BEVERLY HILLS, December 31, (THEWILL) 2020. Crazy is an understatement at this point. What *didn’t* happen? Certainly the most unpredictable year in living memory. The effects of the Coronavirus affected every industry, but I’d argue the entertainment industry was hit hardest. With the pandemic forcing concerts and festivals to shut down, it’s certainly been the year I’ve spent the most time at home. What did I do to counter the boredom? Music. A lot of it. So, in no particular order, these are 25 of the songs that soundtracked many a night at home this year.
REMA-Woman
Rema keeps it pushing. In a year where it’d be understandable if he struggled, he dropped a number of songs that kept up the streak he’s been on since he burst on the scene with “Dumebi” last year. “Woman” is a celebration of the joys (and problems) he’s experienced in having multiple interpersonal relationships with the ladies. Ozedikus does it yet again(when will he miss??) on production, delivering an amapiano – afrobeats combination that really works. Rema focuses on his strengths here, focusing on melody and harmonizing over the beat for large sections of the track. Somehow he makes
Sa koloweko eh (Oweko)
Ikebe wamé jar
Jar one, jar two, jar three
sound like a profound statement. Can’t wait to see where he goes from here.
FEM-Davido
I find it appropriate that the unofficial song of the #EndSars protests is a song about telling your haters to shut up. But as a song on it’s own, FEM is trademark OBO. Backed by a triumphant trumpet melody, Davido delivers an energetic performance that mocks his haters while having fun doing it. As is inevitable at this point, the song immediately became a hit and even entered into the Nigerian parlance for a while. He then followed up this song with his second album “A Better Time”. For Davido, the hits keep coming.
Abule-Patoranking
In a year of so much sadness and frustration, I frequently turned to music for good vibes and this was probably the song I played the most. “Abule” sounds like an evening at a palmwine parlor : upbeat and cheerful. Pheelz provides Patoranking with a great backing instrumental, full of life and vim. Pato sings wistfully about his days growing up in his neighborhood of Ebute-Metta. He’s always been a good storyteller and this is no exception. My favorite song of his in years.
Bop Daddy-Falz ft Ms. Banks
Yes, it got overplayed on TikTok. This doesn’t detract from just how brilliant this song is. The mid-tempo song has an Afro-house drum sequence and bass synth. Falz delivers a smooth, languid performance, with English rapper, Ms. Banks matching his energy quite admirably. It’s a really good song. Add it to your workout playlist.
Duduke- Simi
Duduke became the unofficial announcement song for new mothers all over social media this year and it’s easy to see why. It’s a simple song about the purest love of all: the unconditional love of a mother for her unborn child. Backed by tingling percussion and a simple piano melody, she delivers a magical vocal performance, promising to give her baby everything she has and more. A very fulfilling listen.
Cash App-Bella Shmurda feat. Zlatan & Lincoln
I don’t do/support fraud, BUT if I did this would be my theme song. I sometimes just find myself singing
Sho ni CC
Load am cash app
Cashout
O ni maga, bill am
Small money ball out
It shouldn’t be that catchy but somehow Bella’s voice and Zlatan’s ad-libs never fail to worm their way into my head. It doesn’t help that the beat is so lively and upbeat. Definitely, one for the clubs when all this is over. I can already see the legwork.
Fireboy DML- Vibration
I spent so long trying to find this song on YouTube. (I kept searching “elelee ele lelele”😅😅) To reduce it to that phrase alone does Fireboy a disservice though. “Vibration” is a breezy, catchy song. The instrumental by iambeatz shuffles along, evolving as the runtime progresses. There’s a really nice saxophone melody sprinkled all over the track that I really like as well. Great track.
SHILEKUN-TIENO
Not every time vibes, sometimes bars. Tieno brings them big time on his new single SHILEKUN. Backed by a booming, skittering BeatsByJayy beat, he showcases his Eminem-like technical rapping by dropping bar after bar in quick succession. As the title states, this is Tieno forcing the door to the upper echelon of the music industry open. It’s been on repeat since I came across it. Warning shots have been fired.
Koroba- Tiwa Savage
Slipping into the boots (heels?) of a Nigerian escort, Ms. Savage spins an interesting yarn on Koroba. On the back of an absolute shoulder-shaker of a beat, Tiwa tells the listeners about the life and times of an escort and her preference for politicians. Confident and unapologetic, she replies all her detractors with a simple phrase:
Who no like enjoyment?
The song is accompanied by a really good video as well (Clarence Peters of course). I really enjoyed it. More from Tiwa in 2021 is very welcome.
Olamide – Infinity ft. Omah Lay
Olamide had a resurgence this year, with his album Carpe Diem performing well both commercially and critically. Infinity, the lead single on the album is self-assured, with both acts in their respective pockets. Omah Lay continues to be a great feature artist, imbuing the track with his style and he really dovetails well with Baddo. Olamide is a little more languid than usual here but that doesn’t mean he’s lost any swagger, far from it even.
Ginger-Wizkid ft. Burna Boy
Ginger featuring Mr. Twice as Tall, Burna Boy is one of the standout singles off Wizkid’s latest album, Made in Lagos. The beat is propulsive and groovy, with Burna and Wiz taking turns crooning the catchy-as-hell chorus and their individual verses. My favorite part of the track though is the key switch at the end when Burna Boy REALLY goes for it, almost stealing the song right from under Wizkid himself. It’s great.
