These are the best albums to come out of Nigeria in 2016.
2016 in Nigeria has been one which has overflowed with pessimism. From the crash of our economy to the seeming insensitivity to the ruling class who have put together austere policies to make the world a bit more harsh for Nigerians.
But sadly, our music has provided very little to confront the times, or at the least, acknowledge it. For music, it has been business as usual, with mainstream acts who are tasked with providing expression via music, focused on their personal agenda, and making music that are very distant from the topic.
From the wokeness of Brymo on “Klitoris”, to the swagger and reinvention of Phyno in “The Playmaker”, there’s hardly any album dedicated to the current state of the country.
But that’s not to take away from artistry. 2016 provided a mixture of the good, the bad, the extremely horrible and the dead. We’ve simply had to flip through them all and these ones contain the highest standard of music and artistry that can be infused into a body of work in no particular order.
Tiwa Savage – “R.E.D” (Deluxe)
This was the comeback year for Mama ‘Jam Jam’. Tiwa Savage’s exit in 2014 to chase the experience and joys of procreation marked a certain death in our music industry. This was the death of the super female singer, our beautiful, adorable goddess of pop culture. But a celebrated return came with a body of work which had some of the best pop tunes packaged and presented. “R.E.D” album contains music straight from the Nigerian grassroots - personal and organic, fresh and contemporary without being beholden to conformist radio sounds. – “R.E.D” is also just as universal, satisfyingly expensive-sounding and lustrous as any entertaining firecracker cast from the musical establishments.
Brymo – “Klitoris”
Brymo is a man of exquisite imagery, and he hit Nigeria smack with this. “Klitoris” dropped right at the centre of a (publicly) conservative Nigeria media with enough uproar to create a new energy source. His third album since he made the move from Chocolate City, Brymo continues to play conceptual theories, creating imagery via the deft use of sound, lyrics and vacant spaces. “Klitoris” has Brymo sticking largely to a formula that has yielded dividends with each new application. The singer’s play on vivid emotional imagery buoyed by seamless, instrumentation from the mastery of Mikkyme Joses is still peerless in Nigerian mainstream music.
Phyno – “The Playmaker”
Any Nigerian rap fan will understand that the game has been skewed with a feverish push by rap acts to generate pop singles. Phyno currently leads this charge, after the success of ‘Connect’ and ‘Fada Fada’. “The Playmaker” is actually a two-part conceptual album about life stories, women, aspirations, introspection and sounds. Both halves are intertwined with each other, forming a sonically complete body of work. The first is a direct culmination of Phyno’s obsession with Highlife which has proven financially rewarding and uplifting for his career. The second is a light dip into his Hip-hop roots, where he still maintains echoes of his debut album – 2013’s “No Guts No Glory”. Phyno has developed as an artiste into a direction that is far from that outstanding project. Where he spent time on his debut album rapping his heart out, on this one, he expertly coasts through predominantly as a complete artiste, and the effects are amazing.
Patoranking – “God Over Everything”
New album “God Over Everything”, the singer’s first, is his debut addition to what has been a recently-small discography from Dancehall acts: Dancehall singers in Nigeria who are on the big stage are few, and are not disposed to releasing big projects. Breaking through in 2014 with his ‘Alubarika’ single, he has gone on to provide the country with pop highlights, scoring a string of hit singles with ‘Girlie Oh’ and its remix, ‘My woman my everything’, and ‘Make am’. This album is long overdue, as the singer seeks to consolidate on his gains, two years after his name first passed the lips of Nigerians as a star.That’s why this is a rarity in the Nigerian music industry these days. Pato’s talent and reception has been amplified during his two year mainstream existence, and with “God Over Everything” he’s consolidated it with an LP. The intrigue and love that surrounds him remains, the songs he’s releasing are desirably niche, and he’ll probably celebrate this as his first time out for many years to come.
Illbliss – Illygati: 7057
17 tracks long, “Illygaty: 7057” sees Illy transitioning from the boss to the benefactor of the rap game. He still sticks to his materialistic core theme, waves at radio while at it, but gives a fresh edge by artistically embracing the goodness in humanity. Illy Gatti produces another dope rap album that is technically and artistically strong. And all he had to do, was look within and bring forth positivity. This new wave that he is on is what inspires his collaborators on the project. Illbliss hands out spots to the new wave of artistes coming through, with the infantile (career wise) Mayorkun anchoring the hook on ‘Pere’. Ycee and Dremo go bar for bar on ‘Chukwu agozigo gi’.
This embrace of the new wave hasn’t been a purely altruistic pursuit. Illbliss is receiving his reward on earth too. ‘OMG (Jawon Laya)’ is blowing up and putting more money in his coffers with Reekado Banks and Mr Eazi. Elsewhere, there’s Koker with another club pop banger, ‘Pamper you’. Runtown also comes through, mixing his deft skill with IllBliss’s materialism which starts off ‘Can’t hear you.’(“So I’m counting my money so I can’t hear you.”)
