Over the last ten years, Afrobeats has tremendously pivoted from the grassroots scenery to the international borders, dominating other sounds and quickly becoming one of the most sought-after and successful genres. We’ve witnessed unprecedented feats with Afrobeats trailblazing the scenes, from sold-out stadiums–which is becoming a norm– to global anthems and record-breaking charts; the ‘Afrobeats to the world’ is nothing less than a glimpse of imagination but a shared reality.
For almost the first time since 2024, a global anthem has been lacking in the most sought-after sound. Yet, Afrobeats in 2024 hasn’t failed to produce vibrant, top-quality sonic projects. While the early part of the year saw a lull in the release of quality projects, the rest of the year picked up pace with myriad releases.
In light of this, The 49th Street captured and analyzed the top 15 Nigerian albums of 2024 from the platter of Afrobeats albums released this year. These picks collectively reflect the quality, creativity, and thematic cohesion of the projects.
On this note, here are The 49th Street top 15 Nigerian Albums of 2024:
15. Adedamola – Fireboy:
Fireboy’s return as Afrobeats foremost Afropop-RnB artiste with the release of “adedamola” places his fouth studio and self-titled album as one of the best albums of 2024. The singer-songwriter exercised his vocal prowess, stellar songwriting, and versatility with songs like ‘Ready,’ ‘Ecstasy,’ ‘Back n Forth,’ ‘Wande’s Bop,’ and ‘Iseoluwa.’ The album also exhibits excellent production quality from Nxrth and Bassiqually, with sounds ranging from Afropop, RnB, and Ballads, complimenting Fireboy’s ingenious artistry.
14. Rebel Queen – Yemi Alade:
Mama Africa signed off the year with the release of her album “Rebel Queen.” Revered for celebrating African heritage in her sonic projects, Yemi Alade didn’t fail to uphold this in her sixth studio album. The album richly blends Afropop, Amapiano, Dancehall, and Lingala, reflecting themes of African heritage, femininity, and individuality. With diverse soundscapes and notable mentions of features of artists such as Angélique Kidjo, Ziggy Marley, and KiDi, Yemi Alade’s ‘Rebel Queen’ opens doors as one of our top albums of 2024.
13. Lost and Found – Simi:
What happens when an artist immerses listeners in their seemingly first-love project, births the sonic project, “Lost and Found.” Simi takes listeners on a journey of her growth on this album since she surfaced into the music scene while touching themes of love and introspection. The 14-tracked LP highlights Simi’s dexterity with assists from Nigeria’s finest artists, including Lojay, Bella Shmurda, Ladipoe, Asa, Tiwa Savage, and the legendary Ebenezer Obey. From the vocals to the impeccable songwriting and sonic construction by LOUDAA and Simi, ‘Lost and Found’ emerges as one of the year’s top albums.
12. Son of Chike – Chike:
When Chike released “Son of Chike” in the early summer, it highlighted his return to his first body of work, ‘Boo Of The Booless.’ While it restrains itself to embody the prominence the debut album essentially carries, it does capture themes of romance, unrequited love, longing, and assertion, best suited to the ears of Igbo and English listenership. With the success of ‘Egwu’ envelops the album, as Mohbad’s voice sustains the vibrance of the song, other songs such as ‘Ego Oyibo,’ ‘Apple,’ ‘Mma(Beauty),’ and ‘One Day’ and ‘Your Loss’ featuring Qing Madi still stand out.
11. Shakespopi – Shallipopi:
Street-hop received a fresh sound with the advent of Benin-bred act Shallipopi. Owning the year 2023 with top-charting hit records, ‘Pluto President’ managed to live up to expectations with the release of “Shakespopi.” Still, he vigorously dropped chest-thumping street-laced tracks, drawing comparisons to Shakespeare. On his sophomore album, Shallipopi displays braggadocious and self-assertion themes while delivering Benin-esque street-hop songs.
10. No Love In Lagos – Show Dem Camp, The Cavemen. & David Nsikak:
A stupendous collaboration ensued when Rap duo Show Dem Camp, The Cavemen, and David Nsikak met to produce “No Love In Lagos.” This album cohesively stays on course, capturing the vibrancy and complexity of Lagos life. Blending Show Dem Camp’s ‘Palm Wine Music’ alongside rhythmic traditional sounds of Highlife and enriched artistry from The Cavemen and David Nsikak.
9. Vibez Incorporation Mixtape Vol. 1 – Seyi Vibez, Muyeez, TML Vibes, Nerryckole, Billion Solar:
Despite the superfluous releases from each of the acts, they collectively orchestrated a spectacular body of work encompassing Street-Hop tracks. Lead by superstar street-hop act and label boss Seyi Vibez, “Vibez Incorporation Mixtape Vol. 1” emerges as one of the top Nigerian projects, blending vocals and street lingua from Muyeez, TML Vibez, Nerryckole, and Billion Dollar.
