Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Songs 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.
Patoranking – “No Jonze”
On his latest single “No Jonze,” Nigerian artist Patoranking makes a return to his ‘konto’ roots. A swaggering, dance-led subgenre which bloomed in parts of mainland Lagos in the 2000s, it’s a direct local parallel to dancehall, and its inventive usage of language is something Patoranking has always embodied in his music. All those overtones are present on “No Jonze,” a groovy affair that will have you moving in no time. It’s quite an assured showcase from one of Afropop’s contemporary greats. – Emmanuel Esomnofu
Sai Hle – “UBUMNND”
Sisters Amahle and Siphosethu Koom make up Sai Hle, a vocal duo steadily finding their footing in the South African music scene, one incredible release at a time. They’ve previously featured on songs by Marcus Harvey, MacG, and Karyendasoul, and “UBUMNND” in their first proper solo outing. The curtain is heavenly; the music feels and sounds like a hymn of gratitude rendered through Amapiano: groove-laden and funk-heavy, with intricate vocal arrangements that wrap the music in something ethereal and deeply spiritual. - Tšeliso Monaheng
Yaw Tog – ‘Tog City [EP]’
When the asakaa movement spread across Ghana and to the world, Yaw Tog was one of its shining lights. A wordsmith with a fine grasp on his local culture, he seemed inevitable and has only matured into his sound ever since. On his latest EP, he flexes those skills that endeared him to listeners, featuring experienced players like Stonebwoy and Darkovibes. The seven-track project is a soulful showcase and yet an affirmative salvo. Yaw Tog is here to stay. – EE
William Last KRM - “KoRoBeLa”
William Last KRM has cultivated a distinct visual and sonic language that consistently pays homage to his home country, Botswana. His work fuses unfiltered comedy with the raw, unmistakable flair of pantsula aesthetics, as heard on tracks like “Tinto,” while doubling as an affectionate archive of place and memory. On “KoRoBeLa,” he elevates this approach, memorializing late national icons such as rappers Sasa Klass and Dramaboi, all while maintaining his signature style. Musically, the track drifts between the buoyant pulse of kwaito and the melodic warmth of bubblegum pop, anchored by his laid-back, conversational rhyme delivery. - TM
Garvicii – ‘Becoming Garvicii [EP]’
It’s not every day that a newly arrived artist sings like they’ve been around for a while. Listening to Garvicii, one gets the sense of a creative who’s already survived a series of developments, so assured is his tone. On his debut project, Becoming Garvicii, he establishes himself as a new-age poet concerned with matters of an internal form. The six songs mostly take a mid-tempo rhythm, which allows his energetic delivery the space to swirl, and with subjects that range from the self to the sultry, he does make good use of this sonic allowance. – EE
Alec Lomami & LMBSKN - “Kalola”
On their collaborative EP, the imaginatively titled Somewhere there’s something AMAZING waiting to be discovered, which they wrote and recorded in two days, North Carolina-based Congolese emcee-producer Alec Lomami and Benin City’s experimental sound artist LMBSKN dissect the inner workings of electronic music, and resurface with an effortlessly cool sound they refer to as Soukous Èlectronique. On “Kalola,” the duo conjure chopped vocal samples, precise percussive textures, kora that sings and talks at the same time, and sizzling bass and synth lines that pulse and reverberate with infectious dance floor energy. The main objective is to make you move, and they employ any means necessary to achieve the effect. Stellar! - TM
Blaqbonez – ‘No Excuses [LP]’
Anyone who’s paid attention to his music knows that Blaqbonez is an album artist. He’s an impressive curator of sounds and stories, and for his latest, he’s been pushing the message of an unlimited self. From hitting the gym to the runway and dropping bangers in between, the run-up to this has been quite remarkable, and the music obviously is no slouch itself. Given Blaqbonez’s range, having features like Olamide, Mellissa, Pa Salieu, FOLA, and several others only promises a buffet of sounds. – EE
Honeymoan - “Lucky Crush”
Honeymoan are effortlessly cruising on the cool side of life, crafting generational bangers that their younger, shoegaze-obsessed, indie-era selves would nod at with pride. This owes to the mighty pen of frontwoman Alison Rachel, and the combined songwriting mastery that she unlocks alongside bandmates Joshua Berry and Skye McInnes. “Lucky Crush” distills that energy beautifully: it’s all sunshine and fuzzed-out guitars, wrapped around vocals that drizzle emotion over every bar. It’s all very free and loose and exciting, a space to center yourself, to breathe, and just be. Divine! - TM
MOLIY & Tyla – “Body Go”
What do you get when two generational women artists collaborate? Nothing short of brilliance, as we hear on “Body Go,” the impressive new single from Ghanaian artist MOLIY and South Africa’s Tyla. Executing the fine union of both West and South African percussion, the production is the first impressive thing about the record. Then you get the lithe vocals of the artists, distinct in tone but breezily rendered in favor of the record. There’s a lot of potential in this one. – EE
Tessi Nandi - “Embody”
Tessi Nandi’s voice wraps your mind in a ribbon, comforting your entire being with melodic cadences, harmonies that conscript the spirit into expansive spaces, and songwriting that is daring, immaculate, perceptive, and full of heart. This is what happens when one transcends fear, when one traces the contours of ancestral abodes to emerge with something entirely new and unheard. Here, guitars float above drums, basslines strike with perfect timing, and the vibes feel eternal, illuminating the darkest corners to bring pure sunshine. – TM
Niniola – “BELLE”
You think Niniola cannot create a more sensually charged record, and she surprises you each time. She’s mastered the art of straddling the thin line between innuendo and explicit showcase, and that tension vivifies most of the music she puts out. On “BELLE,” she takes the social situation of pregnancy to spin a dramatic tale about desire, amplified by her natural sense of theater and the percussive brilliance of the production. Niniola’s definitely done something on this one. – EE
