping, head-moving song whose chorus evokes the harmonies of a Sunday service, a reflection of his early beginnings in the church choir.

Interestingly, with every new release came a sonic evolution for Kemuel. He approached novel productions with daring penmanship and vocal delivery, opening a path to a bolder and more expressive version of himself; one that fully blossoms on his Afrobeats, R&B, and Pop-inspired sophomore EP ‘CLOUDS’.

A REVIEW OF HIS SOPHOMORE EP “CLOUD”

The seven-track project opens with the bubbly and expressive “Alone”, where Kemuel offers listeners a peek into what unrestrained desire might sound like in song form, enlisting Wondah to bring that vision to life. The Alt-pop record immediately pulls listeners in for a sonic ride filled with relatable lyrics, catchy melodies, and sticky beats. “234” follows the Alt-pop blueprint laid down on “Alone”, but with a clear tilt towards Alt-R&B leanings, before transitioning into the log drum-laden “POLO”, a groove curated specially for the dance floor. Whether the title ‘CLOUDS’ is a personalized rhetoric or an open invitation to listeners remains unclear, but by the time “GLNT” plays midway, everyone’s already floating among the clouds.

The other half of the project catches Kemuel squarely in his comfort zone. On “Water”, an emotive Afro-R&B record, his compelling delivery and dreamlike vocals make for a standout moment. Here, Kemuel is smitten, lost in a love that feels both irrational and inevitable as he communicates the logic and fear of such vulnerability over tender guitar plucks: “Love is very wicked I know, you and me we dey like snow.”

“FIND” underscores Kemuel’s range and how precisely he approaches his records. It follows the global template of a North American Pop record, echoing the influence of artists like Justin Bieber. On this track, Kemuel is heartbroken, sober from the highs of affection heard earlier on ‘CLOUDS’—and struggles to let go, expressing heartbreak as articulately as he does love. The 17-minute record closes with “FOCUS”, a mid-tempo, motivational reflection built on minimal percussion, that grounds the project in clarity.

A year and six months after ‘CLOUDS‘, Kemuel’s ingenuity burns even brighter on “Fini” where he and Wondah reunite on an unconventional funk-inspired production. His recent contribution to “You” off Peruzzi’s third studio album also reinforces his sonic distinctiveness: his delicate vocals and effortless verse glide seamlessly over the soulful production crafted by his long-time collaborator.

In earnest, Kemuel’s artistry is like a whisper, that somehow echoes loud. With each release, he sharpens the duality that defines him—soft-spoken yet piercing, calm yet deeply affecting. His music thrives in its balance of vulnerability and precision, of emotion and control. And as he continues to chart his course, one soulful record at a time, it’s clear that Kemuel is past finding his sound. He’s now defining what tenderness sounds like in modern Afropop.

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Born in Durban and now based in Johannesburg, Phiwo’s road to music wasn’t a straight one. She was initially drawn to acting after high school, enrolling at AFDA with dreams of the stage. But by the end of her first year, the pull of music had become irresistible. After graduating in 2021, she dived fully into recording and performance, finding kindred collaborators in Sipho the Gift, Mark Akol, DJ Clen, Jamapelle James, Tyson Sybateli, and others who matched her knack for textured, soul-baring soundscapes.

Her debut project, ‘Letters‘, was both a statement and a confession. Peaking at No. 11 on Apple Music’s R&B/Soul charts, it moved with the intimacy of unsent notes — opening with a breakup letter that carried more clarity than bitterness. “Keep That/Bring That” paired her with MILES, whose verse shaded in the partner’s side of the story, while “Call Me” found Phiwo dismantling her own self-sabotage over a love she craved but couldn’t hold. Co-written and produced by Dooushii, who also offered his own vibrant vocals, the EP painted love as a cycle of longing, disillusion, and reluctant acceptance.

Two years later, she returned with ‘Things We Feel‘ (2023), a compact four-track suite that deepened her emotional palette. With Dooushii still in the fold alongside fresh production voices, Phiwo leaned into the rawness that has become her signature, letting songs like the title track with Saul Madiope hum with intimate resonance.

By the close of 2024, she had not only fronted Spotify’s BlueZA playlist but also carved a presence on live stages from Johannesburg to Pretoria, playing The Weekly Touch Up, NarowBi, and Escaping The City. Her collaborative spirit stretched further, teaming with 2AM, Novl., Taykatrip, and more, and her turn as a standout contestant on MTN Pulse Virals brought her to TV screens nationwide.

Now in 2025, Phiwo unveils “Falling” — a tender, soulful single that hints at a new chapter. It’s a quieter kind of confidence, one built on the assurance that her music doesn’t need to shout to be heard.

With a voice that effortlessly balances vulnerability and strength, and a catalogue that already reflects emotional depth and artistic intent, Phiwo is poised not just to be a fixture in South Africa’s R&B landscape but to carry her sound far beyond its borders. Her ability to translate personal truths into universally resonant stories positions her not just as an artist to watch but one destined to define the sound of her generation.

