Entertainment

Top 10 Nigerian Albums in 2021

The article will contain a year in review of the Nigerian music industry in 2021 and I will be listing the top 10 Nigerian albums in 2021.

The year 2021 started with a big bang, with artists dropping beautiful music from the beginning of the year till the end. While the year 2020 saw Nigerian musicians go the extra mile in creating awesome music projects, 2021 saw the continuation of this trend.

A couple of amazing projects were released from veterans in the industry and a couple of newcomers aiming to make their mark on the industry. From newcomers like Ayra Starr who released her debut album and veterans like Olamide who dropped his 9th studio album. The article will be reviewing the top Nigerian albums of 2021 based on charts and personal reviews.

Below are the top 10 Nigerian albums in 2021:

10. Rum & Boogie

Rum & Boogie by Perruzi comes in at number 10 of the top 10 Nigerian albums in 2021. The 20 track album is the singer-songwriter’s sophomore album and is loaded with a lot of hits. In this project, Perruzi shows off his songwriting ability and versatility, combining different genres of music from pop to dancehall and Afrobeats. The project has several hit songs like “Somebody baby featuring Davido, God forbid, Available featuring Wande Coal and Southy love featuring Fireboy Dml“.

Though the album was considered lengthy by some listeners, its diversity takes the attention away from how long the project is. The album peaked at No. 1 on the iTunes Nigeria top albums chart and peaked at No. 80 on the iTunes chart. It gathered over 2 million streams on Boomplay and over 40 million streams on Audiomack.

9. Wondaland

At number 9 on our list is Afrobeats singer Teni’s debut album, the singer who has been thrilling fans with hit singles since 2018 finally puts out her first album. Wondaland shows Teni’s ability to not only put out hit singles but also produce a decent full-length album. Most of the album was produced by multiple award-winning producer, Pheelz. Listeners can feel how perfect the combination between Pheelz and Teni is. The album contains hit songs like “Injure me, Jo and Moslado”. It peaked at No. 1 on the apple music album charts and reached No.49 on the iTunes chart. It also has over 12 million streams on Boomplay and over 100 million streams on Audiomack.

8. Back In Office

Mayorkun popularly called “The Mayor Of Lagos” marks his return to the game with the release of his sophomore album “Back In Office”. The album was preceded by the hit collaboration “Holy Father” featuring industry newcomer Victony.

In my opinion, the very experimental project did not live up to the standard Mayorkun set with his debut album, this album’s saving grace is the song “Holy Father” which successfully overshadows every other song on the album. Though the album is not a memorable project save for songs like “Holy Father” and “Back in office”, Mayorkun has proven that he is still capable of dropping club bangers. Back in Office peaked at No. 15 on the Itunes album chart. Mayorkun’s Back in office has over 17 million streams on Boomplay.

7. Before We Fall Asleep

Despite putting out a ton of amazing songs over the years, it would come as a surprise to some people that Before We Fall Asleep is Johnny Drille’s first album. The singer-songwriter and producer came into the limelight in 2016 and since then recorded and released a lot of songs but did not put out an album till 2021.

The album serves as a culmination of Johnny Drille’s Songwriting and production abilities over the years. It was solely written, produced and mixed by the artist combines R&B, alternative rock, folk music and country music. Songs like “Odo” featuring Styleplus, “loving is harder” and “Ova” featuring Don Jazzy proved that Johnny Drille is willing to experiment with the Afrobeats genre. The album is a beautiful combination of sounds and an amazing sonic experience. It peaked at No.1 on the Apple music charts and reached its highest position at No.6 on iTunes top albums chart. It has been streamed over 2 million times on Boomplay.

6. UY Scuti

UY Scuti is rapper and record label executive Olamide’s 7th studio album and the 6th album on our countdown. The album sees the rapper going a step further from his 2020 hit album “Carpe Diem”, the project solely features upcoming musicians except for Phyno who is the only big name on the album. The album was preceded by the hit single “Rock” which created massive anticipation for the project.

Fans were not disappointed when the project was released as songs like “Julie” and “Wave” featuring Fave instantly became fan favourites. Olamide ruled the iTunes chart with this album release, peaking at No.1 on both Apple music charts and iTunes charts. It has been streamed over 29 million times on Boomplay and 94 million streams on Audiomack.

5. Somewhere between beauty and magic

Joeboy’s debut album titled Somewhere between beauty and magic comes in at number 5 on our countdown. The project proved that Joeboy is a master at making amazing love songs on a catchy beat. The album takes listeners through a wave of beautiful and magical songs like “Police”, “Count me out”, “Consent” and “Celebration”.

