{"id":2496577,"date":"2026-07-10T15:25:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T15:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2496577"},"modified":"2026-07-10T15:25:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T15:25:32","slug":"best-new-african-music-this-week-kelela-victony-zakes-bantwini-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/best-new-african-music-this-week-kelela-victony-zakes-bantwini-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Best new African music this week: Kelela, Victony, Zakes Bantwini and more"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"ecba85ea-e183-4c01-9b99-9238afc4d66f\">\n<p class=\"kicker \" style=\"\">MUSIC<\/p>\n<p class=\"subtitle \" style=\"\">Stream the best African music this week, including new releases from Kelela, Victony, Zakes Bantwini, Ezra Collective, and more.<\/p>\n<p><figcaption itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"\">A screenshot from WizTheMc\u2019s latest single, \u201cFalling Stars.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption itemprop=\"author\" class=\"\" data-byline-prefix=\"Photo\">courtesy of YouTube<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-element-guid=\"78f058c8-733f-4b40-aba1-6009b65afde6\">\n<p>Every week, <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"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 class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">African Music 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<h3>Victony \u2013 &#8220;Slick&#8221;<\/h3>\n<div data-element-guid=\"0b23d1c3-53c3-47a2-9ca7-2e176b52a339\" 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\/Nr_Km2sqsCY\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>On the funky earworm &#8220;Slick,&#8221; <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Victony<\/span> interpolates a <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Michael Jackson<\/span> melody to deliver something of a smash hit. Coming in at just under two minutes, it finds the easygoing artist on one of his loverboy missions, with varying results that reflect his generous nature.<\/p>\n<h3>Zakes Bantwini \u2013 &#8220;The Crossing (Osiyeza)&#8221; (feat. Msaki, Jesse Clegg, Skye Wanda)<\/h3>\n<div data-element-guid=\"42f37cb7-4f03-46f1-b19f-7ba2f4b5d37a\" 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\/m-SGAP2CMeQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Zakes Bantwini<\/span> has a knack for big sounds, thick palettes, and glorious vocals that make your spirit levitate. He&#8217;s also a master collaborator; his joint EP with <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Skye Wanda<\/span>, who features here, was released earlier this year. He brings <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Msaki<\/span> and <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Jesse Clegg<\/span>, themselves issuers of an EP in March, onto &#8220;The Crossing.&#8221; It reworks the Johnny Clegg classic into an Afro-house banger, extending the late icon&#8217;s reach into the current era. Zakes Bantwini has issued another cultural manifesto, and we shall dutifully oblige on the dance floor.<\/p>\n<h2>Kelela \u2013 &#8220;the bridge&#8221; (feat. PinkPantheress)<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"ee9a5c3c-151c-4a1a-b2ac-0c1f5dfd867f\" 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\/PVGVoT339-c\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Kelela<\/span> and <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">PinkPantheress<\/span> collab is a geekfest of pop culture, haute couture, street-level wisdom, nerdy production feats, and immersive art-as-life trinkets sprinkled all over the music. The Ethiopian-American artist has spoken about the influence of Black British culture on her craft, and &#8220;the bridge&#8221; is another necessary nail in the coffin of endless diaspora wars: a <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Burial<\/span>-inspired R&amp;B jam that is both futuristic and lost in time.<\/p>\n<h2>Ezra Collective \u2013 &#8220;Well Organised&#8221; (feat. Lila Ik\u00e9)<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"0a6288d8-4a97-410e-92bd-6bc89a1a7a9c\" 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\/MLV8w3k2U9o\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Ezra Collective<\/span> is hard at work, redrawing the Africa-Caribbean relations map, organizing internally and externally through word, sound, and power. Jamaica&#8217;s <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Lila Ik\u00e9<\/span> describes it intimately on &#8220;Well Organised&#8221;: <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">&#8220;this is healing, I love the way this music got me feeling,&#8221;<\/span> she sings. Somewhere between reggae and afrobeat, between the <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Max Romeo<\/span> references and the distinct Caribbean twist, between the hip-hop and the grime, the council houses and the tenement yards, a bold, new, and daring Blackness is emerging, refusing to negotiate on anyone else&#8217;s terms. We love the way it&#8217;s got us feeling.<\/p>\n<h2>WizTheMc \u2013 &#8220;Falling Stars&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"c3d58ea4-7d57-425f-8a7c-fdf8716d8592\" 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\/WOIYb-rysi4\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>South African-German star <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">WizTheMc<\/span> understands melody, revels in groove, and possesses an aura so infectious it bleeds through the music. The personality, upbeat without a hint of hyperbole, shines brightest on &#8220;Falling Stars,&#8221; whose muted bassline and reggaeton-inspired groove are the perfect combination to bid the northern summer goodbye.