{"id":2237931,"date":"2026-01-16T19:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T19:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2237931"},"modified":"2026-01-16T19:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T19:26:19","slug":"must-hear-african-songs-trending-this-week-jan-16-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/must-hear-african-songs-trending-this-week-jan-16-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Must-Hear African Songs Trending This Week \u2013 Jan 16, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"ecba85ea-e183-4c01-9b99-9238afc4d66f\">\n<p class=\"kicker \" style=\"\">MUSIC<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subtitle \" style=\"\">Stream the top trending African songs this week and listen to new releases from Wizkid and Asake, Burukulyn Boyz, Shabaka, and more.<\/h2>\n<p><figcaption itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"\">Wizkid and Asake have released the first single from their upcoming joint EP, Real Vol. 1.<\/figcaption><figcaption itemprop=\"author\" class=\"\" data-byline-prefix=\"Photo\">courtesy of Asake\/Wizkid<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-element-guid=\"31e0dfde-f3ab-43de-bcfd-6fd45ce3f947\">\n<p>Every week, <span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">OkayAfrica<\/span> highlights the top <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/african-music\">African music<\/a> releases \u2014 including the latest <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okayafrica.com\/tag\/afrobeats\">Afrobeats<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/amapiano\">amapiano<\/a> hits \u2014 through our best music column, <span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">African Songs You Need to Hear This Week<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Read ahead for our round-up of the best new African music tracks and music videos that came across our desks this week.<\/p>\n<p><!-- placeholder(#1) --><\/p>\n<h2>Wizkid, Asake &#8211; \u201cJogodo\u201d<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"c4248355-b7b3-4eaf-9b81-76dd7423f0d8\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/4IuUYpS9RjE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Over the past few months, the internet has been flooded with top-tier <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/asake\"><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Asake<\/span><\/a> content. Old tweets from his early years as an artist resurfaced, offering fresh insight into his resilience. He headlined the Red Bull Symphonic in New York, and as 2025 drew to a close, a wide-ranging conversation between him and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/wizkid\"><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Wizkid<\/span><\/a> surfaced on our feeds. \u201cJogodo\u201d sounds like a conversation between two friends assured of their talents, comfortable enough to test the outer limits of their artistry in each other\u2019s presence. Produced by <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Magicsticks<\/span>, the track taps into the percussive drive of amapiano to create something magnetic, a groove laced with soul-stirring momentum, a moment in time that feels destined to inform what comes next. The track arrives ahead of their collaborative <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-normal\" class=\"font-weight-normal m-font-weight-normal italic m-italic\" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">Real Vol. 1<\/span> EP, arriving January 23rd. This is what greatness sounds like.<\/p>\n<h2>Shabaka &#8211; \u201cMarwa The Mountain\u201d\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"6433ba35-dfde-42a4-ad70-0a2d64c1505b\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/VkV4FsZi-i8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 2024, much to the dismay of the music community, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/shabaka-hutchings-on-the-new-generation-of-jazz\/277492\"><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Shabaka<\/span><\/a> announced that he was putting his saxophone down to focus his energies on the Japanese flute. The news, though surprising, aligned with his long-standing mindset: deeply focused and always testing the outer limits of his craft. In doing so, he risked alienating the community he built through projects such as <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Shabaka and the Ancestors<\/span>, <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">The Comet Is Coming<\/span>, and <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Sons of Kemet<\/span>. But 2025 shifted the narrative. Following the passing of his mentor, <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Louis Moholo<\/span>, Shabaka was reminded of the energy and spirit the saxophone carried while preparing for a tribute concert. \u201cMarwa The Mountain\u201d marks a return to form, but also a step forward \u2014 exploring the tonal possibilities of both the saxophone and the flute. It\u2019s energetic music, the kind that could soundtrack a full-body workout, leaving you drenched in sweat and fully locked in. The song appears on his forthcoming album, <span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">Of The Earth<\/span>, out in March.