Niniola – Fantasy ft Femi Kuti
Niniola’s dulcet tones dovetail seamlessly with Femi Kuti’s brilliant saxophone on this groovy track. A song all about a fantasy relationship with her dream man brims with the character and sultry confidence of a woman who knows what she wants. Niniola and Femi Kuti are also given sections of their own on the song to cook, and we’re all the better for it. Another shower playlist essential.
Myself-Basketmouth, Show Dem Camp & Oxlade
2020 brought many things but one of the more unexpected was a Basketmouth album, Yabasi that was genuinely good. Shockingly good even. My favorite song off the project, Myself is a song that is all about minding your business and avoiding overdo. The instrumental is fabulous, writhing and good for both singing and rapping which Basketmouth and ShowDemCamp do respectively. “I can’t kill myself, I go do wetin I sabi” croons Basketmouth. Same, man, same.
Mj Remix- BadBoyTimz ft Mayorkun
Newcomer BadBoyTimz delivers a sonorous performance on this song, calling us to dance, with Mayorkun delivering a great showing as well (“Of Lay Lay” is a top 5 ad-lib at this point). The beat is measured and confident, maturing as the track progresses. I expect to hear this one at an Owambe soon.
Loading-Olamide ft. BadBoyTimz
Another entry from Olamide’s Carpe Diem makes the list (it’s a good album!). On this song, Olamide teams up with BadBoyTimz to provide one of the best earworms of the year. They dovetail quite nicely on an extremely catchy beat.
ReIndependence Day- Leslie King
ReIndependence Day is the first song off the A 2020 Tape EP by Leslie King. Written during the aftermath of the Lekki Massacre, the song is a reflection of the issues we all as Nigerians face. On the song you can hear news snippets of lies by our leaders, set against a twinkly piano instrumental. He calls for youths to stand in unity and rails against bad leadership through cutting bars questioning why things are the way they are. A timely song if there ever was one.
Zoom-Cheque
The key sentiment on Zoom is one I can relate with: no bad vibes. Backed by a trap-based beat, he fills the track with multi-syllabic, onomatopoeic yet descriptive lyrics. Slaloming between Afro-pop and trap with effortless flair, I can’t wait to see what else Cheque has to offer.
Way Too Big-Burna Boy
With production by Leriq, Diddy, and Mike Dean, Way too Big finds Burna towering over his haters. The instrumental is up-tempo and groovy, drawing influences from both Africa and the western hemisphere. The polyrhythmic drum patterns mix well with the hollow but smooth chord progressions which do a good job in making the record interesting and engaging to listen to. Burna Boy has found a way of always fusing two or more genres together, on this track coming through with a scintillating performance that cuts across hip-hop and Afrobeats. Odogwu has more in store. Can’t wait.
Burna Boy – 20-10-20
In the aftermath of the horrific Lekki Massacre, Burna Boy went back to the medium he knew best to express himself: music. Over 3 and a half minutes he creates an “Old Naija Spiritual”, mourning the dead and railing against the government and it’s many failings. His voice is full of audible sorrow and it immortalizes the lives of the patriots we lost. I’m moved every time I hear it.
WurlD- WAYO( Kpe Le Wu)
This song sounds like a luxurious date by the sea. A trumpet melody flitters and curls around WurlD’s syrupy voice so expertly you’d think it was being played live in front of you. The care taken to craft this song is evident and is a great showcase for everyone involved in its creation. Unique in sound due to its live instrumentation, WAYO is expertly performed and recorded. WurlD had a big 2020 and it’s so exciting to see him bloom before our very eyes.
Damages-Tems
Temilade Openiyi a.k.a. Tems is the new face of the Nigerian alternative scene. The lead single off her debut EP “For Broken Ears” is a fusion of dancehall and contemporary R&B. On the track, Tems refuses to be messed around any longer. She confidently states that she’s leaving an abusive relationship, finding her peace of mind. Another one for the shower playlist.
Something Different – Adekunle Gold
A departure from his usual comfort zone of more downtempo ballads, this song is well, Something Different. A combination of both Afro-beat and soul, The song revolves around an ambient soul melody, AG’s great vocals, and an Afro-drums sequence all mixing together superbly. AG sings about a lady who tried to love him conditionally and you can hear his disappointment with how things played out. More of this, please.
Again – Wande Coal
2020 gave us at least 1 good thing: A new Wande Coal song. His latest release, Again is a return to form for former Mo’ Hits member. On this downtempo love song, Wande croons about undying feelings for a lover. On what should be overworn territory, he puts a new spin on this track with a superb pre-chorus that he really goes for. I’m glad to have Wande back and firing.
Bad Influence – Omah Lay
Omah Lay stated in an interview with Kaylah Oniwo on CoolFM’s Instagram live that Bad Influence was neither a love song nor a break-up song, but it was a song about his life when he first moved to Lagos from Port-Harcourt. The song starts with a simple RnB progression, followed by a dancehall drum pattern that consists of simple minimalistic percussion instruments. Omah Lay delivers smooth, stellar vocals on this, showcasing his promise. Big things are coming for him.
Olakira – Maserati
Produced and performed by Olakira himself, Maserati is a smooth blend of Afro-pop and dancehall riddim. The instrumental is a smooth blend of dancehall drum patterns, pop chord progressions, and afrobeat shakers. Olakira delivered smooth vocals with soothing melodies, giving the song a feel-good vibe.
Well, there you have it. 25 of our favorite songs in 2020. What a year. Let’s hope 2021 brings completely different fortunes, but the music remains the same level of quality. Let us know what you think.
Bolu Adesina is a creative writer with interests ranging from music and film to I.T.
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