Five Music Artists You Should Know in 2021
The whole world is talking about African music right now. Last year’s song Jerusalema by Master KG featuring Nomcebo was a global phenomenon, racking up countless number 1 spots worldwide and billions of views online. In 2019, US female superstar Beyoncé chose several pan-African music stars for her Lion King album. She called the project ‘a love letter to Africa’ and wanted to showcase all that is ‘authentic and beautiful about the music of Africa.’
How did music from Africa become a global sensation?
Well, firstly because it comes from Africa, a continent bursting with creativity. But it was the emergence of ‘afrobeat’ that propelled African music to global heights. Afrobeat describes the new music genre that encompasses contemporary music currently coming out of West Africa. The style has a traditional African feel, with its driving drumbeat rhythms and uplifting vocals, fused with sounds more associated with hip-hop and grime from the U.S and U.K.
When Canadian rapper Drake released his hit One Dance featuring Nigerian artist Wizkid in 2016, afrobeat found itself reaching new audiences. After becoming Spotify’s most played song ever, a bridge was made that connected the wider world to African music. Pan-African music artists in 2021 now have a platform for success and to inspire millions back home or in the diaspora.
Following are five African male music artists you should know in 2021.
Wizkid (‘Starboy’)
Any list of African male artists you should know in 2021 will include Wizkid. His 2016 collaboration with Drake helped catapult afrobeat to the global stage. Born in Nigeria, real name Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, Wizkid is a 30-year-old who is flying the Nigerian flag high and proud.
Wizkid’s musical journey began at the tender age of 11. Under the name Lil Prinz, he performed at his church choir in Nigeria where he honed his craft. He was able to use the facilities to experiment with his sound, saying, ‘I started a group in church where we would remix popular songs into gospel music. We took a G-Unit (50 cent’s group) record and turned it into a track about Jesus. This brought us some fame so we made an EP.’
Fast-forward to 2011, and now known as Wizkid, his debut album Superstar broke industry records in Africa. But it was his latest album Made in Lagos which broke records outside of Africa and took the world by storm.
“Everything I’ve learned, I learned from Lagos.” – Wizkid, in an interview with Vogue
It became the first African album to debut on the Spotify Global Album chart, finishing in the top ten. In true pan-Africans style, the album featured huge names from across the world, including Jamaica’s Damian Marley and the U.K’s Skepta. The track-list appeals as much to Africans as it does to the rest of the world thanks to its fusion of sounds and styles. Hip-hop, grime, dance and reggae, combined with an African core have become the staple of Wizkid’s music. Instantly recognisable, Wizkid’s tracks have captured the attention of millions worldwide – he has 3.485 billion streams on Spotify, the highest in Africa.
Wizkid has received astonishing recognition for his music, including being the most awarded African artist in BET awards history (three awards). He also has three awards from Billboard Music, two awards from Soul Train awards and another two from iHeart radio awards. His most recent award is his 2021 Grammy award. (There are many other awards, but those probably the key ones.) Alongside his clutch of awards, Wizkid has toured extensively, selling out shows all over the world and has the unique honour of being named one of the world’s biggest artists by Red Bull UK.
Wizkid‘s success has been no surprise to friend and rapper Willybang, ‘He’s always had the drive to push boundaries and the desire for global recognition.’ With more music in the pipeline and his own clothing brand ‘Starboy’ on the rise, Wizkid is one to watch out for.
Burna Boy
Burna Boy is another star to come out of Nigeria. The 29-year-old, real name Damini Ogulu, has already been injecting African flavours into the music industry for a decade.
Burna Boy’s diversity has allowed him to flourish in the global music market. With a voice perfect for an array of diverse genres such as afrobeat, reggae and grime, Burna Boy has collaborated with artists from all over. From U.K grime artist Dave and pop superstar Lily Allen, to American rock band Fall out Boy. There’s seemingly nothing Burna Boy cannot do.
Although he spent many of his younger years in London, Burna Boy’s journey started back home in Lagos. Aged just 10, his schoolfriend gave him a copy of FruityLoops (a music software) for his computer. He began making music and put on several performances at school. More recently, he returned to the same school to perform as a multi-award-winning global sensation!
Burna Boy’s rise to prominence started in 2012 when his debut single Like to Party was released. Soon after, his debut album L.I.F.E made it into the top 10 on the U.S reggae charts. But it is when you look at his fourth studio album that it becomes obvious how far Burna Boy has come. His 2019 Grammy-nominated African Giant features a star-studded line-up including Jorja Smith, Damian Marley and Future. This year (2021), the Boy done good – winning the Grammy award for Best Global Music Album for Twice as Tall.
This critically-acclaimed album captured the attention of listeners worldwide with its diversity. As with lots of current West African music, the album fuses together popular sounds from around the world whilst remaining proudly African at its heart. This album doesn’t just celebrate African culture though, Burna Boy is never afraid to tackle the nitty gritty and discuss issues back home. For example, the track Collateral Damage comments on corruption and fear in Africa, whereas tracks like Gum Body and Omo bring a more sensual tone.
Burna Boy’s success both locally and globally has seen him win dozens of awards. Most notably, he won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act in 2019, and the BET Award for Best International Act in 2019 and 2020! He has a staggering 1.836 billion total Spotify streams and a global deal with Atlantic, Warner Music. His success has earned him a sizeable clutch of endorsement deals, including Pepsi, Glo and Standard Chartered Bank. He has collaborated with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Koffee, Stormzy, Rita Ora, Lily Allen, Kranium, Future, Damian Marley, Jidenna, Justin Bieber and Chris Martin.