Adekunle Gold – “Gold”
As the year rounds off in style, and the best albums for 2016 are collated and celebrated, Adekunle Gold’s “Gold” album has to be a part of the party, that’s if it doesn’t lead the credits. Adekunle Gold created and owned his path in mainstream music; One of local highlife and purist melodies coming together, and served in this age, with the right messages and lyrical delivery to match. Such a creation is unheard of in the increasingly mono-sonic commercial Nigerian music scene and for Adekunle Gold to properly create that path, he leads the line to success. “Gold” album is crafted for the mildly ambitious man, with relatable stories that speak to everyone with dreams. From the personalized ‘Gold’ opener and the advisory ‘My life’ which sums up his come-up. There’s artful juju music, complete with bata drumming, accompanying horns. This is one for the local parties. A fantastic album, Adekunle Gold’s debut work ticks a lot of boxes, and sets a conceptual standard that should be the norm, but sadly, is an exception. There’s also a distinct lack of a power recording that would define the EP, and stand out not as a commercial endeavor, but a true representation of the singer’s ability to create a classic. Also, the project slightly slips into a monotony of sound. But the general consistency in delivery and the novelty of having a project of such quality papers over this crack, and presents what is a solid LP.
Reminisce – EL-Hadji
2016 is here, and we have another Reminisce album, “El-Hadj” was named because of his intended pilgrimage to Mecca, planned for 2017. This is the album before the “Hajj”; El-Hadj. It’s a new and grounded reality for the rapper, who has had quite a run in the game. This is a super project, with no downside, except that the brevity of Terry Apala’s teasing skit is criminal. It is a solid grounded work, as Reminisce once again takes advantage of his perfect rap voice and a grounded mentality to provide the ultimate feeling of happiness and empathy, while still being the Reminisce, that we all know. This a higher project than the last one, born from a trip to a personal place of worship and nostalgic reminiscing. It’s a pilgrimage of some sort for the rapper, as he connects to a deeper level of narration and vulnerability to recreate his Mecca.
Kiss Daniel – “New Era”
Kiss Daniel brings on the magic from the start, announcing his ascendancy in Nigerian music with the thumping ‘New King’, before going on a long, heady, love-filled journey to win a girl’s heart. The singer sticks to the subject which has been largely responsible for his success. The album feels like an emotional meandering through all the stages of love and romance, peppered with gratitude to God for success. Kiss Daniel’s first effort is a model for today’s acts. This is the era where people can boast of the top awards in music with no album. Where instant gratification and internet assisted shortcuts to fame have neutralized the gatekeepers of the Nigeria music industry. This is the age where technology rules, and old fashioned sweat is frowned upon. Kiss Daniel seeks to marry both worlds, releasing a solid body of work, barely a year after fortune smiled on him and his hard work payed. Perhaps that is why he feels like the real deal, combining substance with the pop-adored ‘fineboyism’ to make music which is immersive, content-filled, and worthy of a “New Era”.
DJ Spinall – “Ten”
Every great story deserves to linger for a long time, and Spinall is aiming for legendary status as his new album – “Ten” – comes barely a year after his debut. This full-length project features a less stellar cast than the last one. There are fewer A-list names on the project, and also fewer tracks. Thematically, this project is all about 10 dance tracks for the DJs to spin through their high-powered sets and ensure the dancefloor is adequately served. A producer’s album, there is not much to celebrate by way of lyrics, with sound being the focus of the album. There are no new sonic breakthroughs on this project, with Spinall choosing to ride all of the popular waves and to create a relatable full-length work that slides in perfectly on playlists. But credit has to be given to the producer for embracing new talent and finding the right atmosphere for every one to lean in and produce art.
Bez – “Gbagyi Child”
The sophomore album from the Nigerian alternative singer Bez is a triumph that more than justifies the five-year break since his last outing, 2011’s revelatory “Super Sun”. These are serene and uplifting tunes, with bursts of rock and possessive inspiration. It’s hard to think of a 2016 album that’s more compact and crafted with such attention to detail. And too few are as much of a complete enjoyment as these 13 tracks. Bez’s trip to Karu and the sounds sampled is interwoven all through this work. You could taste it on the opening of Éternity’, but it directly inspires a track in the introspective and slightly haunting vista of ‘Home for Gbagyi’, where the scene is rural, and the flute is ubiquitous. Bez samples it sparingly, achieving a fine blend of the traditional, the urban, and the essential.
Ultimately “Gbagyi Child” is an ode to detail in the creative process as an art form, which has birthed a complete project, the likes of which 2016 is blessed to have.