There is never a dull moment on this album and it is without a doubt one of the most memorable music projects of 2021. Joeboy’s debut album reached No.1 on the Apple music chart and peaked at No.4 on the iTunes chart. The project also has amazing streaming numbers, with over 65 million streams on Boomplay and over 120 million streams on Audiomack.

4. 19 & Dangerous

19 & Dangerous is young, fresh and daring just like its maker, Ayra Starr. Ayra with the release of her massively successful debut album has shown that though she is just 19, she has what it takes to go toe to toe with the big dogs in the industry. The album is a beautiful piece of work that shows the depth of her songwriting which is far beyond her age.

The Gen Z icon shows her mastery of songwriting with songs like “Cast”, “Toxic” and “Beggie Beggie”. Other notable songs on the album include “Bloody Samaritan, Fashion Killer and Bridgerton”. 19 & Dangerous peaked at No.1 on the Apple music chart and reached No.57 on the itunes chart. Ayra’s Debut album has over 24 million streams on Boomplay and over 54 million streams on Audiomack.

3. Sex Over Love

Sex Over Love is rapper Blaqbonez 3rd studio album under a major record label, the former underground battle rapper had previously dropped a couple of mixtapes before his rise to fame. The Chocolate city signed rapper put out his heavily promoted album to commercial success and high praise from music critics. Blaqbonez who is very popular for his music promotion ability put out one of the best hip hop projects in 2021, with features from rap heavyweights like South African rapper Nasty C and Nigerian rapper AQ.

The album is a perfect combination of hardcore rap and Afrobeats with one sole purpose, to preach the gospel of strictly sexual relationships over-committed romantic relationships. It reached No.6 on the iTunes chart and peaked at No.1 on the Apple music chart. It has been streamed over 28 million times on Audiomack and over 3 million times on Boomplay.

2. Esan (Brymo) & Love and Highlife (The Cavemen)

The second spot on this countdown is shared by two of the most sonically unique Nigerian albums in 2021. Brymo’s Esan is the 9th studio album of the super talented singer-songwriter Brymo, Esan represents the Yoruba side of the two-part album. The album is a work of songwriting genius and shows how underrated Brymo remains in the industry.

The second album in the second position “Love & Highlife” is the sophomore album of music duo The Cavemen. It is a beautiful blend of Igbo Highlife music and other genres like Afro-beat and pop. The album alongside Brymo’s Esan is one of the few 10/10 albums of 2021. The project has been streamed over 3 million times on Audiomack and over 800 thousand times on Boomplay.

Esan reached No.1 on the Apple music chart and peaked at No.3 on the iTunes chart. The Cavemen’s Love & Highlife peaked at No.3 on the Apple music charts and managed to reach No.67 on the iTunes chart. The project has over 2.5 million streams on Audiomack and more than 900 thousand streams on Boomplay.

1. No. 1 on the list of the 10 Nigerian albums in 2021 is ‘Made In Lagos (Deluxe)’

The deluxe version of Wizkid’s barrier-breaking and internationally successful album Made In Lagos. It comes with four new songs including a remix of the hit song Essense with an extra verse from international pop superstar Justin Bieber. The project maintained the same quality as the original release with amazing features from Buju and Bella Shmurda.

The Deluxe Edition of the album is nominated for the 2022 Grammy awards in the Best international album category. It peaked at No.1 on both the iTunes chart and Apple music chart. It has over 130 million streams on Audiomack and over 12 million streams on Boomplay.

See also the top new generation Nigerian artists of 2021 and top 10 Nigerian artists with international fame.

Is Wizkid’s Made in Lagos worthy of Grammy?

Is Wizkid’s Made in Lagos worthy of Grammy? Following the recent record-breaking achievements Wizkid’s Made in Lagos album has been having in international borders and its recent submission for Grammy consideration, this article aims to examine if the album is truly Grammy-worthy.

It’s been over 12 years since Wizkid made his debut in the Nigerian music industry, the E.M.E signed singer became an immediate success with his hit single Holla at your boy. Songs like Tease me, Pakurumo, and Don’t dull, proved to the Nigerian music audience that Wizkid was a versatile musician and obviously the next big thing. His debut album Superstar was a critical and commercial success.

Ten years down the line, Wizkid has emerged as one of Nigeria’s biggest Afrobeats musicians and one of the greatest musicians in Africa. Wizkid has worked with most of the biggest musicians in Africa and outside the shores of Africa, collaborating on hit songs with superstars like Beyonce and Drake. 

With the release of his fourth studio album Made In Lagos, a musical journey that began in the streets of Ojuelegba has finally found a home in the streets of America and the hearts of music lovers around the world. Made in Lagos has broken all barriers that were formerly considered impossible for Nigerian music. It is currently the highest-peaking album on the prestigious Billboard charts for a Nigerian artist. 

