Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Songs You Need to Hear This Week.
Read ahead for our round-up of the best new African music tracks and music videos that came across our desks this week.
Tiwa Savage – ‘This One is Personal [LP]’
As the title implies, Tiwa Savage’s new project was created mainly for herself. Early into the project, we glean the R&B leanings of the album, which was a formative sound for the artist. With features coming from Skepta, taves, and James Fauntleroy, it’s obviously a closely curated work, aimed at honoring the pristine streams of inspiration that’ve been with Afrobeats for as long as it’s been around. Going off the focused scope of the LP, there’s great potential in this being one of the year’s standout tapes. – Emmanuel Esomnofu
Lordkez [Remix] – “Aweh” feat. Cassper Nyovest
Lordkez’s You, Me & The 90’s is a definitive R&B album, one steeped in the traditions of the genre yet ambitious enough to bend its borders. To call it just one thing feels limiting. “Aweh,” released in March, was an instant smash – relatable and magnetic, its video folding hood aesthetics and divine choreography into bite-sized brilliance. The Cassper Nyovest remix nods directly to classic rap and R&B pairings of the nineties; slipping into his Motswako bag, Cassper delivers with refined ease: “You make me wanna change the life e ke e phelang/ really wanna make you my wife, sa b’serious.” It’s smooth, familiar, and forward-facing all at once, as if we’re anticipating the 2000s all over again. The result is self-assured art: unafraid, unflinching, and right on the money. – Tšeliso Monaheng
CIZA – “Isaka II (6am)” feat. Tems, Omah Lay, Thukutela & Jazzworx
The dreamy house production of this song gives an immaculate soundscape to float over. Taking turns to spell out the beauties of life, “Isaka II (6am)” is a purposeful remix that gives even more gravitas to the original record, from the ethereal swoon of Tems’ verse to the brief but poignant elucidations of Omah Lay. A fine demonstration of how to bring different sensibilities together, this reimagined version of “Isaka” combines the best aspects of the West and South of Africa, showing just how much our ears for groove interlap. – EE
Kujenga – “Ransome, Pt. 1”
Since their debut in 2019, Kujenga have weathered the peaks and valleys of the live music circuit while staying rooted in who they are: impeccable musicians with soul, cultural workers demanding better for Black and Brown lives worldwide. Their latest release tips its hat to Fela Kuti, acknowledging both his towering legacy and the universality of his sound. The project unfolds in two movements: first, a laid-back groove that lingers, then a fiery, on-the-nose burst that insists on attention. Each part feeds the other, mirroring the duality of African existence, with horns amplifying the multiplicity of our lived experiences. Play it in the sun, with your feet on the grass – it’s medicine. – TM
Orchestra GOLD – “Diyanye Ko Te Sa”
“Diyanye Ko Te Sa” means “desire is unquenchable” in the native Malian language of Orchestra GOLD’s singer-songwriter Mariam Diakite — and the sonic choices of the song amplify that sentiment. From the horns to the dusty percussion that punctuates the record’s craze, there’s a rich feeling of attraction that permeates this record. Translating their psych-rock impulses through an audible Afro influence, this single sets up the hype favorably, going into an album scheduled for release in October. – EE
Eli Mary – “Mulholland”
On “Mulholland,” Johannesburg-based Eli Mary goes for the jugular, concocting beats, melodies, and lyrics that jolt the heart and leave the body reeling, as though the song’s structure carved itself into your pulse. “Waiting for time to be just perfect/ introspection made me think I wasn’t worth it,” she admits, capturing the tug-of-war between self-doubt and the pursuit of growth. It’s a lyric that opens the door to more expressions of longing – for something greater, something expansive and fulfilling. Eli Mary doesn’t rush through the song; every space is a moment to reflect on the message, a chance to take it all in without the overwhelming feeling of being left behind. This song holds you in a bind while caressing you gently, a reassurance that after the storm shall emerge brighter days. – TM
Young Jonn x Wizkid “Cash Flow”
Wizkid is in the midst of one of his most engaged feature runs ever. On “Cash Flow,” he brings an icon’s touch to Young Jonn’s trademark energy, offering the same zesty delivery that’s seen him soundtrack the glitzy excesses of a superstar lifestyle. As expected, their pairing is a delectable affair, blending their distinct approaches to paint a riveting picture of how life keeps bubbling and new, sensual memories are being made. Set to a finely arranged beat, it has great potential on the dimly lit dance floor. – EE
Internet Athi – “Nguwe”
Exactly a year after releasing the groundbreaking “Wena,” a song that deserves a permanent place on every wedding playlist, Internet Athi returns with a refreshed perspective. He digs deeper, offering pure, melodic, gospel-infused soul that floats somewhere between jazz and the divine. His voice doesn’t simply carry the music; it guides it, tracing its contours, pausing to breathe, then rushing back in, swinging hard and fast, relentless, never surrendering. Nothing feels out of place here; every layer lands with intention: the backing harmonies that cradle him, the horn section that punctuates each swell, the strings that wreck your heart and leave it scattered. For better and for worse, this is spirit music. – TM
Wizard Chan – “Amen (God My Dealer)”
Able to synthesize the spiritual with the visceral, Wizard Chan’s music is remarkable and refreshing. It’s a breakaway from the mainstream impulse of excess, stripped down to the very soul and yearnings of a heart in search of fulfillment. “Amen (God My Dealer)” continues in his unique style, with his effervescent delivery and imagery set to an exciting drill-inflected production. It’s a soundscape he’s explored previously, and here that mastery comes to the fore. – EE
Madala Kunene & Sibusile Xaba – “Izimpisi”
Some songs feel lived in. They carry multiple lives at once, as though they’ve witnessed both the best and worst the world can offer. On “Izimpisi,” Sibusile Xaba and Madala Kunene – the former a student, the latter a master of isiZulu guitar – take turns levitating, lifting mind and spirit with acoustics tuned to a higher frequency. This is folk music steeped in ancient wisdom, its tradition carried forward intact, offered anew without ever severing it from its time and place. – TM
Elestee – “Designer Baby”
For a while now, Elestee has been knocking on the doors of mainstream acceptance. In between releases, we’ve seen sparks of great talent, and “Designer Baby” only gives more credentials to her journey. She leans even more audibly into her hip-hop roots, orchestrating a fun song that thrills with an undeniably catchy flow. Living it up, looking flashy and classy—these are the trappings of life she depicts with sassy dominance, matching the colorful frames of the accompanying visualizer. – EE
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