<\/p>\n<h2>Saint Levant \u2013 &#8220;Mitsubishi&#8221; (feat. Haifa Wehbe)<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"ce61c04f-a6fc-4e1a-9422-096ee5c75904\" 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\/vlG2FRfId_I\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The drums on &#8220;Mitsubishi,&#8221; the latest single from Palestinian artist <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Saint Levant<\/span>, are reminiscent of a particular mid-00s aesthetic that sent the pop and hip-hop worlds into a tailspin. Here, they form the basis for a Latin-guitar-inspired lick, another relic of the early aughts. What he achieves alongside co-conspirator <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Haifa Wehbe<\/span> is a nostalgia overload so grand, its full effect only lands with the song on repeat.<\/p>\n<h2>MetaBoy &amp; Seyi Vibez \u2013 &#8220;Peppa&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"a256b009-89f8-419d-966b-fd6fcf358744\" 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\/2i2n1RoMKYA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Built around a sweet vocal chop that dislocates the very foundation of words, &#8220;Peppa&#8221; is Greek producer <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">MetaBoy<\/span>&#8216;s tropical excursion, a collision course with Nigeria&#8217;s finest, <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Seyi Vibez<\/span>, whose prime mission on any song is to annihilate it so hard it&#8217;s driven to sever ties with him. His opening lines are an induction into motion: &#8220;low waist, wine slow, bend it proper,&#8221; he instructs.<\/p>\n<h2>Honeymoan \u2013 &#8220;The Stars Are Talking&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"e1199374-23a4-40d6-ae5c-1dd80cf8e956\" 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\/gWwx3RrnRSE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Honeymoan<\/span> are South Africa&#8217;s artpunk poster children, lodged somewhere between a flash and a dream, making music so connected to itself, so in touch with the elements, that embracing it wholeheartedly becomes second nature. Lead vocalist <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Alison Rachel<\/span> is in a closed-circuit conversation with the shadows of her former self: <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">&#8220;How do you expect I respond to your text when you ask about dinner or similar things?&#8221;<\/span> she wonders, slivers of melancholy peeking through the words, revealing hidden worlds.<\/p>\n<h2>Tekno &#8211; \u201cAdaeze\u201d<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"803e5364-a8ea-41a6-8258-35b7bce6b17d\" 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\/SORL-DFX6BQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAdaeze\u201d finds Afrobeats wonderchild <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Tekno<\/span> in a reflective mood, frustrated by finding love only to have distance come between them. This is masterful craftsmanship, a voice that has given the continent countless memories and era-defining hits. Produced by <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">D&#8217;Meek<\/span> and <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Justopac<\/span>, who leave enough room for Tekno to shine, the song\u2019s one to add to your playlist.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"ca465c06-3d28-4275-b392-1457e291abed\" id=\"factbox-1434997\" class=\"column factbox state-expanded-desktop small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12 style-fade expandable-mobile expandable-desktop collapsable-mobile collapsable-desktop\">\n<div class=\"content border-bg-primary mobile_border-bg-primary border_width_10 border_width_mobile_10 hasBorder mobile-hasBorder\" style=\"\">\n<h2 class=\"\" style=\"\">Visit <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.okayplayer.com\/collections\/okayafrica-shop\">OkayShop<\/a> for original vinyl from your favorite artists on the continent!<\/h2>\n<div class=\"fact collapsableContent \">\n<p>From Tyla, Burna Boy, Asake, and more.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\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 best African music this week, including new releases from Kelela, Victony, Zakes Bantwini, Ezra Collective, and more. A screenshot from WizTheMc\u2019s latest single, \u201cFalling Stars.\u201dcourtesy of YouTube Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases \u2014 including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits \u2014 through our best music column, African Music [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2496578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":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-2496577","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\/07\/Best-new-African-music-this-week-Kelela-Victony-Zakes-Bantwini.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2496577","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=2496577"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2496577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2496579,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2496577\/revisions\/2496579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2496578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2496577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2496577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2496577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}