Is 2022 moving, or is it just me? We were all yelling “Happy New Year” only yesterday, and here we are in June, flipping through some of the albums that have carried us through the year thus far. This year has undoubtedly given us incredible music, from notable comebacks to eagerly anticipated debuts. Here are some albums in no particular order that have made 2022 a good year so far in the Nigerian music industry:
1. Rema – Rave and Roses
Rema launched 2022 with his debut album, Rave & Roses, three years after he had everyone dancing to his self-titled debut EP, including former President Barack Obama. Rema demonstrates that he has perfected the art of writing music for listeners who like sex but haven’t yet experienced it on songs like Soundgasm and Dirty. However, on songs like Addicted, Divine, and Are You There?, he truly shines when he sheds the precocious sex icon image.
2. Adekunle Gold – Catch Me If You Can
Adekunle Gold’s rebranding in advance of Afropop Vol. 1 may have seemed like a phase at first, but his latest album, Catch Me If You Can, will serve as a timely reminder that AG Baby is here to stay. Adekunle cemented his position as one of the most exciting voices of new school Afrobeats by enlisting the big guns (Fatoumata Diawara, Davido, Lucky Daye, and Ty Dolla $ign) for this album.
3. Fave – RIDDIM 5
It’s difficult to recall specific musical moments from 2021 without considering Fave’s Baby Riddim. Everyone used to sing that song until it started to annoy them. While Fave may not have been able to capture Baby Riddim’s magic, her EP, Riddim 5, demonstrates to us that she is here to stay with powerful love songs like Obsessed and Mr. Man.
4. Burna Boy – Love Damini
Burna Boy provided the incredible and stunning soundtrack for this masterpiece album titled “Love, Damini.” However, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the featured musical ensemble, truly gave an outstanding performance on the song.
Burna Boy, who has always been a remarkable and amazing artist, released this sparkling song titled “Love, Damini” with well-known and devoted South African musicians Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who gave it their all to perform this wonderful melody.
5. Victony – Outlaw
Mayourkun’s Holy Father was one of the defining tracks of 2021, thanks to Victony’s smooth vocals. Stepping into the new year and on everybody’s radar as the artist to watch, Victony delivered again with his kickass EP, Outlaw. With songs like Apollo, Outlaw, Kolomental,Soweto, Jolene, and my favourite, Ole, aka “all power belong to your bumbum”, Victony has successfully created an EP with zero skips.
6. Falz – Bahd
I’m not even able to be angry about Falz, who is all about being a baby boy in 2022. With Bahd, the rapper, actor, activist, and doer of other things makes a comeback with an album that sounds completely different from 2019’s Moral Instruction. Falz is more interested in having a good time with Bahd than educating you about right and wrong. Because they’re so good, songs like Inside, Knee Down, Another Me, All Night, and Another Me will follow you everywhere.
7. Asa – V
I would have called someone a detty liar if they had told me in 2021 that this year I’d be dancing in the club to an Asa song. And yet, here we are. Asa decided to surprise us this year with a new sound on V after laying the groundwork for many of the alternative musicians we listen to today with her self-titled debut album. With contributions from Wizkid, The Cavemen, and Amaarae, Asa demonstrates her refusal to fit into any particular box. We are along for the ride as we watch Asa change in real time.