<\/p>\n<h2>Igwe Aka &#8211; \u201cKapow\u201d (feat. Tochi Bedford)\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"be3679c9-7948-4156-beac-a507c61ffd31\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/lJ2AoucHMRI\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hip-hop continues to expand in exciting ways, picking up new sonic textures with each passing year while building on an archive of experiments that challenge convention. On \u201cKapow,\u201d <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Igwe Aka<\/span> taps into a sound popularised by artists like <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/meet-the-underground-artists-redefining-southern-africas-music-scene\/1413199\"><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Brotherkupa<\/span><\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/the-african-musicians-to-watch-in-2026\/1421012\"><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Zayleteven<\/span><\/a>, riding sporadic snares, droned-out basslines, and 808s that rumble like man-made destruction. There\u2019s no room for the destitute in this cypher. The raps are elite, the references acute \u2014 \u201c<span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">I went Michelin star on the stove.<\/span>\u201d Gift yourself and tap into the wave.<\/p>\n<h2>Usimamane &#8211; \u201cRacks\u201d\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"2ea95ea2-b018-46a1-8890-a94d13902fdc\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/6Iq2DlZoG8I\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Usimamane<\/span>\u2019s dalliance with money \u2014 and his absolute disregard for anything standing in the way of getting it \u2014 deserves study. He broke out with \u201cCheque,\u201d a kind of manifestation for the finer, more comfortable things in life. He followed that with one of 2024\u2019s standout verses on <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Wordz<\/span> and <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Mashbeatz<\/span>\u2019s \u201cCheque,\u201d cementing his position as one of the youngins worth watching closely. \u201cRacks,\u201d from his recently released EP G-Wagon Music: Baby Tai, was teased sometime last year and arrives draped in all the glory money can afford. \u201cI\u2019m at the crib all alone \/ I pray for the sanity, pray for the soul \/ I pray for the pockets, I hate being broke,\u201d he spazzes. The past is firmly behind him, the focus sharper, and the raps confirm he\u2019s still a worthy contender in rap\u2019s big leagues.<\/p>\n<h2>Ady Suleiman &#8211; \u201cAin\u2019t Your Song\u201d\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"bd0b0a2a-9a50-4bee-85c8-a9db6042da86\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/n0-s4pDnCKA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Ady Suleiman<\/span> has been consistent with the drops leading up to his third album, Chasing, out today via AWAL Recordings. He\u2019s built a solid base of quality releases, and \u201cAin\u2019t Your Song\u201d draws from the same river that neo-soul has long used to cleanse and feed generations of prolific creators. His voice is anything but ordinary: shaped by British and Tanzanian roots, steeped in both the old and the new, and intent on forging an identity entirely its own.<\/p>\n<h2>Trophy &#8211; \u201ccamp, chair\u201d (feat. Focalistic, Orieblxkcmaestro, Carlow Picasso &amp; Major Ice)<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"424ddbcd-c247-4afe-9df5-992a1d1634a9\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/1GeuJhGY_SE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Trophy<\/span> has been teasing this banger across his social media, and over the past week, pressure has been mounting in the comment section, with followers aggressively pushing for the song\u2019s release. \u201cCamp Chair\u201d is South African leisure packaged in song form. Start with the beat: a seamless integration of modern rap elements and barcardi house, shaped by the Pretoria locale from which everyone featured here emerges. Then, inspect the flows: ridiculously precise and high grade. They stifle any negative energy and give weight to the celebratory lyrics, which reference Hennessy bottles beneath camp chairs set up on tarmac, instantly relatable tales for anyone who\u2019s truly outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Burukulyn Boyz &#8211; \u201cGame\u201d<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"9ac7b2a5-4d39-4abc-a5a1-24a42db5e988\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/h28uUSejAVU\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Mr Right<\/span> and <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Ajay<\/span> are <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Burukulyn Boyz<\/span>, a rap duo out of Nairobi, intent on building a dynasty through their music. With its drill-centric instrumentation, \u201cGame\u201d feels like a guided meditation on steroids. They never try too hard; laid-back flows are the order of the day. Lyrics spill out and recoil, tearing you apart before reconstructing something new. East Africa has something to say, and Burukulyn Boyz are ambassadors of a message larger than themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.okayafrica.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MUSIC Stream the top trending African songs this week and listen to new releases from Wizkid and Asake, Burukulyn Boyz, Shabaka, and more. Wizkid and Asake have released the first single from their upcoming joint EP, Real Vol. 1.courtesy of Asake\/Wizkid Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases \u2014 including the latest Afrobeats [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2237932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2237931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Must-Hear-African-Songs-Trending-This-Week-\u2013-Jan-16-2026.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2237931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2237931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2237931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2237933,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2237931\/revisions\/2237933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2237932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2237931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2237931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2237931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}