Another Friday, another day of fresh music releases. We handpicked the seven most chill drops to enjoy this weekend.
Listen here:
PALMWINE IN A BENZ — 02Morse
Don’t be disappointed if this song doesn’t welcome you with the Highlife guitar riffs we’ve come to associate with the palmwine sound. The rich flow, sandwich of bars and chorus make PALMWINE IN A BENZ highly digestible. IB City’s 02Morse signals to the rap scene that it’s open season as listeners throw their hands to the intoxicating bounce and hi-hats of this trappy song and its sticky lyricism.
No Gree for Anybody — Oladips ft. Otega
Drill music is one of the rap sub-genres that best documents crime, but the Nigerian spin to it takes it from fist fight and violent rhymes to relatable stories of dreams and money chasers. With this, rappers, Oladips and Otega, jump on Nigeria’s unofficial theme of 2024: “No gree for anybody” (meaning “don’t let anyone mess with you”). Since Oladips’ “Lazarus moment” in 2023, he’s made a consistent effort to prove he deserves as many ears as his contemporaries. His latest drops perhaps articulates this resilience.
IMAGINE SAY — AfroSelecta-BBK ft. Reeplay & Laxy-BBK
Reeplay opens this song with a chorus imagining if he was broke. This song implies that “You’re nobody till people speak highly of you”. Laxy-BBK performs alongside him on this song off the fourth installment of the Driller and Vanilla projects produced by AfroSelecta-BBK.
P.P.P (Puff Puff Pass) — Bahd Man Niko
P.P.P isn’t just a cannabis anthem. Bhad Man Niko is unapologetically a product of the trenches, delivering on sexual adventures with detailed imagery. His sonic connection with white garment churches and Islamic Yorùbá music offer melodies reminiscent of older Streep-pop artists like Oritsefemi, but he’s carving a niché for himself. True to his hunger to be in everyone’s faces, his latest EP, BOYAHNAH,
Skata — Funfillage ft. Adam Srae & Luka Pryce
Funfillage’s Skata is a song on their new seven-track Smile on Sofa (SOS) EP featuring artists from Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. Naija singer-songwriter, Adam Srae, and Mzansi’s Luka Pryce coast together to create a love atmosphere on this Afrobeats instrumental. Altogether, Skata is smooth, jazzy, groovy.
Lady Fiona — Cobhams Asuquo ft. Sauti Sol
Lady Fiona opens with guitar medleys that brew with Cobhams’ soft vocals. “I feel all my chains breaking, ‘cause since I met you, it’s been freedom from the start” is the kind of heartfelt line that distinguishes him not just as a talented singer and producer, but as a seasoned songwriter. Interestingly, the song features the defunct Kenyan music group, Sauti Sol.
50-50 — Vasa
Teenage singer, Vasa’s first song of 2024 is an emotional take on life’s possibilities. On 50-50, Vasa sings about the uncertainty that comes with being a dream chaser. The youngster is focused on climbing to the top and is ready to take his chances — goals realised or not. If you’re at a similar stage in your journey, you’ll vibe to this.
