{"id":2515680,"date":"2026-07-24T15:03:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2515680"},"modified":"2026-07-24T15:03:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:03:59","slug":"best-new-african-music-this-week-tyla-teni-taves-de-mthuda-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/best-new-african-music-this-week-tyla-teni-taves-de-mthuda-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Best new African music this week: Tyla, Teni, Taves, De Mthuda 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 t19\" style=\"\">Stream the best African music this week, including new releases from Tyla, Teni, taves, De Mthuda, and more.<\/p>\n<p><figcaption itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"\">Teni releases her new album titled The Wellness Package today.<\/figcaption><figcaption itemprop=\"author\" class=\"\" data-byline-prefix=\"Photo\">courtesy of gamma<\/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>Tyla &#8211; A*POP [LP]<\/h3>\n<div data-element-guid=\"591b7b8e-49fb-4e7c-bdad-2fd45b90bd34\" 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\/PtdSnvgg3uM\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Once in a generation, a star emerges so bright that it threatens to swallow everything in its path. In <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/tyla\"><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Tyla<\/span>&#8216;s<\/a> case, there&#8217;s none of the swallowing \u2014 just an effort to bring everyone along. South Africa is well-represented in the form of <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Mawhoo<\/span> (&#8220;Crazy Of Me&#8221;), <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/best-female-amapiano-artists-vocalists-in-2025\/1413686\"><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Babalwa M<\/span><\/a> (&#8220;I Don&#8217;t Care&#8221;), as well as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/who-gets-to-live-in-the-house-that-afro-built\/1425467\"><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Liquideep<\/span><\/a>, whose classic hit &#8220;Fairytale&#8221; she re-recorded with one half of the group, <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Ziyon<\/span>. It&#8217;s an overload of bops \u2014 14 of them, in fact. And every song would go in its own direction, were it not for her distinctive touch, which allows her to almost possess the music \u2014 to own it, and steer its course.<\/p>\n<h2>Stixx De Mthuda, Kabza De Small \u2013 &#8220;Sasingena&#8221; (feat. Mnqobi Yazo)<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"80b7c742-8bff-442d-9b48-ad979a4831c2\" 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\/2zfsUKnZMjE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This feels like levitating, like being transported to another dimension, guided by two of the most forward-thinking producers in amapiano over the years. Both need little introduction: <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">De Mthuda<\/span>, godfather of the East Rand of Gauteng, an originator of a certain approach to production that has been replicated and imitated many times over; and <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Kabza De Small<\/span>, the self-proclaimed king of amapiano, whose impressive versatility has given us gems across the board \u2014 from kwaito to hip-hop, Afro-pop, house, and beyond. Together, they unlock a sweet spot built on elements of Afro-tech that feel like a vibration emerging from deep within. <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Mnqobi Yazo<\/span>&#8216;s chant is the equivalent of a million suns raining down on those watching from the sidelines. There&#8217;s also a mean trumpet that explodes at the 1:27 mark, almost as if to clear the path for total takeover.<\/p>\n<h2>Snokie, Nelow De Guitar \u2013 Divination of Barcadi [LP]<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Snokie<\/span> comes alive on the mic. His verses, more free-flow than structured stanzas, thread lived experience into the turbulent, zinc-fenced, animated sonic terrain of barcadi house. The genius is in the simplicity; it feels like anyone can do what he does, and that&#8217;s part of the relatability. Like when he raps: <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">&#8220;wa itsi hore Snokie ke ngaka man\/ e no ba o tshabile ho thwasa,&#8221;<\/span> (you know that Snokie\u2019s a doctor\/ he just doesn\u2019t wanna get initiated) right after <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">&#8220;Ke tlhakane le mathata man, a batho ba ho rata diceleb&#8221;<\/span> (I ran into a problem of people who are into celebrities). It&#8217;s random, like apartheid spatial planning, and corruption, and sponsored state terrorism. In Snokie, we find threads of a world constantly tearing at itself. He&#8217;s just here to document the decay. <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Nelow De Guitar<\/span>, whose jagged compositions have carried Snokie&#8217;s inspirational sermons over two EPs this year alone \u2014 <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">Moruti o jele kolobe<\/span> and <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">The return of snokie<\/span> \u2014 continues to blaze a unique trail, one whose boundaries he controls: the percussive clarity of marching bands; the attendant synth trombone, dramatic and piercing; and melodic elements so retro, they sound like what the future sounded like in the &#8217;80s.<\/p>\n<h2>Solana \u2013 &#8220;Dide&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>What to do when your single spreads like wildfire, inspiring inclusion on countless lists as well as social media think pieces about your marketing approach? Well, in <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Solana<\/span>&#8216;s case, you keep releasing bangers and marking your lane in bold colors with a fearless spirit. She began teasing &#8220;Dide&#8221; at the top of this month, right as &#8220;Okunkun&#8221; was spreading far and wide across the internet. She continues the &#8217;80s disco theme: big, reverb-drenched snares that slap, power synths that feel like being in a stadium, and a bassline modulated to cause chaos and disorder on the dancefloor.