The 7 Songs You Need to Hear This Week
Featuring Olamide, Black Motion, Blxckie x Nasty C and more
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, which you can also check out in our Songs You Need to Hear This Week playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.
Follow our SONGS YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS WEEK playlist on Spotify here and Apple Music here.
Olamide 'UY Scuti'
Nigerian powerhouse Olamide has released his newest album, UY Scuti, which is named after. the largest-known star in the universe. The new record sees Olamide expanding his sound throughout its 10 songs, taking his rap and afrobeats into the worlds of dancehall, reggae, amapiano and alté.
Black Motion 'Xxikiwawa'
South African house music duo Black Motion have finally released their single "Xxikiwawa". Featuring DJ Fortee, Lady Du, Pholoso and DJ Khosto, the song is the duo's first single since the release of their 2020 album The Healers: Last Chapter. As usual, Lady Du's kwaito-style raps and chants take centre stage as she rhymes about hustling and trusting in the elders to answer our prayers. She ends her verse with a Brenda Fassie interpolation: "Indaba i-straight ayidingi i-ruler."
SPRLUA, Samito, Haig V 'ASSASSINATO'
SPRLUA is a duo composed of Samito and Haig V. The project takes its name from the Portuguese Superlua de Sangue de Lobo (Super Blood Wolf Moon), a rare lunareclipse that takes place in the middle of winter. With "Assasinato" the duo comes through with a banging, amapiano-inspired track and music video about literal and sonic murders.
Blxckie ft Nasty C 'Ye x4'
Blxckie has finally released the visuals for "Ye x4", one of the hottest South African hip-hop songs currently. "Ye x4" is a watershed moment—Nasty C, a Durban native, jumps on a song with a rapper from his city whose rise was as ferocious and rapid as his. For the song's visuals, Blxckie finds himself in what was once one of his wildest dream. He and Nasty C perform "Ye x4" at the basement of Ponte, an infamous residential building in Hillbrow, which is a huge part of the Joburg skyline with its animated Vodacom branding visible from any angle of the tower.
COCO BENSON X SHIZZI 'MAJESTY'
Afro-house singer Coco Benson returns with her new single, "Majesty," a stripped-down record of a mixture of pop/Afro-house and amapiano produced by Shizzi, Get into this infectious number above.
badthesoundboy 'O dun'
badthesoundboy shares his debut single "O dun," a catchy vibe that blends afro-fusion beat work with pidgin lyrics and jazzy brass instruments. The love track is inspired by the Ghanaian Highlife classic "Ahomka Womu." Get into it above.
25K 'Pheli Makaveli'
Pretoria's trap rapper 25K has announced that he is officially signed with Sony Music Entertainment Africa. Following months of teasing fans, 25K has finally delivered "Pheli Makaveli (Intro)", a single off his upcoming debut album Pheli Makaveli. The song is a bass-dropping, energy tripping-single that is expected of an artist who just broke into international markets. Curated by hip-hop artist Zoocci Coke Dope, the Pheli Makaveli album is due to drop at the end of July, following the release of two more singles "Hustler's Prayer" and "Trap Jumpin''.