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Born and raised in Osogbo, Osun State, Fimí’s musical journey commenced upon discovering her father’s church piano, where her innate talent merged with curiosity and passion. At 12, inspired by the Disney movie Let It Shine, she penned her first gospel song, marking the inception of her songwriting journey. By her first year in university, she released her debut track under the moniker “Shawwy Bee”; however, Fimí’s path hasn’t been linear.

After early releases around 2020, she stepped back from music for a period, juggling stable jobs while nurturing her craft quietly behind the scenes. Her return in 2024 was a full commitment to music as a career and a calling, leaving behind the safety net of traditional employment to pursue her dream with renewed focus. Her eventual move to Lagos was a strategic step that exposed her to new opportunities, positioning her at the heart of Nigeria’s music ecosystem.

Her official foray into the industry began with the single “Blessings” in 2020, where her sleek and witty wordplay over a minimalist hip hop beat signalled the arrival of a promising talent. She soon followed with “Your Love”, revealing her versatility by embracing a more melodic, emotional delivery. Her breakout track, “Spitting“—which doubled as her first release in four years—is a three-minute barrage of hard-hitting lyrics packed with punchlines, clever metaphors, and a confident declaration that she is a queen poised to revolutionise the Nigerian rap game. Similarly, her April two-pack release distills the core of Fimí’s artistry, with “Halo” striking a chord with a wider audience—going viral on X (formerly Twitter), racking up over 18,000 likes, more than a million impressions, and helping the project surpass 50,000 streams on Spotify.

Fimí’s artistry is characterised by a deliberate and fluid flow laced with creativity, a reflection of her self-assured presence in the rap scene. Her music is not confined by genre boundaries but draws inspiration from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Doja Cat, and Doechii. She blends introspective lyricism with dynamic and unpredictable elements. This fusion results in a sound that is refreshingly bold, assertive, and boundary-pushing.

Visually, her presentations serve as extensions of her music, melding traditional Nigerian attire with contemporary fashion to embody her multifaceted identity. This contrast is a deliberate cultural conversation between heritage and modernity. Fimí also experiments with Yoruba language and poetry, showing comfort in her roots despite the heavy modern hip hop influences her music is characterised by.

Fimí’s recent collaboration with Wetalksound and alternative rapper SGaWD on “Hei God” highlights her intuitive creative process, as she glides through multiple flows with a brilliant verse that matches SGaWD’s fiery opener. Her boastful, hedonistic lines inject even more punch into the track, elevating its energy and flair.

For Fimí, success transcends fame or financial gain. She wants her music to resonate, to inspire, and to bring peace of mind both to herself and to those who listen. Confident yet playful, with a sharp wit that shines through her lyrics and public persona, Fimí remains a dynamic force with much more to offer. As she builds her distinctive space in the Nigerian rap scene, she does so with impressive intent, creativity, and a vision for global recognition comparable to her icons.

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Now 25, Baaba J represents a generation of artists who are not waiting for permission to define themselves. Her music is less about fitting into categories and more about building a space where genre, language, and emotion coexist. The result is a fluid fusion of highlife, soul, rap, pop and folk, bound together by an unmistakably African core and shaped by lived experience.

Her 2020 debut EP ‘Lumumba St.’ was a statement across five tracks. Baaba introduced listeners to her layered sonic identity: rich in live instrumentation, unapologetically personal, and grounded in her Ghanaian heritage. “Tomboy,” the lead single, doubled as both a sonic standout and visual statement, with a self-co-directed video that championed self-acceptance and individual choice. By the time she followed up with ‘Lovin 21’, a reflective nod to coming of age, it was clear she had now evolved. This evolution deepens on her sophomore offering, ‘Okay Baby, Let’s Do This,’ a seven-track project that finds strength in softness. Songs like “Ole” distill emotional tension with quiet precision, backed by slow, live-recorded percussion and delicate instrumental layering. There’s a noticeable intimacy to her process, from the hand-played instruments to the tender pacing of her vocal delivery. Everything feels intentional. Not overproduced, just well thought-out.

Baaba J’s approach to sound mirrors her approach to self; fluid, layered, and unafraid to explore the intersections. She performs in English, Pidgin, and Ga, drawing on her surroundings not just for lyrics, but for rhythm and resonance. Her sound carries the texture of place, street corners, living rooms, quiet neighbourhoods steeped in folklore and family.

Baaba J’s third EP, ‘In Pursuit of Happiness,’ is her most assured work yet. A soulful, genre-blurring journey that honours her roots while embracing evolution. From the palmwine shimmer of “Ah Well” to the cultural pride of “Here Comes The Sun” and the cinematic flair of “Runaway”, the project balances introspection with lightness and growth with groove. Every track feels intentional and free, culminating in a body of work that reaffirms her voice as one worth following—bold, rooted, and joyfully unbound.

Though she’s relatively new to the scene, Baaba J’s presence has grown organically through thoughtful performances at TEDx Ashesi, Accra Indie Film Festival, and The MiM Life Concert. Baaba J is nurturing a catalogue that reflects who she is now.

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Releasing ‘Yahitte‘ in 2022, King Paluta was no longer just a street king, he was now a national contender. ‘Yahitte’ immediately connected with audiences, becoming an anthem, a street-certified hit that carried the energy of his early battle days but was structured for mainstream dominance. The momentum led to not one but two remixes, pulling in heavyweights like Kuami Eugene, Amerado, and Strongman.

