The Best West African Songs Right Now

This month’s sprawling list of best songs from West Africa spans a range of tones and themes. Some songs explore loneliness, while others boast about emotional disaffection. Some songs offer a glimpse into specific cultural trends and social motivations, while others are simply about desire and its unending pursuit. Each song, hailing from Sierra Leone to the Republic of Benin and down to Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, is filled with heart, fascinating stories, and a strong penchant for reinvention.

Check out the full list below:

KiDi ft. Arathejay - Lonely (Ghana)

In “Lonely,” KiDi and Arathejay turn wistful and pensive on a track that is full of yearning and the unflattering admissions of loneliness. Released ahead of KiDi’s new album, Where Do We Go From Here, “Lonely” is a heart-stirring track that’s aware of its beauty. The beat is effortless and unrushed even as the themes feel urgent and passionate. “Lonely” fits nicely in KiDi’s new body of work that considers a range of emotional subjects with a decidedly ponderous slant.

Ayra Starr - Dance (Nigeria)

In this heady house track, Nigerian superstar Ayra Starr serves up a thrilling sonic guide to losing yourself amidst the noise. In it, Starr urges you to forget the ever-present self-questioning, to let go of self-righteous restrictions and sink into the joys of a night that’s ready to whisk you away. “Dance” is a standout track in Starr’s recently released album Starrgirl, where she shifts and weaves her way through genres while laying a solid foundation for the future of African pop. If any song best encapsulates the happy-go-lucky yet existentially conscious tone of Starrgirl, it is “Dance” — a braggadocious track that contemplates the many ways life can stop you from having a good time while offering lessons on the many ways you can make sure that never happens.

Saszy Afroshii ft Major AJ - Get Moni (Nigeria)

Producer Saszy Afroshii, who has worked with hitmakers such as Tiwa Savage and Didi B, released her first single featuring Major AJ. “Get Moni” is an ultimate feel-good anthem and, as the title implies, its main preoccupation is at once prescriptive as it is motivating; get money, and expand the width of your life. Unlike most ‘success gospel’ tracks often obsessed with the pursuit of money with a desperate, uncompromising message, “Get Moni” is playful about this specific concern. Helmed by Saszy’s brilliant production, which blends a xylophone bassline over a sleek pop beat, creating a refreshing track perfect for driving through your favorite neighborhood with the volume turned all the way up and the windows turned all the way down.

Didi B ft 6uff - Gaou la (Côte d’Ivoire)

In “Gaou la,” which interpolates Magic System’s legendary “1er Gaou,” Didi B teams up with Nigerian rapper 6uff for a sleek, less frenetic version of its predecessor. In this track, both artists weave through a range of topics, keeping things braggadocious in different ways and about different things: sex, success, and their ability to command the respect they deserve. Its stakes are low, but it doesn’t make it a forgettable song. 6uff’s voice is unintentionally mesmerizing while Didi B’s easy Afropop lingo keeps things interesting. All in all, this is a perfect track to kickstart a heady Friday night out. 

Faith Williams - Dàjù (Nigeria)

As Nigeria’s underground music scene expands this year, its biggest and most consistent frontrunners have been women. Working in a range of genres including house music and EDM, these artists include Faith Williams, whose AfroAHouse/pop track “Dàjù” has dazzled listeners and shot up the public’s interest. It’s an interest that is truly well earned. The track is delivered entirely in the Yoruba language- one that has been propelling much of contemporary Nigerian music these days. “Dàjù” is a testament to a music landscape that always returns to the base of what has always made it wonderful: unrestrained experimentation. 

Bisa Kdei - Receipt (Ghana)

In “Receipt,” iconic Ghanaian singer and producer Bisa Kdei delivers a groovy moral lesson on expectations, kindness and what it means to take stock of one’s goodness. “Receipt” is a deeply considered and original take on the concept of kindness and what a giver is expected or entitled to receive from being a giver. Kdei, who sings over a sparse, guitar-laced track, proposes taking receipts of one’s kindness towards others as a way of checking the temperature of the world around them. The song complements itself in its sobering message and the calming, nearly tropical flavor of its production. “Receipt” is a track that is certain about its message and hardly feels the need to subsume it under heavy production; its gentle tone and warm texture give it the same feeling as receiving unexpected but still prized advice from a wise uncle. 

Axel Merryl ft Conii Gangstar - Papa No Dey (Benin)

Axel Merryl is one of Benin’s modern exports, with an outstanding musical catalog and recognition that has traveled beyond the sky-blue shores of Benin. He is also a comedian with a wicked humor that shows up in many of his tracks. His latest “Papa No Dey” featuring Conii Gangstar is a reinterpretation of popular memes and internet slangs all of which create catchy hooks and a sure hit. The song has spawned videos and a wickedly funny dance challenge.

Dr Nyrau ft. Credo - Kluitor Trap (Benin)

In “Kluitor Trap,” Beninese beatmakers turned hitmakers Dr Nyrau and Credo consider the lengths they might go to make it. The song, as its name implies, is built around a trap sensibility; gritty, hard-edged, and flourished with local idioms and slang. It’s a song about success, and even more, a song about how success is defined depending on who you’re listening to. The beat, while built to mimic the bounce and vim of trap music, is interwoven with talking drums, a decidedly genius addition that immediately singles it out as a contemporary Beninoise sound — one that never leaves its traditional music-making processes in favor of whatever is mainstream. Dr Nyraru and Credo have delivered a danceable track that tells you what young Beninoise people, even if only a small percentage, are thinking about, listening to, and actively looking for.

Apreel ft. MC Caro - Farr Away (Sierra Leone)

Sierra Leonean superstar ApreeL has been expanding Krio Fusion, Sierra Leone’s homegrown contemporary music genre that rethinks Afropop by blending local genres such as bubu and gumbay with elements of rap and Afrobeats. His latest drop, “Farr Away,” pushes slightly away from his traditional Kriofusion sound into a more classic Afropop sound. Sonically, “Farr Away” fits right at home on a Nigerian airwave as it would on a Ghanaian music playlist. Such is its inventive use of Krio, pidgin and West African slangs that gives it a rich cultural awareness and instant relatability - enough to propel it beyond the shores of Salone. A brilliant, sleek rap assist by rapper MC Caro ties the syrupy sweet track together, as both artists contemplate a desire so great they have scoured many cities across West Africa looking for it.