The 22 Afrobeats Artists You Should Be Listening to Now

What else is there to say about Burna Boy that hasn’t already been said? He has everything you want in a current music star and he continues to grow in popularity. His 2022 album Twice as Tall, is still in rotation.

Many mainstream music fans first heard of Wizkid on Drake’s 2016 smash hit, “One Dance.” But Wizkid had been putting out refreshing music years before he was on that track. He continues to improve as an artist and his 2020 single, “Essence” is still played at Black Day parties across the world.

I love Tems. Her voice immediately steals the show of any song she’s featured on and she’s unable to make a bad song on her own. Along with being an amazing vocalist, she’s also a talented songwriter, who helped co-write the beloved Black Panther song, “Lift Me Up.”

I can’t even begin to recall the times I’ve heard Davido while at a brunch party. His 2017 hit, “Fall” is an absolute banger and he’s continued that trend of success in 2023, dropping the popular single “UNAVAILABLE” earlier this year

Olamide is a legend. While also being one of the most well-known African artists, he’s also responsible for putting on many of the up-and-coming stars in Afrobeats including Fireboy DML and Adekunle Gold.

Signed to Olamide’s YBNL Nation, Fireboy DML is a rising star in the industry, who’s worked with pop stars such as Ed Sheeran on the 2021 hit “Peru.”

If you don’t know who Ckay is, you should. His 2019 hit, “Love Nwantiti” is the first African song to get more than one billion streams on Spotify. That should tell you everything about how huge the Nigerian singer has become.

Arya Starr is a phenom in the Afrobeats world. Rising in popularity in 2021 because of her single, “Away,” Starr has been on an amazing trajectory since then.

I love Rema’s style. Not only a well-dressed artist, but Rema is also supremely talented. His 2022 single, “Calm Down” reached the number four spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

First and foremost, the name Tiwa Savage is just dope as hell. But besides the name, Tiwa is an exceptional singer. Beyoncé fans may recognize her from the 2019 album, The Gift, where Tiwa was featured on “KEYS TO THE KINGDOM.”

This musical duo consisting of twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye has been putting out beloved projects since 2007. Although they went through a long hiatus, they returned to music in 2021, releasing the album, Reactivated.

One of the most successful African rappers out, Sarkodie is a Ghanaian artist that stays consistent, releasing a solid project almost every year since 2013.

Yemi Alade is a Queen and she carries herself like it. She continues to grow into superstardom and was also featured on Beyonce’s 2019 album, The Gift, on the tracks “MY POWER” and “DON’T JEALOUS ME.”

His name fits his persona because he’s just able to seamlessly juggle an amazing music career with multiple business ventures. Along with releasing hits for the past decade, Eazi also received a certificate from Harvard University in June 2022.

As a devout hip-hop listener, I first heard D’banj on the 2012 track, “The Morning.” But he’s done much more than that in his illustrious career, dropping popular tracks and albums since 2006.

Diamond Platnumz is one of the only Afrobeats stars from East Africa, specifically Tanzania. But, it hasn’t stopped him from gaining a massive following and dropping hit after hit since he broke onto the scene with his 2010 hit, “Kamwambie.”

Libianca is the latest Afrobeats star to gain notoriety on social media. Her 2022 single, “People,” has been a viral sensation on the internet for the past year.

Omah Lay is a young star in the Afrobeats scene. Fans may recognize him for his viral 2020 track, “Bad Influence.”

Although he hasn’t released any official albums, Oxlade is still making some buzz in the music industry. If you’re looking for a project to listen to, check out his EPs, Eclipse and OXYGENE.

Hop on the bandwagon before you get left. Amaarae is an uncommon artist who sings about topics that may differ from many others on this list. But, it doesn’t make her any less talented. Check out her 2023 album, Fountain Baby 

Firstly, I wanna say that he has the dopest name on this list. Over the last two years, he’s dropped to solid projects, Soweto and Outlaw, which shows is unique ability to sing and rap.

A new name in the industry, Moliy is a talented Ghanaian artist who’s made waves in music lately. Gaining some prominence after her feature on the 2021 Amaarae track, “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY,” Moliy has come into her own. In 2022, she released her debut album, Honey Doom.