Songs from African Artists You Must Hear This Week

Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Music 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.

Stixx, Hugh Masekela – "Market Place 2.0" (feat. The Bless)

Stixx knows how to package joy, access peace, and surrender to the music. "Market Place 2.0" is his take on Hugh Masekela's "Market Place," which first appeared on the trumpeter's 1974 album I Am Not Afraid. In Stixx's hands, the Afro-jazz elements — the nimble guitar work, the lethal trumpet-and-flute combination — are intricately woven into amapiano. Chest-rattling kicks, warm jazz chords, and, of course, the log drum all work together to remind you exactly what time it is.

Egertton – "Iyeme"

The ominous strings announce looming danger. Your hair stands on end. Your heart beats a little faster. It's the anxiety of waiting for the rapture. When Nigerian emcee and underground standard-bearer Egertton asks, "Which kind of music be this? Which kind of song be this?", the sonic landscape has already tilted off its axis, leaving you with no choice but to fall in line. This is a street anthem for the ages. There's life here, street smarts, and an infectious bounce that reincarnates itself with every listen.

Linda Sikhakhane – "Days Begin To Sing" (feat. Omagugu)

A deep, deviant bassline locks jaws with the drums, settling somewhere deep in your chest before the theory has time to catch up with the feeling. Linda Sikhakhane's saxophone arrives as a willing companion to Omagugu's majestic presence. The saxophonist and composer occupies a singular place in South African jazz, and on his self-titled fifth album, due via Blue Note/Universal Music, he stakes his claim with quiet intensity. It is a gentle approach that ultimately pushes the music further, challenging long-held ideas about what South African jazz can become.

Somi - “So You Want To Be A Woman” (feat. Lakecia Benjamin)

Somi's presence is commanding, demanding your full attention. "So you wanna be a woman," she asks, each word breaking free from her lips only to be held in place, syllables stretched just long enough to deny them flight, and a silence brief enough to allow you to ponder. Cymbals crash, hi-hats tip-tap, the bassline speaks in full sentences. Somi never wavers; she holds her ground. "Step right into the fire," she commands, every syllable carefully enunciated, every letter made to matter. It's this measured, tactical delivery that allows Lakecia Benjamin's saxophone to merge seamlessly with her voice, together summoning an intergalactic vision of Blackness that feels both transcendent and spiritually guided. At its core, the song rages against how patriarchy expects the impossible of women: for their rage to “wear a ribbon,” their protest to “dress in pearls.” This is poetry. 

Chronical Deep, Sun-El Musician – "Bring Me More Bass"

By now, Chronical Deep's signature is unmistakable: unsettling claps, honey-soaked drums, power chords that could start revolutions, and a groove that's entirely his own. Add vocal chops that breathe life into every arrangement, and the formula is complete. "Bring Me More Bass" takes those familiar ingredients and lets them run wild. Linking with fellow sonic perfectionist Sun-El Musician for an overdue sparring match, the pair create something so rare it feels unlikely to happen twice.

M.anifest – "Handkerchief"

M.anifest's career has been a lesson in sticking to the plan while remaining agile enough to adapt when the road bends unexpectedly. "Handkerchief" rides a resplendent ndombolo-inspired bassline, while percussion that recalls highlife slips effortlessly into rap. Lyrically, the Ghanaian master never disappoints, pairing poetic turns of Twi with lines like, "It's a party, only wanna follow you / No Ducati, come scoop you in a few." He continues to make a compelling case as one of the finest emcees working anywhere on the continent.

Manana – "Calendar"

On "Calendar," Manana continues to bare his soul, pleading not from desperation but from a place of unwavering devotion. "Tell me what you need, 'cause I can't provide it," he sings. The production is organic, drawing from the neo-soul tradition pioneered by D'Angelo and his peers, while giving Manana's vulnerability ample room to breathe.

ZuluMecca – "7Colours" (feat. Priddy Ugly and Loatinover Pounds)

Seven Colours is the beloved South African spread where every dish brings its own hue: beetroot, spinach, rice, carrots, chakalaka, and more. On "7Colours," ZuluMecca assembles an equally colorful cast, recruiting two of the country's sharpest lyricists in Priddy Ugly and Loatinover Pounds. "I got red in my cup, green when I puff, Benz tinted up, speed in a rush," she fires off from the opening bars. What follows is a masterclass in lyrical precision, with verses so zesty they threaten to sink the beat beneath them.

10LEC6 – "Nsotching"

"Nsotching" recalls the exuberance of West African funk in the 1970s, soul makossa repurposed for anti-colonial struggle. 10LEC6 builds something wonderfully ethereal around vocalist Nicole's near-robotic snarls, a disco-inflected groove, a patient bassline, and percussion that transports the listener back to the early '80s. The track appears on the group's forthcoming album, AKO AKAS, due in October.

Juls, Projexx – "Target"

"Target" feels like stepping into another era. From the opening vinyl crackle, it's clear this is a different kind of engagement. Juls reaches into his dancehall bag to conjure something reminiscent of mid-'90s Kingston. Regular collaborator Projexx attacks the riddim like a seasoned general. "Hey girl, yuh pum-pum ah me target," he toasts, his vocal chops weaving through the brooding production. "Target" is the first single from the duo's collaborative album, Junction, due on August 7.