Let's get something clear: no Afropop act outdid Olamide in the 2010s, and even fewer can claim to match the sheer weight of his cultural influence. By all metrics, the 31-year-old musician reigned supreme over the sonic zeitgeist of the last decade, musically encapsulating, more than anyone, Nigerian music's trudge from fascination with Western-tinged music to the mass appeal of afrobeats.

Rising from Bariga, Baddo first punctured mainstream consciousness with his belligerent bars that positioned him as an upstart with a point to prove before going on to hold the gaze of a generation with anthemic offerings that distilled conceptual narratives on hedonism, life in Lagos, and forces that moved culture into multiple hits singles.

All this was done while maintaining a level of output that is unprecedented in Nigerian pop. From 2011 to 2017, Olamide put out at least one project every year while guesting on an uncountable number of songs that lasered his identity on contemporary Nigerian popular culture and ensured his music was always on rotation.

Carpe Diem, his 2020 album, marked the next step in the evolutionary arc of Olamide's career, easing him into elder statesman territory musically – and providing further proof of what a gifted musician Olamide is.

In honor of Olamide's career, we delved into his discography to bring you The 20 Essential Olamide Songs.

This list is in no particular order.