MUSIC
Stream the best African music this week and listen to new releases from Sun-El Musician, Karun, Wande Coal-x-Qing Madi, Blxkcie, and more.
Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Music 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.
Sun-El Musician – “I’ll Be There (For You)” feat. Manana
Sun-El Musician built his career meticulously, imbuing every block with intention, undeniable talent, and a strong ear for songs that hit. He also invested in others, ensuring he didn’t have to navigate murky waters alone, surrounding himself with an army of capable generals. Beneath the star we witness and enjoy today lies a simmering passion, a hunger anchored in the producer and deejay’s ability to hold his own regardless of the shifting sonic landscape. He continues that pursuit on his new album, Under The Sun. “I’ll Be There (For You)” draws from the same well that made “Ubomi Abumanga” with Msaki possible: hope, reverence, a regal regard for word and sound, an endless quest for the divine. Manana takes it beyond the surface. He unearths meaning and weaves his words into the folds of the music.
Wande Coal – “Dearly” feat. Qing Madi
Wande Coal is certified. A legend with 20 years in the game, his influence on Afrobeats cannot be overstated. He is still at it, delivering thrilling one-liners that catch you off guard (“I never see anybody weh love you pass me/ … / you no dey jazz me,” a cheeky nod to Don Jazzy, who first signed him in 2006). The lines hold your attention long enough for the majesty to settle in. On “Dearly,” he links with Qing Madi, a formidable presence in her own right, to sculpt a love song built to last.
Blxckie – “Alupheli” feat. Young Stunna
When Blxckie released the first instalment in his 4LUV series, Riky Rick was still alive, and the world was reeling from COVID, unsure whether the pandemic was receding or here to stay. A few years later, the landscape has shifted irreversibly. Blxckie’s mentor is gone, and South African hip-hop, the scene he is closely aligned with, is changing course, uncertain of where it will land.
4LUV2 occupies this in-between moment. It speaks to honoring tradition while giving listeners exactly what they came for. Joined by Young Stunna on “aluphelile,” they cook up a love anthem worthy of a standing ovation, a declaration of unending affection irrespective of differences. It’s a generational link-up, and Blxckie sounds unstoppable.
Aema – “Coconut Cream” feat. taves
There’s an undeniable sensuality in ‘lover’s rock,’ the UK variant of Jamaican reggae that focused on matters of the heart, that embraced softness instead of calamity, briefly transforming a scene into a nexus of romantic love. In Aema’s hands, the one-drop riddim extends yearning while maintaining a close relationship with reality. It conjoins time periods, collapses distance, and holds steadfast to that which flickers. “You’re one in a million/…/ wish I could give you all you ask for,” she confesses, heart in hand, mind fixed on the prize. taves pulls through, adding flavor to the mix. His tone is a cerebral counterpoint, unclenched, fully open. Come for the romance, stay for the subliminal guitar solo at the end. Phenomenal.
Zhus Jdo – “Crashout”
Zhus Jdo comes in strong on “Crashout,” riding a drill-centric beat infused with Afro elements. It’s a wild ride. The raps take in everything from high living (“my money long, I do what I want”) to seduction (“I see it in your eyes, you like that shit, oh baby”), and somehow it all holds together. Zhus Jdo is part of the wave of underground artists rippling through Nigeria and across the continent right now.
Muyeez – “17”
“17” opens with football commentary, a nod to the sport’s energy and exhilaration. It soon gives way to a subdued Afrobeats rhythm, a progression that gently sets the mood. Everything shifts once Muyeez comes in, drenching the track in his smooth timbre and lyrics that heighten the excitement. At just under two minutes, it leaves quickly, sending you back to the start to catch every football reference. Exquisite.
Somadina – “Omoge” feat. Le Mav
Built on a driving garage beat that recalls the early ’00s, “Omoge” is the modern-day equivalent of the pop anthems that soundtracked a generation’s triumphs and tribulations. Somadina shuns convention, opting for a refined palette that rejects conformity and pushes away from familiarity toward uneven terrain where blending styles feels natural, even necessary. There’s a sense of wonder, an ear polished by copious pop consumption, and a determination to be heard in her fullness.
Karun – “Feel You” feat. Bigfootinyourface
Karun is royalty, a modern Kenyan music gem who helped pave the way for others to shine. From her early days as part of Camp Mulla to her solo run, where her talents continue to carry both her and us, she has never loosened her grip. “Feel You” is like being wrapped in soft arms, the sound of safety, security, and serenity. The lyrics cut deep — “I just wanna see you walking through the door, like you did before when we were in love” — cradled by harmonies that fill the gaps with yearning and a fractured sense of self that only a lover can restore. This is heartbeat music.
El Mehdi – Salam [EP]
El Mehdi occupies contested territory. His personhood reads like a contradiction: queer and Muslim. His existence is political and speaks volumes before the first note or phrase is uttered. Salam, the new five-track EP, is maximal — an immersion into the sounds that shaped his understanding, the contours that map onto his body. He fuses the ancient — Maghrebi and Arabic influences — with the modern: lush electronic textures and pulsating beats, all poured into an expansive, embracing whole. This video, directed, choreographed, edited, and costumed by El Mehdi himself, is a highly stylized entry point into the Moroccan-Canadian’s disparate yet contained worlds, worlds that unify under his watch.
State Off – “Big Tune” feat. BAMBII
State Off’s take on gqom is fascinating and refreshing. The Amsterdam-based Zimbabwean artist brings a sense of abandon, the sonic influence of a thousand global palettes, and the technical fluency to make it all cohere in just over four minutes, as he does on the tasteful and colourful “Big Tune,” alongside BAMBII. In the past, he has borrowed liberally from baile funk in his pursuit of rhythmic precision, and this time is no different. The vocal sample at the song’s core is steeped in Jamaican dancehall culture, anchoring the track in celebration while revealing the stratospheric pleasure unlocked when sounds find resonance.
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