This week’s list opens with a cross-continental Rema feature, delivers Niniola’s return to her Afro-house roots, and includes a new entry from Wizkid’s son Champz, who continues to build his own sound separate from his father’s legacy. A varied week with more emotional range than most.
Young Jonn – Glass in the Air
Pulled from his Dear London project, ‘Glass in the Air’ sits comfortably within the sonic world Young Jonn has been building since his last album. Jiggy-inflected Afropop over an up-tempo dancefloor beat, produced alongside Yung Willis. It would not feel out of place on his last album, which is both its strength and its limitation.
Tiakola ft Rema – Best
A French-Nigerian crossover from Tiakola’s WpointM album, produced by London. Tiakola’s melodic rap delivery and Rema’s Afrorave cadence are a natural fit over the same production infrastructure both have thrived on separately. It works without being particularly surprising.
Shoday ft Magixx – Che
A commercial Afrobeats record built around a TikTok-ready hook, pairing Shoday’s street-pop energy with Magixx’s R&B-tinted delivery. The combination is pleasant and the romantic pop vibe is well-executed for what it is.
Ayo Maff ft Zinoleesky – Malaria
Produced by Shallythechampion, ‘Malaria’ compares falling in love to catching an unexpected illness, a metaphor that lands better in concept than execution. Zinoleesky’s melodic bounce and Ayo Maff’s street delivery create a competent mid-tempo record that does not fully capitalise on the creative premise.
Fido – For Me
A stripped-back romantic Afrobeats record that strips away the high-energy production of his previous work in favour of melodic storytelling. The restraint is deliberate but the record struggles to hold attention across a full listen. Better suited to background listening than active engagement.
Niniola – Tika
The week’s most welcome return. After her emotionally raw Without You EP, Niniola steps back into her Afro-house lane with ‘Tika’, fast-paced, dancefloor-ready and anchored by her signature lively delivery. The return to form feels earned rather than forced.
Limoblaze ft Johnny Drille – Already Loved
A gospel Afrobeats and alternative soul collaboration that benefits significantly from Johnny Drille’s guitar-driven vocal style. The faith-based storytelling is handled with enough care to cross over to listeners outside the gospel space, at least partially.
Cheque – Andale
Cheque blends trap-house and Afropop in a high-energy melodic record that leans on his vocal flexibility. The production is busy and the record does not settle into a clear identity. One of the weaker entries on this week’s list.