The 5 Songs You Need to Hear This Week
Featuring Black Coffee x Drake, Ladipoe, Ayra Starr x Sun-El Musician, Gyakie and Tay Iwar.
Ladipoe in "Big Energy"
Every week, we highlight the top releases through our best music of the week column. Here's our round-up of the best tracks and music videos that came across our desks.
If you like these music lists, you can also check out our Best Songs of the Month columns following Nigerian, Ghanaian, East African and South African music.
LADIPOE 'Big Energy'
Nigerian rapper Ladipoe comes through with a summertime banger in the form of "Big Energy" out via Mavin Records. Produced by Killertunes, the tune drips with bravado and swagger over sparkling synth arpeggios. “I feel like ‘Big Energy’ is an actualised by-product of Providence EP. If Providence is the timely preparation for future eventualities then ‘Big Energy’ is what you feel when those eventualities come to pass. At the end of the song I say 'we didn’t come this far to come this far' which represents exactly how I feel.”
Black Coffee x Drake
Drake surprise released a new album, Honestly, Nevermind, last night. The 14-song record sees him exploring a lot of South African afro-house sounds with the help of the king of SA house himself, Black Coffee, who produced three tracks on the album—"Texts Go Green," "Currents," and "Overdrive"—and executive produced the whole project. Drake had previously collaborated with Black Coffee on his More Life mixtape.
Ayra Starr x Sun-El Musician 'Bloody Samaritan'
Ayra Starr enlist the help of South Africa's Sun-EL Musician for this dance floor-ready flip of her single, "Bloody Samaritan." This ones a meeting of West Africa and South Africa, as Sun-El Musician takes things into heavy afro-house territory.
Gyakie 'SOMETHING'
Ghana's Gyakie is definitely onto "Something" with this new single. Her first release of the year, "Something" sees her delivering a smooth and uplifting tune over pristine P.Priime beat work. We'll have this one on rotation during the warm months here.
Tay Iwar 'Bad4u'
Nigerian R&B gem Tay Iwar is back with the head-turning new single "Bad4U." Tay, who was nominated for a Grammy earlier this year for his work on Wizkid's Made In Lagos, contemplates love in all of its forms on this new tune. “Love is a vice, an addiction or a virtue,” he says of the inspiration behind the song, “the chaos that romantic union brings.”
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