Who remembers when Nollywood actors suddenly started releasing albums and songs every other month? What a time in pop culture history! To celebrate that chaotic and beautiful moment, we are ranking the best and most chaotic songs released by Nigerian actors.
Genevieve Nnaji – No More
Let me start by saying that Genevieve Nnaji is my favourite Nollywood actress and I am obsessed with everything about her. Her music career is not an exception, however, I am not obsessed with it for the reasons I think she hoped for. That said, my unpopular take is that this song isn’t bad. It is slightly cringy and had me hiding my face a bit but this is a bop for the girls.
Tonto Dikeh – Itz Ova
I remember when I first came across this song. I also remember falling down to the ground minutes later unable to hold myself from having fits of laughter. This song was truly something. The fact that for the entirety of the song we don’t hear Tonto Dikeh’s actual voice is truly something else. I think if T.Pain and Rihanna on a bad day had a love-child and that child had a child with the love child of Genevieve Nnaji’s No More video and Cher from Believe (the song which invented autotune as we know it), it would be Tonto Dikeh in the Itz Ova video. I know that’s a lot but the music video for Itz Ova is a lot as well.
Omotola Jalede-Ekeinde – Get Busy
I don’t remember where I was when I first heard Get Busy by Omotola and Harrysong but I know I must have felt confused and intrigued and shocked. That said, I had no clue what I expected her voice to sound like but it wasn’t this. It is very different but that was the only good thing about the song. Everything else was chaotic. She took all the worst parts of the average Nigerian song and just poured it into hers.
Jim Iyke ft 2Face – Who Am I
Unlike the other music videos and songs in this list, I did not know that Jim Iyke even went into music at some point until relatively recently. I wish I could go back to when I did not know. To top it off, he has a music video with 2Face which made me wonder for a minute how he got it and if he maybe had something on 2Face. The video and song are very on-brand for Jim Iyke if we are being honest. Incredibly violent and frankly made me feel like I was being threatened.
Patience Ozokwor – National Moi Moi
Do you know the hill I am willing to die on? That Patience Ozokwor’s Mama G era was nothing short of iconic. That run blessed us with quotable bops. I am forever willing to teach a course on the socialist implications of Patience Ozokwor ‘National Moi Moi’ as well as how it satirizes the entire campaign systems of African countries and the expected failures of the leaders. Karl Marx who? Mama G ended him. An iconic queen.