The majority of the album’s success can be credited to the success of the song “Essence” featuring Nigerian singing sensation Tems. Tems soulful chorus and verse gave the song a unique sound and remains one of the biggest highlights of the Made in Lagos album. Essence is currently certified platinum in the United States of America by the RIIA, this is a first for any Nigerian song. 

Grammy consideration

A couple of days ago, it was announced that Made in Lagos has been submitted for Grammy consideration in the World Album category. Though this will not be the first time a Nigerian will win a Grammy award in that category, it could be the first time two Nigerians would win it consecutively. If Made in Lagos wins the grammy, it would not be Wizkid’s first grammy award as the singer won the award last year for his collaboration with Beyonce on the song Brown skin girl.

Judging by the huge amount of success Made in Lagos has had all over the world, selling out concert halls all over America and breaking many streaming records. I am confident that Made in Lagos is a grammy-worthy project. No African album in the past year has achieved a quarter of what the album has achieved. It is the most talked-about album in the international community, with multiple articles written about it from various prestigious entertainment companies like The Rolling Stones.

If and hopefully when Wizkid wins the Grammy award, he would become Nigeria’s second artist to win the Grammy award in the world category following in the footsteps of Burna Boy. Wizkid could also become the first Nigerian artist with the most Grammy awards (2).

The Nigerian music industry has been marked by different eras, ranging from the early days of Highlife, Palm Wine music, Juju, and Afrobeat. Every generation of musicians has had one thing in common, they were all backed by powerful Record Labels. This post highlights the most impactful and major record labels in Nigeria.

This article is specifically written for prospective artists who would like to venture into the music industry or those who are curious about how the music business operates. Before venturing into the Nigerian music industry, you need to have a good understanding of how the music business works. One of the hard tasks for upcoming musicians is how to raise funds, this is where record labels come in. This article will help you understand the importance of Record labels and the services they offer to their artists.

Importance of record labels in Nigeria

Record Labels are companies set up to invest in musical talent, the main aim of any record label like any other business is to make a profit. A record label provides every resource the musical talent needs to make hit records. Resources include a budget for recording and producing music, hiring the best team available for the artist, studio sessions, marketing, and promotional runs for the released music. A contract is signed between the Record Label and the artist, the contract dictates the terms and conditions of the business agreement. This includes the duration of the contract and financial remunerations.

In the early 70s, most record labels in Nigeria were owned by International companies. Some of the most notable record labels available then were EMI, CBS (now Sony Music), and Polygram and they represented a majority of Nigerian musicians in that era. Musicians like Onyeka Owenu, Femi Kuti, Ras Kimono, and many heavyweights were signed to these international record labels. However, things took a turn for the worse due to the Nigerian Political climate and some of these record labels left, marking the end of an era for the Nigerian music industry.

The 90s saw the emergence of a music industry that lacked proper structure and major music record labels in Nigeria. What was left was artists struggling to make music by whatever means was available and promote it themselves. The era also saw the rise of a few Nigerian-owned independent record labels. The labels were put together by music enthusiasts, radio presenters, and some investors. Leading this movement was the Kenny Ogungbe owned Kennis Music. 

Labels like Storm records, Chocolate city, and QuestionMark were created in that era. What these new labels lacked in resources and international affiliations, they made up for in understanding how the music business works. Fast forward to 2021, there are many record labels in Nigeria, with more being created by musicians who feel they have outgrown their parent record label.

The Nigerian music industry even without a proper structure and help from the Government is one of the most successful industries in Africa. The industry boasts a colossal amount of internationally acclaimed musicians and multiple international awards. These feats would not have been possible if a few record labels in Nigeria had not taken the leap of faith to build from the ground. These labels would go on to invest in musicians that would eventually pave the way for the current generation of musicians.

1. Below are some of the most impactful music record labels in Nigeria:

Kennis Music

Kennis Music was founded in 1998 by Kenny Ogungbe, a radio host at Raypower FM. Kennis Music under the direction of Kenny Ogungbe and Dayo Adeneye was the powerhouse of Nigerian music in the 90s. Some popular artists signed to Kennis Music were The Remedies, 2face, Sound Sultan, OJB Jezreel, Essence, Blackface, KC Presh, and a host of many top-notch artists. Artists from the label ruled the airways in the 90s with most of the label’s early success coming from the group The Remedies.

The musical trio of Eddy Remedies, Eedris Abdulkareem, and Tony Tetuila thrilled Nigeria’s with hit songs like Sakomo, Sade, and Belinda. The group fell out after their third member Tony Tetuila was kicked out of the group. Tetuila remained signed to Kennis Records and released diss records targeting his former group members and label mates.

