The Top African Songs You Need to Hear This Week: October 31, 2025

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.

Vigro Deep, Moonchild Sanely, Mellow & Sleazy, and Djy Biza — “Never”

Moonchild Sanelly has carved out a distinct visual and sonic identity over the years, and every track she touches, regardless of genre, is a certified bop. She doesn’t hold back on “Never,” a rough-edged cut fit for the most decadent of parties. Vigro Deep, known and respected as a sonic innovator whose contributions to amapiano are too vast to count, calls on Mellow & Sleazy and Djy Biza to make this party a countrywide affair. Hop on and let the vibe carry you. - Tšeliso Monaheng

Phyno — “Ask Of Me Now” 

Around the festive season, Igbo highlife becomes even more relevant. The grand sound is perfect for celebration, and few artists understand its sonic ebbs like Phyno, whose deep knowledge of the culture supplies him with all the expertise. “Ask Of Me Now” shows this ability: the artist’s melodious singing goes from braggadocio to divine submission over an earthy groove. It’s the kind of song you enjoy with a few beers and good company. – Emmanuel Esomnofu

Blxckie — “u must neva” feat. Cassper Nyovest

On his latest single, South African rap superstar and pop crossover poster boy Blxckie aims for a summer anthem, enlisting Cassper Nyovest to turn it into a full-blown festive affair. There’s a clear nod to AKA in Blxckie’s flow, welcome in an era where the new school often glosses over the architects of their scene. Cassper Nyovest arrives, clears the floor, and extends one of the best feature runs of the year (see Lordkez’s “Aweh” for proof). It’s a combo we didn’t know we needed, and the energy is exactly what this season and the year demand. The song title also references South African pop culture: the phrase “You must never…” was popularized by actor Joyce Skefu in her role as Doris Mokoena on the long-running TV soap, Muvhango. - TM

The Cavemen — ‘Cavy In The City [LP]’ 

Known for their conceptual tapes, a new The Cavemen project is rightly treated as a major event in certain music circles. Their last two albums having broadened highlife into an urban representation; they’ve ventured even further in their journey with Cavy In The City, which features just the duo of Angelique Kidjo and Pa Salieu. Over 13 songs, they flex the reach of their musicality, poetically covering the great Celestine Ukwu to close out the album. – EE 

Oseikrom Sikanii — “Bend Your Body” feat. Kofi Mole

Oseikrom Sikanii proves the potency of his unconventional style over a gritty beat and banging drums on “Bend Your Body.” His voice rolls with a relish that charges the sensual demand of his words, flowing with a rapper’s confidence. The enchanting hook is delivered in a quintessential Afropop way, giving the song a rounded perspective. It’s another fine showcase of Ghana’s impeccable musical releases in the current year. – EE

John Lundun & uBeyond — “Ngengoma”

Some of the best producers today are moving quietly behind the scenes, crafting undeniable rhythms, imagining impossible futures through melody, and softening pain one song at a time. John Lundun and uBeyond operate in that rarefied space where respect for craft fuels endless inspiration. “Ngengoma” borrows the warmth of lo-fi, folds maskandi energy into its core, and radiates positivity through its infectious groove. Born Kxng rises to the occasion, lifting the track to an otherworldly plane where boxes cease to exist — where energy unifies and makes sense of the chaos around us. Listen to this when you need to regain hope in a hopeless world. - TM

Amaarae — “ms60” feat. Naomi Campbell 

No one ever knows where Amaarae will turn. She maintains a creative unpredictability, and the gains are evident on a record like “ms60.” Psychedelic, pulsating, and piercing, the sharp bass lines are only rivaled by Amaarae’s high-pitched vocals, which oscillate brilliantly between rapping and singing. The new visuals were shot during Paris Fashion Week, featuring several women who share the edgy direction with the Ghanaian American artist. Another flawless visual depiction from the BLACK STAR album. – EE 

Mfanatouchline — “Ra Di Busa”

The cover of Mfanatouchline’s latest drop, Ntjaka, depicts two CD-Rs – one labeled with his name, the other with the project title. It tells you everything about the world you’re about to enter: a space where nostalgia reigns supreme, and innovation only matters when it pays homage to its progenitors. The rapper-producer has been operating on his own timeline, proving he’s under no duress to feed the machine. His snippets become cult classics, his ad-libs turn common phrases into sanity-saving mantras, and his aura attracts praise from every corner. Mfanatouchline is him. - TM

Obongjayar — “Give Me More” 

Nigerian-born Obongjayar once again proves himself a special talent with the single since his PARADISE NOW album. A memorable and sometimes wistful groove, “Give Me More” is a demand for better treatment. Charged by its fast-paced production, the artist sets a positive example for what romantic affairs should be, a theme he’s previously explored in his music. But as always, the weighty doesn’t have to be translated in those terms, and the bright soundscape of this record doubles its potency as a proclamation of self-love. – EE 

Naledi — “Aliens” 

Naledi sounds like she meets herself anew with every song – each one peeling back another layer to reveal her depth of character and breadth of spirit. “Alien, what do you search for / I’m hoping when you find it, you’ll see nothing belongs to them,” she sings, reflecting on a world that’s allowed fascism to flourish and forgotten its collective humanity. “Aliens, who are we to decide/ who can come in and who can survive,” she wonders, her voice almost collapsing under the weight of the words. The song doubles as a love letter to immigrants, a shield for hearts made tender by rejection. “Aliens” is the first single leading up to her album Darkness, My Old Friend, due early 2026. - TM

Steve Dyer — “The Young Ones” feat. Michael Nkuna

Steve Dyer always manages to compose epics you can travel with — worlds that shift shape, rhythms that bend time, and melodies so warm they cradle and protect. On “The Young Ones,” he pays homage to the current wave of upstarts reshaping the fabric of creative improvised music in South Africa. Featuring trumpeter Michael Nkuna, the piece feels so immersed in its own creation that the outside world falls away. The song appears on Multipolar, Dyer’s latest album, which follows his legendary Joy of Jazz performance in September — where a full choir joined him on stage — and marks his second release this year after Enhlizweni: Song Stories from My Heartland, which arrived early in the year. - TM