African Songs You Need to Hear This Week
The best new African music tracks that came out this week featuring Rema, Stonebwoy, and Tiwa Savage.
Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Songs You Need to Hear This Week.
Read ahead for our round-up of the best new African music tracks and music videos that came across our desks this week.
Rema - "Kelebu"
No one is currently touchingRema in terms of sonic innovation, lyrical finesse, and aura. His latest release, "Kelebu," traces a sonic map shaped by colonial ruptures but rooted in a shared ancestral pulse. Listen closely and you'll hear echoes of Congolese soukous and rumba, rhythms once severed by empire now reuniting in syncopated defiance. Peer deeper, and the Caribbean influence stares back at you — bold, unhidden, unmistakable. This is high-impact, high-energy music: a callback to the era of Afrobeats that forged Rema's artistry. But it's also a study in reference and reinvention. The chorus? Rema's relying on muscle memory, here. It's a wink to Davido's 2012 anthem "Skelewu," a track that helped script the early chapters of Afrobeats' global rise. Rema reactivates archives, disregarding designated borders, and dancing across them with a broad smile on his face. - Tšeliso Monaheng
Adekunle Gold – "Coco Money"
In a newly released music video, directed by Perliks and Edgar Esteves, the riveting musicality of "Coco Money" gets visuals to match. Over black-and-white shots, the artist is cast as a sort of godfather, watching through scenes of movement spurred by basketball and boxing. Decked in fine suits, it's quite the arthouse style to one of the most inventive songsAdekunle Gold has recently released, a renewal of beloved traditional forms. – Emmanuel Esomnofu
Tiwa Savage & Skepta – "On The Low"
With an album forthcoming later this month, we're inTiwa Savage time again. Every time the Afrobeats icon steps into the booth, she's intent on pushing the craft, and "On The Low" is no exception. A cool duet withSkepta, which thrives on her unparalleled handling of R&B, the track carries the smooth sensitivity of rainy days. Each has admired the other for a while now, and here the chemistry is evident — a compact yet emotionally charged affair that would age well. – EE
King Monada - "Depression"
King Monada is one of the leading forces in the lekompo and bolo house movements. On "Depression," he rides a beat that exists somewhere between Limpopo's renowned genre, tsa manyalo, and the Lekompo sounds that continue to evolve the sonic legacy of South African electronic music. "Monahano oa ka o damejeile, a nka kgona ho nagana, a nka gona selo (my mind is damaged/ I can't think, I can't do anything)," he sings on the bridge, bearing his heart out, reeling over the joy that has been taken from him by a person. This is a universally relatable message, and King Monada expertly embodies the emotions of someone who is just going through all the stages of denial. - TM
Enny - "Cabin Feva"
Enny is an MC's MC. Her style is delicate, but edged with a ruggedness that'll slice right through you if you're caught slipping. "Cabin Fever," produced by the Polish Congolese producer Moo Latte, is as self-contained as it is expansive. It's a sonic sprawl that is lush, layered, and punctuated by intentional interruptions that melt seamlessly into her smouldering bars. "I'm just a girl at heart / I don't wanna play the role of bitch 'cause there's no award for that," she raps, a line that cuts with precision, peeling back armor to reveal soft power. Here, vulnerability is strength sharpened. The video, co-directed by Enny and Otis Dominique, puts the power of community front and centre. From the glitch edits to the intimate moments, to the layered portrait of city life that unfolds, it's a focused visual extension of the track. "Cabin Fever" feels like a creative release valve, one anchored in love and honesty, and isn't waiting for permission to exhale. - TM
Young Jonn & Asake – “Che Che”
For those familiar with it, Jyde Ajala's work is a distinct contribution to the contemporary Afrobeats visual landscape. On the video of "Che Che," he again flexes his ability, situating bothYoung Jonn andAsakein noir-like scenes that complement the suave tone of the record. From leather jackets to huge metallic rods and exquisite lighting, it's a cinema-inducing treatment that's worthy of the song's hit status. – EE
Mau From Nowhere, hihi, Maya Amolo - "Let It Pass"
"Let It Pass" is a warm current, a ray of sunshine slicing through even the stormiest skies. Mau From Nowhere is confident, unafraid to test the limits of his vocal range and lyrical vulnerability. His flow channels raw, primal energy, filtered through Southern rap cadences, then left to ferment in East African heat for maximum flavour.Maya Amolo, ever the precisionist, doesn't miss. Her voice arrives like a fragile moment of clarity, the kind that threatens to vanish, yet lingers long enough to become necessary. The two volley lines like old friends trading secrets, their rap exchanges further into the song a sharp, playful, and grounded dialogue. Behind it all, hihi crafts a cinematic soundscape that is lush, dramatic, and fluid. The track moves through emotional peaks and valleys, wrapping you in warmth before flipping into unexpected pockets. This is a composition that surprises and comforts, a masterclass in collaborative expression. - TM
Stonebwoy – "LOVELY WEATHER"
One ofStonebwoy'sdefining strengths is his ability to deliver soulfully-charged records. Even as he incorporates the gritty lingua of dancehall into his style, he's first and foremost a sincere singer, and that's evident on a song like "LOVELY WEATHER." As the title implies, it's a curation of the events that happen during such a time, featuring overt romantic images and suggestions. One of the standouts from his last project, UP & RUNNIN6, the steamy visuals evolve its vision. – EE
Alec Lomami - "Cruise Control (3AM in Kinshasa)" (feat. Jovi)
"Sooo... Didn't overthink this one! Just made a dope record with one of my favorite rappers, the legend himself, Jovi! Hope you dig it," goes the note accompanying Congo's own Alec Lomami. - TM
melvitto – "For Days" feat. AYOMIPO
One of the most original producers around, melvitto knows his way around a beat. The first thing one notices about "For Days" is the low growl of its bassline, which builds up to a favorable intensity without ever letting up. With vocals that are gruff and prosaic, an enchanting narrative is woven through the minimalist design of the production. For long now, melvitto has soundtracked the after-hours—what happens when it gets dark—and that sense of menacing thrill is all over this beautiful record. – EE