Ayo Maff has added another remarkable milestone to his fast-rising career, becoming the first African artist to be featured as a character in PUBG Mobile, one of the world’s most influential mobile gaming franchises. The collaboration places the Nigerian singer and songwriter inside a digital universe with a global audience, marking an unusual but increasingly important intersection between African […]
For more than four decades, Angélique Kidjo has carried the sounds of Benin into rooms, stages and audiences far beyond the continent. On 18 August 2026, that journey found a permanent address on Hollywood Boulevard as the five-time Grammy winner became the first African musician, and the first Black African artist, to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk […]
Adekunle Gold’s “Many People” is taking its journey from Nigerian streets and Fuji traditions into one of the world’s most recognisable gaming environments. The song has been selected for the official eFootball 2027 soundtrack, placing the Nigerian singer-songwriter’s music alongside an international line-up of artists whose records will soundtrack matches played by millions of football fans and gamers around […]
Wizkid’s catalogue has travelled further than most Nigerian artists of his generation. Remember the streetwise confidence of “Holla at Your Boy”, the intimate storytelling of “Ojuelegba”, the global phenomenon of “Essence”? His biggest records have become part of the soundtrack of modern African pop. But behind those songs are writers, producers and collaborators whose contributions are often less visible […]
The most influential African artists rarely abandon tradition in pursuit of modernity. They reinterpret it. That philosophy sits at the centre of Bobo Wê’s creative identity. The Beninese rapper, songwriter and performer has emerged as one of West Africa’s most distinctive musical voices by developing Gangan Trap, a sound that brings together hip-hop, trap production and the unmistakable rhythms […]
Some artists become successful by fitting comfortably into a genre. Pongo has built her career by refusing that approach. The Angolan-born, Portugal-based singer has quietly assembled one of the most distinctive catalogues in contemporary African music, combining Kuduro, electronic production, Afro-pop and global dance influences into a sound that feels unmistakably her own. Yet, despite critical acclaim across Europe […]
By Kunle Rasheed I must confess that I am a die-hard fan of my brother and friend, Abolore Adegbola Akande, who is famously known by his stage name 9ice Alapomeji. I love his unique flow so much, because, they are not only different from what we are used to; his infusion of Yoruba tradition and culture has always been […]
Numbers rarely tell the full story of an artist’s influence. Occasionally, however, they reveal the scale of a cultural legacy that has reshaped an industry. That reality is evident in Rihanna’s latest achievement. With Bitch Better Have My Money surpassing one billion streams on Spotify, the global superstar has become the first Black female artist in history to accumulate […]
Success stories in music are often told through milestones, awards and chart positions. Moliy’s rise offers a different perspective. At the centre of her story is a young girl in Accra, Ghana, sitting in front of a family keyboard that nobody in the house truly knew how to play, imagining a future that seemed distant but possible. Years before […]
Some musical collaborations succeed because of timing. Others endure because the artists involved understand each other’s creative instincts. The relationship between Wizkid and Chris Brown belongs firmly in the second category. Across nearly a decade of collaborations, the Nigerian superstar and the American R&B icon have built one of the most successful cross-continental partnerships in modern music, consistently producing […]