The Top 10 Hottest Afrobeats Songs of Summer ’17
We’re still coming to terms with it, but its official summer is over. We partied. We danced. We sang. We had bananas fall on us. From graduations to weddings, to the club, to house parties–our favorite musicians provided a dope soundtrack to our summer. Continue reading to discover our picks (in no particular order) for the top 10 hottest Afrobeats songs of summer ’17!
“Penalty” – Small Doctor
If you no get money, hide your face!…’won ti gba penalty lo trow (throw) in.
Omo Iya Teacher, the self-proclaimed “Street Ambassador” dropped a certified hit and while it may not have found placement on any music charts the people spoke and it found its way from the streets, to weddings, house parties, and clubs. Please be advised, if you play this song around Yorubas…they will go crazy…myself included.
“Mama” – Mayorkun
Davido’s artist, Mayorkun, dropped a remarkable love song. “Mama born you..your Mama born you well..” The sincere lyrics compliments Kidoominant’s slow-burning, guitar-infused production perfectly. “Mama” played at many weddings this summer, along with basically anywhere else where love was in the air. Well done Mayorkun.
“Yawa” – Tekno
Producer Masterkraft created a great instrumental, Tekno once again sang to his girl, and once again–we all moved to it. This is one of those songs that seems to bring people close on the dance floor. It was released right before summer but was undoubtedly played throughout the summer.
“Did You See” – J Hus
Across the pond, J Hus released his scene-stealing debut album, Common Sense. The release of this album cemented his status as a standout within the UK’s emerging afrobeats sub-genre. “Did You See,” was released in March and now has over 40 million views on YouTube. The track was his breakout hit and helped push him further into stardom. The hypnotic tune was a definite hit across boundaries throughout the summer.
“Fall” – Davido
“Banana fall on you.” Enough said.
“Pain Killer” – Sarkodie feat. RunTown
Sarkodie and RunTown collaborated and gave us a feel-good song this summer. This song was a DJ favorite, played either when the party was jumping or while you were waiting for everyone to show up to the event because–African time.
“Wo!” – Olamide
Did you participate in the #WoChallenge this summer? Legendary hip-hop producer, Swizz Beatz, did. The song arrived towards the tail-end of summer but still felt right on time. For his fans and lovers of dance, Olamide delivers again with a simple, yet catchy hit. This song is a dancer’s dream. “Oya jo bi mummy. Wo! Oya jo bi daddy. Wo!” Even Wizkid proclaimed “Wo” to be the biggest Nigerian song of 2017.
“Iskaba” – Wande Coal & DJ Tunez
Does anyone know what Iskaba means? Does it even matter? Wande Coal surprised some and added to his collection of hits that made him the respected icon he is today. This song was heard virtually everywhere that Africans partied. Notably, Wizkid brought Wande Coal and DJ Tunez out, to perform “Iskaba” at his sold-out Royal Albert Hall concert.
“Juice” – Ycee feat. Maleek Berry
Too much juice, too much sauce. Too much sauce, too much juice.
From “Jagaban” and “Omo Alhaji” to now, “Juice,” YCee has proven to be a versatile artist. YCee’s flow meshed perfectly with Maleek Berry’s production and voice. These two elements came together to create a song that everyone could vibe to, with lyrics that managed to pop up in social media captions across the diaspora.
“If” – Davido
If I tell you say I love you ooo…THATY (30) billion for the accountyooo.
This is the song that started Summer ’17. In a climate where afrobeats artists are sacrificing their sounds or haphazardly collaborating with any american artist (Davido included), we really didn’t know what to expect from Davido. After signing to Sony, there were predictions that his music would be compromised and we wouldn’t get the same quality songs that we were used to from him. And while there have been some missteps, “IF” is an undeniable hit. This is a timeless record that will be played for many years and sung by fans with the same energy as if we were hearing it for the first time.
Honorable Mentions:
“Maradona” by Ninola
“For Life” by RunTown
“Come Closer” by Wizkid ft Drake