King Paluta’s artistry is a layered experience. At his core, he is a storyteller, a griot in modern-day Ghana, weaving humor, resilience, and ambition into every verse. He has mastered the art of fluidity, switching between Twi and English like second nature, his wordplay intricate enough, yet accessible enough to spark singalongs from listeners. Like the introspective gratitude of ‘Aseda’, the financial reflections of ‘Sika Aba Fie’, or the emotional depths of ‘Makoma’, his art rooted in lived experiences, echoes the struggles and triumphs of the everyday Ghanaian.  

And while his sound is versatile, there’s no mistaking his roots. King Paluta is an undeniable product of Kumasi, a frontline representative of the Kumerica movement, which has redefined Ghana’s rap scene over the past few years. King Paluta has an ability to straddle both hiplife and hip-hop without losing his distinct flavor and core artistry.

In 2024, he secured a nomination for Best New Artist at the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA)—a recognition that speaks to his impact. But the beauty of his journey is that he is no overnight sensation; his name has been whispered in Kumasi for years.

A decade ago, King Paluta was battling for street supremacy, now, he’s battling for industry dominance. With a growing catalog of hits, a growing influence, and an undeniable presence in Ghana’s rap hierarchy, King Paluta is no longer just another name in the conversation, he’s kumasi’s street-hardened wordsmith claiming his throne. He is a steadily rising star and a reminder that the streets of Kumasi have birthed yet another great talent here to stay for a long time.

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Toyé‘s music career commenced in 2018 after an impromptu freestyle studio session with friends, leading to the release of his debut singles ‘Attitude‘ and ‘Shayo.’ On ‘Attitude‘, an Afro-R&B fusion, Toyé expresses admiration, with strong interest and desire, for the beauty and physique of a mysterious woman. ‘Shayo,‘ released after ‘Attitude,’ explores similar themes and elements, expressing a desire for this particular muse who captivates him.

Following these initial releases, Toyé quickly found his unique sound, and his music gained significant traction in the diaspora, establishing him as a leading underground African diaspora artist. He soon achieved career milestones, including selling out shows across the U.S. in cities like Atlanta, New York, and L.A.

Despite these accolades in the U.S., Toyé’s ambition for global recognition prompted his return to Nigeria in 2023. There, he released the acclaimed single ‘Ni Nigeria‘ with Nigerian-American DJ Tomi Tribe, resulting in endorsements from industry heavyweights and co-signs from Davido and Wizkid. He further solidified his talent and impact in the Afrobeats scene by co-writing ‘Shopping Spree‘ for Davido, Chris Brown, and Young Thug. 

This success in the Nigerian music scene paved the way for his 2024 hit ‘Quarter Life Crisis,’ culminating in his 8-track debut EP ‘Wahala In Paradise; a mid-tempo EP which tells stories of struggle, triumph and ambition, depicting vivid pictures of life’s highs and lows. It showcased Toyé’s growth and honed skills over the years, reflecting his evolution from an artist who spontaneously started music off a random freestyle with friends in 2018. Each track demonstrates that Toyé found his sound early in his career, continuing to build upon it as he pivots toward mainstream success, cementing his name and craft in the Afrobeats hall of fame, with the world slowly catching up.

Listen to his latest album – “Wahala in Paradise“

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Ema Onigah’s upbringing, steeped in rich cultural heritage, is vividly reflected in his music, which harmoniously blends traditional African sounds with contemporary Afrobeats rhythms. Tracks like “Ave Maria” and “VIBES & INSHA” embody the novelty of Ema’s music, showcasing uncommon flows and cadence—a peculiarity rarely found within the vast Afrobeats-scape. His music blends tradition with innovation, solidifying his status as a rising star in the Afrobeats scene.

In 2023, Ema Onigah released his debut EP, ‘Dust Off’, a six-track project that has amassed over a million streams. The EP which spawned his hit single “DEY SO” with Ozedikus, peaked at number 14 on Spotify’s Top 50 Nigeria chart, heralding Ema’s arrival on the music scene. His distinct sound—imagine a Busta Rhymes utilizing Afrobeats—is characterized by a rhythmic complexity and emotive delivery that permeated his 2023 EP and captivated audiences worldwide.

Ema’s collaborative spirit was also evident in his feature on Ejoya’s ‘Class of ‘23’ album, where he teamed up with TAR1Q and Brown Joel on the hit song “Canabi”, highlighting a deep awareness and versatility to thrive both as a solo artist and a collaborator. 

Beyond his compelling vocal performances, Ema Onigah is a talented songwriter whose knack for crafting engaging lyrics that has made him a force to be reckoned with in the industry. And his pen has birthed songs for heavyweights like Tekno and Reekado Banks.

Ema’s artistry lies in seamlessly blending tradition with innovation, creating music that feels both familiar and refreshingly original. With his unique blend of traditional rhythms and modern Afrobeats sensibilities, Ema Onigah is poised to become a significant force in an impending Afrobeats future filled with innovative sounds and captivating melodies.

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