2019 isn’t like 2018, or any other year at that. But it also came with its own goodies, and drama, and music. And can you believe it’s half of the year already?
What should we do during the half time, if not reflect on how the half played out? In this case, it did play out very well. A number of hits have hit our radar, this season. Although, many familiar names are unusually missing, yeah, this year has been cool so far. Musically, that is.
Wizkid, Davido et al, all low-key throughout the six-month period, but we’re hoping they’ll be back in the Summer, to lit up the place. Anyway, here are the Top 10 Naija Songs that we’ve got so far, in 2019. In chronological order.
Olamide – Woske
Sounds familiar, right? Remember last year when Olamide gave us the first hit of the year, with “Science Student”? Well, he did it again. He always knows what button to hit to get things in order, before anyone else.
“Woske” which is a collaboration with afrobeat god, Killertunes, is actually not a real afrobeat song. It’s street as usual, but with a rather low tempo than usual. That wouldn’t stop your Zanku moves from syncing though. It won’t hamper your Michael Jackson moves either.
The official video, which is very colourful, paid homage to Michael Jackson. A street artist, paying homage to MJ, sounds familiar too? Slimcase did that on “Kalamo” produced by Killertunes. And that is probably not a coincidence.
Olamide is smart, he grabbed the year while it was young and gave us our first banger. It was trending for months. It took another song from him, for us to get over it, actually.
Slimcase – Azaman (Ft. 2Baba, Larry Gaga, Peruzzi)
Slimcase kinda like got dunked last summer, when the Zanku movement that blew away all the remains of shaku-shaku came. He must have been looking for something to stay on top of his game. To at least make sure the shows don’t stop coming.
Well, as a guy who blew up with numerous collaborations, he had no other choice than to assemble an ensemble cast, for a hit single. And he did it exactly at the beginning of the year when everyone wanted hits to fall on them.
“Azaman” featured 2baba, and Peruzzi (the duo have previously collaborated on “Amaka”). It also had another big name on it, Larry Gaga – also a name that has been associated with 2baba.
Overall, Slimcase became popular after a hit with D’banj and had to stay relevant with a collaboration with 2baba. He just can’t stop wooing veterans to his side, can he?
Patoranking – Confirm (Ft. Davido)
Patoranking hasn’t had a hit in a long time. He also has been low key and hasn’t had many collaborations. Like we later found out, he was working on his album, “Wilmer.”
But before he was stable enough to release a project of that significance, he needed a hit. He tapped the OBO for that, and made “Confirm”. Davido never disappoints, the same as Pato, so the jam was confirmed.
The collaboration was actually very important, especially to Pato who has worked with a couple of big names in the industry but has never had the chance to get something with Davido.
Burna Boy – Dangote
Coming from his biggest year ever, since he started music (aka 2018), Burna Boy who churned numerous hits last year (“Gbona”, “On The Low”, “Killin Them”) decided to stun us again and give us another one.
The story was, Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa went up to the ranks, from not being in the top 100, to be the 63rd richest in the world. That must have inspired Burna really big, so he got in the studio and did his thing.
“Dangote” an afro vibe, produced by Kel P was an instant hit. The lyrics, the arrangement, everything was perfect. It was the kind of hit we all wanted. Coming from the kind of guy we all wanted it from. Could it be any more perfect?
Kizz Daniel – Fvck You
Who said Kizz Daniel isn’t the best hitmaker around here? From an unnoticed young guy with one hit to one of the biggest pop stars in Africa, all within three years? Isn’t it amazing?
Now when he grabs a mic, everyone listens. After the success of his last album, “No Bad Songz”, he came through with this fire, “Fvck You,” which quickly became a phenomenon.
Trending on social media, many artists started doing re-fixes to the jam, and that only boosted the song. After all, not every song has artists like CDQ, Eva, M.I Abaga and more, refixing it. There are wins and there are losses. “Fvck You” was a win.
Rudeboy – Reason With Me
Rudeboy, the second half of the defunct P Square duo, even seems to be more game than his twin brother. He went completely solo, and made quite a hit with “Reason With Me.” You should check the streaming numbers.
Since the split, Rudeboy has been kind of the one with much of the spotlight. Not because he’s more talented or anything like that, but he pulled off an impressive number of collaborations, that put some relevance on his name.
“Reason With Me” has set him on the right foot, can he run with?
Teni – Sugar Mummy
Teni just had to hook up with Rexxie, right? It was expedient. Zanku was hot, and guess which producer is making all of the cool jams? Rexxie.
“Sugar Mummy” as it is, is a street banger that quickly became a hit on the streets. Teni demonstrated her prowess, once again, as she took on the hi tempo beat and murdered it.
The video which featured Eniola Badmus was also trending. And you know, there’s just something about a street hit, there is hardly any limit to how far it can penetrate.
Larry Gaga – Low (Ft. Wizkid)
Wizkid has been low-key for the best part of this year, for some reason we don’t know. But that didn’t stop Larry from sharing his collabo with the Starboy, “Low.”
“Low” would be considered by fans, Wizkid’s first hit in 2019. And while it doesn’t seem like more is forthcoming, for what it’s worth, “Low” is one of the biggest tracks we’ve heard this year.
Thanks to Gaaga, we didn’t only get to hear Wiz, we also got a big hit!
Naira Marley – Am I A Yahoo Boy (Ft. Zlatan Ibile)
You do a song, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission starts coming after you, I think we can say you know your onions. And also, you got balls.
Naira Marley had a hit last year with “Issa Goal” a song featuring Olamide and Lil Kesh, which was later remixes with various artists for the 2018 World Cup. But it wasn’t until Zlatan Ibile and Zanku that he started getting attention.
After appearing on a couple of jams together, “Am I A Yahoo Boy” came in May and quickly tore the streets apart (literally.) Not long after, Marley was arrested by the EFCC, and although the song isn’t trending anymore, it is one of the major hits of 2019, so far. Not every track has a good backstory.
Olamide – Oil and Gas
Once again, Olamide decided to thrill us all with a correct street banger, “Oil & Gas.” Shouting out big guys like Tony Elumelu and Asiwaju Jagaban, he created a hit with catchy lyrics and a groovy beat.
Apart from his “Woske”, this year alone Olamide has given us, “Buga Small Small” and “Spirit,” two jams that have received favorable critical acclaims. Consistency is his things, and he may drop another album this year.
Not without killing us with hits though. As for “Oil and Gas,” that’s one hell of a hit there. Issa vibe.
Now, you decide, how has 2019 been so far? If you ask me, I’d say great.
Top 10 Naija Songs For The First Half Of 2019
- Olamide – Woske
- Slimcase – Azaman (Ft. 2Baba, Larry Gaga, Peruzzi)
- Patoranking – Confirm (Ft. Davido)
- Burna Boy – Dangote
- Kizz Daniel – Fvck You
- Rudeboy – Reason With Me
- Teni – Sugar Mummy
- Larry Gaaga – Low ft Wizkid
- Naira Marley – Am I A Yahoo Boy ft Zlatan
- Olamide – Oil and Gas