8. Lungu Boy – Asake:
One of the highly anticipated Nigerian albums in 2024, “Lungu Boy” by Asake, came with watered-down expectations after setting the pace with his debut and sophomore albums. But on his third studio LP, Asake explores the shores beyond Afrobeats and Fuji-laced Amapiano, touching the foreign sounds of Dancehall, Calypso, hip-hop, and Electronic Dance Music. Lungu Boy struggles to reflect thematic cohesion. However, Asake is still a hit-maker and has pushed to give listeners a worthy experience, especially with notable collaborations on songs like ‘Active,’ ‘Wave,’ and ‘MMS.’
7. Homeless – Llona:
Unarguably the breakout artiste of the year, Llona immerses listeners in conscious, mellifluous melodies and introspective verses fueled by stories of Northern Nigerian war, mental health, and societal issues. “Homeless” cohesively and expressively captures the themes, with notable songs like ‘Still Scared,’ ‘Can’t Breathe,’ ‘HBP,’ ‘Forgive,’ and ‘Commander.’ The Fave-assisted song, ‘Cold War,’ dominates the 12-tracked project.
6. Morayo – Wizkid:
While the death of a loved one is the most tragic event of life, it can be a reset for one of Afrobeats’ biggest exports. Although the echoes of grief permeate underneath the album, “Morayo” highlights Wizkid’s will to live life to the fullest, serving a platter for both old and new listeners. On songs like ‘Kese,’ ‘Karamo,’ ‘Piece of My Heart,’ and ‘Aprés Minuit,’ he delivers Afrobeats while staying on course to his RnB sound. The album modestly displays stellar lyricism but balances out with mellifluous vocals and exquisite music production major from award-winning producer P2J
5. Born In The Wild – Tems:
If any project offers thematic cohesion and lyrical and vocal prowess, Tems’ “Born In The Wild” holds the spot. After the critically acclaimed debut EP, ‘For Broken Ears,’ the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter shared another masterpiece from her archives. On the debut album, Tems remains rooted in her soulful, laid-back RnB sound while touching Afrobeats and Hip-hop sounds like ‘Love Me Jeje’ and ‘T-Unit.’
4. Jiggy Forever – Young Jonn:
Since he began exploring the artistry scope of music, tailing the release of his first and second projects, music producer and artiste Young Jonn released his debut LP “Jiggy Forever,” signaling his growth as an artist. For someone who’s been behind some of Afrobeats’ biggest and best songs, Young Jonn shows exemplary music production, touching themes of love, heartbreak, ambition, and personal growth.
3. HEIS – Rema:
While most mainstream Nigerian artists seek to appeal to foreign audiences, exploring their sounds, Rema’s “HEIS” acts as a cultural reset to the music industry. At a time when the Amapiano wave saturates the local scene, Rema realizes and makes a bold step in taking it back to the roots of where the music surfaced. The critically acclaimed album takes a purposeful cohesion on a theme of bravado, drawing elements of Afrobeats, as well as street-pop sounds, otherwise called “Mara,” with songs like ‘Ozeba,’ ‘March Am,’ ‘Hehehe’ and ‘Heis.’
2. The Year I Turned 21 – Ayra Starr:
Ayra Starr’s growth in the music industry is evidently displayed on her sophomore album, “The Year I Turned 21”. Not only does she brilliantly maintain her sound, but she exceptionally displays versatility across the 15-tracked LP. With a successful debut album, this project lives up to Ayra’s ingenious artistry, assembling Afrobeats, Amapiano, and RnB elements. While standout songs emerged from collaborations from Seyi Vibez, Asake, and Giveon, alongside the Coco Jones and Anitta-assisted tracks, she delivers exceptional songs like ‘Lagos Love Story,’ ‘Jazzy’s Song,’ ‘The Kids Are Alright’ and ‘Rhythm and Blues.’
1. Stubborn – Victony:
Since Victony entered the Nigerian music scene, he has continued to deliver outstanding sonic releases. And “Stubborn” is another testament to his ingenious artistry. The 14-tracked project delivers mellifluous vocals and lyrical depth. The title reflects Victony’s resilience since his childhood through his journey into the music scene. Songs like ‘History,’ ‘Pier 46,’ ‘Risk,’ and ‘Stubborn’ featuring Asake deliver themes of love, romance, and introspection. No doubt, Victony stubbornly emerges as one of the top artists to provide the best Nigerian album of 2024.
While the year 2024 shows a lull in the quality of music projects amidst the incessant releases, these albums offer reassurance for the future of the Nigerian music industry while immersing listeners in a memorable listening experience.