Kennis Music had more success in the early 2000s with 2face, who became the label’s flagship artist. More success would come for the label through musicians like Azadus, Sound Sultan, and Jaywon. Over the years the Label saw a steady decline due to the fact that many of its important musicians were leaving the label. Currently, Kennis Music is nothing but a mere shadow of what it once was, with its only notable artists being Joel and Eedris Abdulkareem.  However, Kennis Music remains historically one of the greatest labels to ever come out of the country. It paved the way for many other labels. It discovered and supplied a great number of musical talents to the music industry.

Storm Records

While Kennis Music ruled the Nigerian music industry from the late 90s to early 2000s, Storm records were the Kings of the mid-2000s. Founded in 1991 by Obi Asika, the label boasted of musicians like Eldee, Naeto C, Darey, Sacha, Jazzman Olofin, Ikechukwu, Pype, and Gt the guitar man. Storm records had the hip-hop side of the industry on lock with some of the best rappers in the industry as at that time. Rappers Naeto C and Ikechukwu were some of the first Nigerian musicians to win the MTV Africa Music Awards.

Mohits

The magical combination of producer Don Jazzy and singer D’banj gave birth to classic albums like No long thing and The entertainer under Mohits Records. Mohits was founded in 2004 by Don Jazzy and Dbanj. It was one of the most iconic labels in Nigeria until the end of 2012. The Label expanded its artist roster when they signed Wande coal, Dr.sid, D’Prince, and K Switch. Mohits was officially dissolved in 2012 due to disagreements between Don Jazzy and Dbanj. Don jazzy went on to start up his new label Mavin, taking Wande Coal, D’Prince, and Dr.sid along.

2. Major Record Labels in Nigeria in 2021

In no particular order, below are 4 major record labels in Nigeria in 2021

Mavin Records

Mavin Records was founded and it is currently one of the biggest music record labels in Nigeria. Its heavy roster comprises artists like Rema, Ayra Starr, Ladipoe, Crayon, and Johnny Drille. The label was formerly home to industry heavyweights like Wande Coal, Tiwa Savage, and Reekado Banks. Mavin Records in recent times focuses on discovering, signing, and nurturing young talented musicians. 

Chocolate City

Chocolate City was founded in 2005 by Audu Maikori, Paul Okeugo and Yahaya Maikori. It is home to some of the biggest hip-hop stars in Nigeria. The label started its foray into the music industry by signing singer, songwriter, and producer Jeremiah Gyan. Together they released the critically acclaimed and successful album, Na Baka.

Chocolate Cite discovered and signed powerhouse artists like Djinee, Asha, M.I Abaga, Jesse Jags, Ice Prince, and Brymo. In the late 2000s, Chocolate city was the headquarters of hip-hop music in Nigeria. The 2008 rap album “Talk about it” by its flagship artist M.I Abaga changed hip-hop music and is still in my opinion one of the greatest rap albums ever made in Nigeria. Chocolate City has produced multiple award-winning musicians and is still relevant in the industry today with artists like Blaqbonez and Dice Ailes. 

E.M.E Entertainment

Empire mates entertainment was founded in 2002 by R&b singer Banky W and Tunde Demuren. The label became notable for its catalog of young pop sensations however, its greatest contribution to the music industry would come in the form of one of the greatest Afrobeats artists in Africa, Wizkid.

E.M.E Entertainment signed Wizkid in 2009 alongside label mate Skales. Wizkid became the face of the label after dropping his successful debut single “Holla at your boy”. He followed up the feat by dropping more successful singles followed by his critically acclaimed debut album “Starboy ”. After the departure of Wizkid, Empire Mates went on to sign other artists who were not as successful. This led to the eventual death of the label. The label currently operates as a Media and Management agency.

YBNL Nation

YBNL was founded by rapper Olamide in 2012 as an independent record label and it is now one of the major record labels in Nigeria. YBNL has produced some of Nigeria’s biggest music stars. Some of its notable signings were Adekunle Gold and Lil Kesh, who both had successful albums. In recent years the label has had to kiss many proverbial frogs before landing on the prince. After a run of unsuccessful signings, YBNL discovered and signed its current flagship artist Fireboy Dml. Fireboy has released two critically acclaimed and multiple award-winning albums for the record company. Olamide has also gone on to release several award-winning albums under the label.

The Nigerian music industry has had to battle a dwindling economy, neglect from the government, and war with piracy in order to pull itself out of the dark and into the light. Several Nigerian artists are now signed to international record labels and have won multiple international awards including the Grammys. Nigeria has positioned itself as one of the strongest music industries in Africa.

All these great feats would not have been conceivable if record labels in Nigeria like Kennis Music had not taken the decision to invest personal funds in the music business. These labels laid the foundation for the present generation and made mistakes that the current generation learned from in order to become better.