Perhaps one of his most well-known moments came in 2019 at Coachella Festival in America. Burna Boy was less than impressed with the small font size used for his name on the festival’s posters. He believed this was an insult to African music on the world stage. He said, ‘I appreciate you. But I don’t appreciate my name being so small. I am an African giant.’
Clearly, Burna Boy’s passion and pride for his roots have led him to become one African music artist you should know in 2021. His music will continue to inspire the next generation of young African artists.
If you aren’t familiar with Burna Boy, here’s a good introduction: Burna Boy’s Tiny Desk Concert.
Davido
Have you listened to the radio this week? Skipped through the music channels on TV? If so, there’s a good chance you heard the voice of Davido. Real name David Adaleke, Davido is an African music artist you should know in 2021. Of Nigerian descent but born in Atlanta, Georgia, the 28-year-old has been making a name for himself.
Davido’s story began in America when he got into music production whilst studying at Oakwood University. He subsequently dropped out of college to pursue his new love full-time and moved back to his family in Lagos. In 2011, his debut track Back When was released. From here Davido’s rise to fame has been meteoritic.
In 2012, his debut album Omo Baba Olowo won best R&B album at The Headies. Davido became a household name in Nigeria and a path was paved for him to continue to work on more ambitious projects.
In 2016, Davido signed with Sony and also created his own label called Davido Music Worldwide (DMW). Davido was now a heavyweight in world music and the star-studded lineups on his latest two albums show this. With guest features from international stars such as Chris Brown and Popcaan, Davido has proven he can mix it with the big names.
Davido is known these days as the alpha male of afrobeat. But with a special ability to seamlessly switch between cultural styles during his performances, Davido has managed to expand his fan base beyond Nigeria. In 2019, he became the first African artist ever to sell out The O2 arena in London, introduced on stage by Idris Alba. His Tanana is up for the Outstanding International Song award at the 2021 NAACP Awards. Davido’s ‘Assurance’ is a soundtrack to the movie Coming 2 America and his song ‘Skelewu’ was a soundtrack to the Disney movie, Queen of Katwe. ‘If’ was a soundtrack to ‘Love and Hip Hop in Atlanta’.
Alongside spectacular performances, Davido has scooped multiple awards, including an MTV Europe Award for Best African Artist. Such impressive feats have at times been a surprise to Davido. He has noted a positive shift in feelings towards Africa in the western world. He said, ‘Africans were made fun of. Now everyone wants us.’
Mr Eazi
For a 29-year-old from Nigeria, Mr Eazi has already accomplished what most could only dream of in a lifetime. Like his stage-name, Oluwatosin Ajibade has made his journey to the top seem easy, but in reality, it has been years in the making.
Mr Eazi’s musical tastes developed at a young age. Growing up in Lagos, he enjoyed listening to his father’s records whilst getting ready for school. His debut as an adult came in 2013 with his explosive first album About to Blow. The local success of this album allowed Mr Eazi to pursue music full-time and leave behind a degree in mechanical engineering. Subsequent albums have featured artists from all over the world. His latest album Lagos to London features guests appearances from Chronixx , Giggs and Sneakbo.
Mr Eazi’s musical style can be traced to his life journey. Growing up in Nigeria, but also moving to Ghana in his teens, he has described his music as Banku, a term that describes the fusion of Ghanaian Pidgin English with Nigerian chord progressions. His song Bankulize featuring Pappykojo demonstrates this blend of flavours.
But Mr Eazi’s versatility stretches further. Known these days as a jet-setter, Mr Eazi has picked up influences from all over the world and expertly incorporates them into his music. In an interview with Notion, he said, ‘I kind of just pick up sounds from where I have been. Whether it’s Latin America or the U.K.’ His ability to adapt and evolve has become a central part to his musical identity and has certainly helped him gain fans all over.
With performances around the world and awards from several countries, Mr Eazi thanks social media for its role in his rise to the top. He said, ‘Instagram is like our own radio station or TV show…People all over the world have access.’ And with the diaspora now more connected than ever through technology and social media, African music artists will continue to cross borders and unite those around the world.
Here’s Bankulize:
Diamond Platnumz
Many consider Diamond Platnumz to be the most influential African artist of modern times. He was the first African music artist to reach a colossal 900 million YouTube views. The 31-year-old, real name Nasibu Abdul Juma Issack, is a worldwide star today, but his story began at home in Tanzania.
After he completed school, Platnumz’ mother sold her most precious gold ring to pay for studio time. Several years of hard work and experimentation later, he gained some success in Africa. ‘The King of Bongo-Flava’ mixed romantic melodies with taarab inspired urban beats to form his own distinctive sound. But Platnumz decided that to break into the international market he needed to learn English. His 2013 collaboration with Davido on the track Number One provided testament to this. The added English vocals of Davido captured a wider audience and the song broke through into international charts. Since then, some of Platnumz’ biggest hits utilise both English and Pidgin.
The success of Diamond Platnumz in a world connected by the internet and social media offers inspiration to future African artists who now have a better platform than ever before. Youtube and other platforms has been a game-changer in allowing unknown acts to gain fame and earn money through views and ad revenue. Platnumz’ recent song with Wasafi called Quarantine became a worldwide hit thanks to Tiktok. In an interview with Grammy, Platnumz’ says ‘…90% of the media can bring you down…they don’t want to play your music… We survived through Youtube and digital platforms.’
With further ventures into fashion, real estate and fragrances which have earned him millions, Diamond Platnumz is proof that in today’s world, musical talent can change your life and open doors.
Watch Diamond Platnumz’ video for ‘Quarantine’ here:
Final thoughts
Music has always been the beating heart of African culture. From tribal traditions to joyous celebration, it has always been there when needed most. 2021 is no different, and with more and more stars coming through, it promises to be another great year for African music.
