It’s that time of the year when we take stock of all that has transpired in the outgoing 365 days as per the Nigerian music industry.
We will be reviewing the most impactful Nigerian artists based on their works and how far reaching they scaled with their music and star power.This is the list of top 10 hottest Nigerian artist in 2017.
First of all, shout out to all Nigerian music stars. Indeed several artists have been exceptional this year with heavy viral hit songs to their credit and also their ability to take things to the next level especially on the international front. As mentioned earlier, a lot of our music stars have been impressive, however, for the sake of putting together a list some names will inevitably not make it.
1 Davido
Omo baba olowo, Davido, is literally the baddest guy in the game as far as 2017 in Nigeria is reviewed musically. The ‘Fia’ crooner kept the music industry on lock and put the keys in his pocket. From If, to Fall, Fia and Like Dat, Davido perfected the slogan ‘every single was a hit back to back’.
His singles were all ‘sing along’ tunes with very punchy and minimal lyrics and he delivered some of the biggest songs this year. His songs did not just rock in Nigeria alone, but crossed borders to the rest of Africa, Europe & America.
It’s hard to argue that Davido is biggest Nigerian artist of 2018.
2 Wizkid
Ayo Ibrahim Balogun aka Wizkid was kinging on a more international level. The music star was able to deliver his first album, Sounds From The Other Side, under global music imprint Sony Music and the third of his career. During the year in review Wizkid bagged the highest number of international collaboration than any African artist.
His hit song ‘Come Closer’ has a RIAA Gold Certification in Canada and sold several thousands of units sold around Europe. Besides Davido, Wizkid is the the only artiste to garner 50 million views on a single video on YouTube, and to top that he’s easily the most popular Nigerian artist internationally
3 Tekno
TripleMG star Tekno may not have released a badass song like ‘Pana’ but he is responsible for producing the biggest song this year, ‘If’. He also delivered hits like ‘Yawa’, ‘GO’, and Mama which features Wizkid. Tekno is among the few artists who have taken their craft to the international front.
He has a deal with Columbia Records and only recently Drake has been hobnobbing with Slim Daddy, something is definitely brewing. He easily makes the top three after the likes of Davido, Wizkid.
4 Tiwa Savage
The mother of one is not called the queen of Nigerian and African music for nothing. Tiwa Savage did not fall short of her status as she was giving us hits back to back. Her debut song of the year ‘All Over’ is one of the most played songs on radio in the country, and one of the hottest AfroBeats anthems globally this year.
Before we all got tired of ‘All Over’ she dropped her ‘Sugar Cane’ EP with hits like ‘Ma Lo’. Tiwa is the only female Nigerian artiste with over 12 million views on a single video on YouTube this year. On the international front Tiwa Savage has been spotted with the likes of Diddy, Jay Z, DJ Khaled etc, and she has also graced international stages to perform. What a year it has been for mummy Jamil.
5 Runtown
Although he may be hugely underrated, Runtown let his music speak for him, and more especially in 2017. The Eric Manny star had a smooth ride into 2017 on the heels of his monster hit ‘Mad Over You’, which ended up being one of the hottest songs of 2016-2017 with a whopping 57 million views on YouTube.
His Ghanaian influenced songs has taken Douglas Agu to a lot of places this year. The singer is a very hot commodity and in high demand this year. He is again responsible for hits like ‘Pain Killer’ and ‘For Life’. He purportedly made the pon pon sound a recipe for hits in Naija.
6 Olamide
The YBNL boss has been very consistent in the last half of a decade, albeit only changing positions on lists of this nature. Olamide after what seem like a difficult start for him finally settled into his own typical kind of music with the very viral hit ‘WO!!’.
The Young Jonn crafted beat laced with street flows is a regular feature on Owambe playlist and a party banger. Olamide’s ‘WO’ is the most searched song in Nigeria this year, and he capped the year with his album, Lagos Nawa.
7 Mr Eazi
The cool wavy vibe master Mr Eazi made it both ways this year. One for his music and secondly for sparking a lot of controversy with his opinions and statement. The ‘Leg Over’ crooner embarked on one of the most detailed world tour by a Nigerian artist, shortly after releasing his EP, Accra To Lagos.
Eazi was also taking his craft international after featuring on James Corden’s The Late Late show, Billboard, Apple Music Up Next Artist of the month and working with members of Drake’s OVO team.
8 Ycee
Juice was the only song that wrestled out Davido’s ‘IF’ to become the most played song in Naija at some point. Nigerians did not only drink the ‘Juice’ but passed the bug to UK and America. Notably Diddy played the song during his 48th birthday celebration.
9 Simi
The petite and sonorous singer Simisola Ogunleye had her biggest outing in music in 2017. She was able to put out on of the best albums this year with lots of traction considering she is an alternative music maker. Simi has one of the most popular songs this year ‘Joromi’.
Her self titled ‘Simisola’ was one of the most streamed album on iTunes World Music Chart and she again headlined her first sold out concert in November. Pretty outstanding 12 months.
10 Niniola
At the star of the year, Niniola was already getting a lot of buzz and was on the watch list for many, however not many would’ve predicted what an incredible year she ended up having.
Her major hit record, Maradona, turned her into a mainstream household name along with the follow up, Sicker. All this came in addition to a very well received debut album, This Is Me.
All in all, it’s been a very good year for Niniola and that’s why she grabs the #10 spot on our list.
Honorable mentions
As mentioned earlier, not everyone can make the top 10. However, here are some of the big name artists that definitely made their mark on 2018.
- Kiss Daniel
- Falz
- Small Doctor
- Wande Coal
- Mayorkun
- Skales