<\/p>\n<h2>K.Keed, Orish \u2013 uMgaranto II [LP]<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"f6621f98-ea68-4395-b1d9-66cad211d79b\" 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\/2dX5faUn-6g\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rap will always be goated: for its ability to contain so much information in record time, for the elasticity that lends it to many contexts, and for moments like the one <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/op-ed-old-hip-hop-heads-need-to-stop-policing-the-culture\/1423715\"><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">K.Keed<\/span><\/a> and <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Orish<\/span> are giving us on the follow-up to 2023&#8217;s <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">uMgaranto<\/span>. They finish each other&#8217;s sentences, remaining on stand-by to catch a bar and run rampant with it. Standout moments abound, from the intro \u2014 where Orish is heaving while running away from the gun-wielding boyfriend of a girl he&#8217;s seeing \u2014 straight into &#8220;Abenam,&#8221; which feels like being involved in a high-speed chase while traveling in the wrong lane. The chemistry is spread across eleven tracks, giving us a glimpse into what happens when two sharp lyricists decide to lock in and set fire to the microphone.<\/p>\n<h2>Igwe Aka \u2013 &#8220;Chase&#8221; (feat. ARTSALGHUL)<\/h2>\n<p>The logic of the universe dictates that two greats shall always cross paths. In the case of <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Igwe Aka<\/span> and <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">ARTSALGHUL<\/span>, it&#8217;s a matter of time, place, and, of course, critical acclaim, as both have been juggling their own projects to great reception. &#8220;Chase&#8221; takes the bit-crushed drums and blown-out 808s that have come to define the genre, drags them across the streets of Lagos \u2014 where the slang and the style permeate \u2014 and adds a synth for that additional feeling of being in a sci-fi thriller. And the flows? Godly! <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">&#8220;Give you love, and you waste am\/ girl I&#8217;m loving your face and\/ I waka from the east side\/ my canna from the westside,&#8221;<\/span> raps Igwe Aka on the chorus. That alone \u2014 the flow, how he structures the words, the silence that gets filled by the adlibs \u2014 primes us for some delectable raps.<\/p>\n<h2>Taves \u2013 Popstar: Side A [LP]<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"7f588db7-4eb5-4f2a-8d9b-7e0ee3783aa4\" 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\/0ZxwuwTsPIw\" 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\">Taves<\/span> makes joyful music, like he got a preview of sunshine before everyone else and uses it to his advantage to pen the bright melodies he&#8217;s been serving. Popstar: Side A has been a long time coming, arriving two years after <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">Are You Listening<\/span>, which gave us the timeless <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/R65Gra4yPwo?si=dFa_Vn_ZRKvOIVaw\">&#8220;CWT&#8221; with <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">BNXN<\/span><\/a>. This, his debut album, demonstrates growth and is proof of the work he&#8217;s been cultivating since 2020. There&#8217;s a gentleness here, a bright-eyed optimism, the sparkling hope of a youth untainted by the world. It doesn&#8217;t feel forced, and won&#8217;t expire as a result. The talent oozes from his very soul: &#8220;Chaos&#8221; is harmonic balance of the highest order; &#8220;Isn&#8217;t It Beautiful,&#8221; released as a single in April, is poignant and warm \u2014 <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">&#8220;work hard for my money\/ harder for peace of mind,&#8221;<\/span> he sings; and &#8220;Uche Jumbo,&#8221; released in June, takes an opp&#8217;s self-confidence and disfigures it, with lyrics like <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">&#8220;baby girl you know your ex boyfriend wanna be like us\/ he can&#8217;t touch\/ him money no long reach.&#8221;<\/span> Absolutely cold!<\/p>\n<h2>Teni \u2013 The Wellness Package [EP]<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"eb1c6b3b-c148-49a0-9ba7-947b6b9778c9\" 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\/w-Bbuvgeb20\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/teni\"><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Teni<\/span>&#8216;s<\/a> a priestess of the light. She possesses an incredible force, always on point and always giving us a big sound. On her latest EP, The Wellness Package, she cooks and serves us medicine: inviting <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Chike<\/span> to harmonize with her on &#8220;Wurumanya,&#8221; going back-to-back with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/olamide\"><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Olamide<\/span><\/a> on &#8220;Zion,&#8221; which arrived as a single in April, and transcending time and place on &#8220;Wise&#8221; with the aid of <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">The Cavemen.<\/span>, brothers <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Kingsley<\/span> and <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Benjamin James<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h2>Seun Kuti &#8211; SWS Session<\/h2>\n<p>Recorded at Italian composer Piero Umiliani\u2019s studio in Rome, <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Seun Kuti &amp; Egypt 80<\/span> present a three-song set comprising entirely new material. \u201cNa Dem,\u201d released in June, is energetic and funk-driven, the interplay between the horn section and backing vocals a match made in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/kalakuta%20republic\">Kalakuta heaven<\/a>. It\u2019s the second track, and follows \u201cProblems,\u201d a title that recalls his 2008 song, \u201cAfrican Problems.\u201d He rounds it off with \u201cThe Devil Just Busy,\u201d which completes a trio of songs that might or might not end up on his next album.<\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"041262ac-16d6-4ebd-8760-7a347a2ff78c\" id=\"factbox-1436065\" 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.\u00a0<\/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 Tyla, Teni, taves, De Mthuda, and more. Teni releases her new album titled The Wellness Package today.courtesy of gamma Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases \u2014 including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits \u2014 through our best music column, African [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2515681,"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-2515680","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-Tyla-Teni-Taves-De.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515680","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=2515680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2515682,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515680\/revisions\/2515682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2515681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2515680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2515680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2515680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}