Top Ten Best Songs In 2021 (Nigeria)

2021 has been a relatively good year for Nigerian music. For the first out of the year end lists for best music content to come out of 2021, we will be looking at 10 of the best tracks to come out of Nigeria in 2021.

Note: For any song to appear on this chart, the song must have been released in 2021. No remixes are allowed.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

There are some songs that have been exceptionally good released in 2021 but could not quite make the top ten. It’s only fair to give them a spot at the honorable mentions list.

SDC feat. Reminisce & Mojo – Big Tycoon

“Big Tycoon” is a single off SDC’s The Algorithm project. A rap song that talks about societal norms is what SDC is known for; this time they added Reminisce and Mojo to enhance the track.

Bella Shmurda – Rush

Bella Shmurda is this happy go lucky kid that rose to fame so fast its almost impossible to believe he’s only been mainstream for two years. “Rush” is a song that replies his haters that say he will soon fall off.

Mohbad – Feel Good

Mohbad isn’t the best at vocals but this song has a ridiculous amount of vibe to it. A song about having a good time and nothing more. There is really not much to say about the song.

Ric Hassani – Thunder Fire You

Looks like Ric Hassani got his heart broken real bad him to compose this song. The song is Ric Hassani placing curses on his ex-lover for abusing his love and trust throughout the relationship. A dance version was later released but the original stands out any day anytime.

Joeboy – Door

It is particularly hard to pick a song off Joeboy’s “Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic” but since “Door” was the first song to really gain popularity after the album was released then it deserves this spot. The song had a remix with Kwesi Arthur increasing its popularity but the song was already a masterpiece before the remix was made.

 

Now the top ten!

10. Lojay x Sarz – Monalisa

Lojay came into the Nigerian music scene almost out of nowhere. All of a sudden there was a buzz about a certain artist who teamed up with Sarz to release a project, this same artist managed to feature Wizkid in the same project, then “Monalisa” drops and Lojay’s fame blows off the roof. Like most afrobeat songs, “Monalisa” is all vibes.

9. Vector & M.I. Abaga feat. Pheelz – Crown of Clay

Vector and M.I. had a very memorable beef between themselves in recent times; both dropping incredible diss tracks making the bad blood between them known and obvious. Independently, Vector and M.I. can create bangers, now this collaboration (with a very nice hook from Pheelz) is just fire. Both artists spit bars about their fatherland with clever lyrics and a beat sure to keep you at the edge of your seat.

8. Ruger – Bounce

Mavins Records have a habit for finding young talents and giving them a platform to perform their own style of music; Michael Adebayo is the latest addition to the list. Ruger popped onto the scene first with his hit single “Ruger” and then “Bounce” which elevated his popularity in a very quick manner. “Bounce” is a song worthy of replay as the vibe does not seem to stop from beginning to end.

7. Omah Lay – Understand

Who broke Omah Lay’s heart? She did quite the damage for him to create this kind of track. The song is chill all through yet tells a tale of a guy who did everything he could to keep his girl but still cannot understand why she would exhibit certain behaviors towards him.

6. Timaya feat. Buju – Cold Outside

Timaya is one of the living legends in Nigerian music. Even with his seniority he still manages to drop hits that are socially conscious. “Cold Outside” is one of the most recent examples of just how much Timaya has to give the music industry. He teams up with Buju to create a very enjoyable yet a very conscious song.

5. Burna Boy - Kilometre

Burna Boy dropped three banger singles this year but “Kilometre” is clearly the biggest track he released this year. Barely a day after its release, the song hit number one on iTunes. Burna’s vocals fit this beat perfectly and the hook is extremely catchy.

4. Buju – Outside

The most featured artist of 2021 proved that he can release a top notch song on his own with this song. Since the release of his breakout single “Lenu” in 2019 (which got a remix with Burna Boy), Buju has been on a roll. Almost every artist wants his vocals on his song; from Wizkid to LadiPoe to Timaya, everyone wants a Buju feature. Buju used the fire he used to perform wonders on other artists’ songs to create his own magical wonder in “Outside”

3. Zinoleesky – Naira Marley

Street music is a genre of music in Nigeria that has songs blowing up and getting lost within the space of a month. Various artists have suffered this transient fate but Zinoleesky manages to do the exact opposite every time. Ever since the debut of his hit single “Ma Pariwo”, Zinoleesky drops at most two singles in a year and manages to stay relevant for the entirety of that year. “Naira Marley” was released in June of 2021 and still makes waves as at December 2021.

2. Ayra Starr – Bloody Samaritan

Ayra Starr upgraded from the Tems comparison phase she went through to creating her own sound. The young Mavins signee released “Bloody Samaritan” off her “19 & Dangerous” project and the song is pure fire. Her style and sound is unique only to her and the song proved it evidently.

      

1. Fireboy DML – Peru

An excellent song from an excellent artist with an excellent video showcasing where his excellence has taken him to. Is there anything else to say about this song? Fireboy is a once in a generation artist. Dropping two impressive albums in successive years (how many times do you hear of such in Nigeria) then drops the supposed first single off his third album that turned out to be a very enjoyable and mind blowing tune. The music video shows him in Miami enjoying his success and a part where he gets recognized by Americans.