Writers are often advised to make their first sentence utterly compelling and exciting because it is the smartest trick to getting readers involved in whatever the story entails. This concept is totally applicable to music. On any given album, the intro is the best attempt to enthrall listeners, especially on their first listen. Although subsequent listening can foster the love of the project in their hearts, the first impression still plays an ultimate role in forging repetitive listening. If you’ve wondered why criticism of singles are usually lenient compared to albums, well it’s because, unlike singles that are brief and direct, albums are full bodies of work telling a complete story and demand spot-on intros, assuring listeners are in for a worthwhile adventure.
However, despite the fact that the great hack of wielding entrancing albums can lie in compelling intros and should be common knowledge, the number of albums churned out year after year with subpar intros prove otherwise. In this article, flowers are given to Nigerian artists who have imbued fascinating intros in their albums in the last five years.
15. Maja, Wondaland
Teni’s Maja translating to ‘I’ll fight,’ is a powerful opening track with fierce rhythms and defiant lyrics that set a tone of resilience. This introduction does not only capture Teni’s fighting spirit, but it also promises an interesting musical experience ahead.
14. Tour, RU The World
Tour, the opening track off Ruger’s RU The World is a beautiful and compelling introduction that sets the tone for the entire project with its catchy melodies, giving insight into his rich and adventurous musical career.
13. Recognize, Boy Alone
Omah Lay’s identity is woven around his sad boy music and Recognize is the automatic ticker before plunging into Omah Lay’s solitary confinement in Boy Alone and if perhaps one finds it relatable, he creates a safe space,” Only the real fit recognize.”
12. Try, Some Nights I Dream of Doors
Obongjayar’s creativity metastasises through the entirety of his debut album, Some Nights I Dream of Doors and Try opens the floor with electrifying rhythm and euphonious vocals.
11. African Giant, African Giant
African Giant isn’t just one of the best Afrobeats albums; its intro stands among the greatest album intros ever produced. It immediately sets the stage for the album’s brilliance, offering a powerful prelude to the excellence that follows.
10. Welcome To The Cave, Roots
Welcome To The Cave is a beautiful introduction to a Highlife album. It imitates a real Highlife concert performance in the delivery, and that is what truly sets it apart; the ability to retain the original elements of the genre and polish it with ingenious modernity. “This music you are about to listen to emanates from the cave,” and it begins with a sonorous tone.
9. My Life, Sincerely, Benson
Bnxn’s My Life is vulnerable, sincere and conscientious. For a letter-themed album title, My Life is a quintessential introduction where Bnxn unfurls his innermost thoughts with zero restrictions and genuine ardour.
8. Champion, Apollo
Fireboy is focused on building a lifelong music legacy and his sophomore album, Apollo named after the Greek god revered as a custodian of music and poetry, was an intentional fabrication towards this legacy which makes the album intro, Champion, a solid rendition of his mantra.“Remember this. I’m a king. I’m a legend in the making. I’m a Champion.” he proclaims.
7. AG Baby, Afropop Vol 1
Before AG Baby was the alternative artist, Adekunle Gold of Gold and About 30. His transition into mainstream music is still one for the books and the release of his Third Studio Album, Afropop Vol 1 stamped his evolution. The intro, AG Baby featuring Trinidadian artist Nailah Blackman, was not only an introduction to his new persona, it displayed his ingenuity and further proved that he could make classic hits in whatever genre he chooses, hence he sings, “Dem dey underate man. They don’t know nothing. I propagate the moment you see now.”
6. Cast, 19 & Dangerous
When Ayra Starr stepped foot into the Afrobeats scene in 2021, her major artistic persona embodied that of an 18-year-old dreamer determined to take over the world and with the release of her debut album, 19 & Dangerous came the declaration on Cast—“ I’m gonna be who I wanna be. Live my life the way I wanna live with no shame”—of an audacious, gutsy and feisty Gen Zer.
5. Iyalaya yin, E Be Like Say Dem Swear For Me
Temmie Ovwasa released the first openly gay Nigerian album, E Be Like Say Dem Swear For Me and everything about it portrays unconventionality from its evocative title to its audacious intro and overall wordplay. It is not every day an album starts with an audacious statement. Iyalaya Yin is self adulatory and is an incredible representation of a queer person who has said fuck it to an unwelcoming society. So when “love and light but I got my guns loaded. I’m coming in this bitch just to fuck it and screw it. I’m done playing small so you niggas gon feel it” comes on, you know it’s not business as usual for bigotry and oppression.
4. Intro, A Good Time
“I’m a shooting star in a blockbuster. I’m a young stunner. I’m a stockbroker” Davido affirms his ascendancy in A Good Time’s Intro, an excellent prelude to an entirely well-put-together 16-track album ushering us into the Omo Baba Olowo’s affluent world of Afrobeats.
3. Man Of The Year, Thy Kingdom Come
A standout element in Man Of The Year is the exceptional production, especially the impossible-to-ignore violin rendition portraying Seyi Vibez’s evolution despite starting as a street pop artist whose music appealed to a certain audience. Man Of The Year is phenomenal and proved that at the time, Seyi Vibez was truly on a mission to be bigger till thy kingdom come.
2. Dull, Mr Money With The Vibe
When Asake took over the Afrobeats scenery with the release of his first single Omo Ope under YBNL featuring the label founder, Olamide, it was nothing compared to the mastery he subsequently pulled in his debut album, Mr Money With The Vibe, home to the captivating intro, Dull. Asake sings on Dull, a downbeat track, with the conviction of a tour guide bound to offer the best adventure experience first with a steady step before the slippery slide. Owning true to the album’s title, Asake pledges to never be dull and truly, the remaining 15 tracks boast of Mr Money’s vibrant vibe.
1. Level Up, Twice As Tall
Burna Boy is revered as one of the best Afrobeats artists ever and his fifth studio album, Twice As Tall stamps this claim. Featuring veteran Senegalese singer Yossou N’dour in the intro, Level Up was palpably uplifting and inspiring in the wake of a threatening pandemic. For all the moments hope felt unreachable and when the world seemed to be crumbling, Level Up was a reminder that defeat is impermissible. What better way would there have been to introduce an album about the endless possibilities of our humanness?
