2022 was a very busy year in the Nigerian music industry. It was frontloaded with albums and EP releases from January to December, in a fashion that rivals the manic frenzy of 2020 in quantity. Quality though? That’s a whole different conversation. Overall, where albums are concerned this year was a triumph, especially in comparison with last year.
We got albums with grand and abstract concepts that executed well. We got albums with simple concepts that also executed well. We also got albums with grand concepts with execution that left much to be desired. They were also a handful of albums, that despite their mixed receptions produced some of the biggest musical moments on tracks off the project. Without further ado, let’s delve into the top 10 albums of the year.
Disclaimer: Asides quality, mainstream acceptance and commercial success also factored into the metrics used in filtering these albums.
10. Gbagada Express – BOJ
BOJ is an OG in the alté scene with a creative longevity that has him in the leading vanguard of mainstream artists at the intersection of Afropop and alté. His sultry, alto voice is so richly unmistakable and it has soundtracked numerous eclectic pop records, with catchy guest hooks and dynamic verses. Gbagada Express is his third project in the past decade and unarguably his best one yet.
With a sonic soundscape that unites the best elements at the fusion of West African music and R&B, spiced with Amapiano fusion and infamous Highlife synthesizers—it is rich in cultural elements, whilst at the same time not alienating and even more welcoming of a foreign audience through impeccable writing and layered delivery. With topics that dabble in heightened sensuality, traditional musings and even good-old fashioned braggadocious swagger, it’s a bountiful offering that delivers on an immaculate level.
9. Ethos – A-Q and Brymo
Almost every year since 2019, Brymo has dropped an Album Of The Year contender. For the average Afrobeats listener that seldom ventures beyond the realms of popular mainstream music, his legacy as an all-time great might not be cemented but his discography is a legacy making one. And when he teams up with the most dynamic and technical Nigerian rapper of the past few years, you know it’s going to be one hell of an offering.
Like most Brymo’s projects, it contains a lot of musings on self identity, love and loss. And with the more expansive nature and dynamism of A-Q’s songwriting, it adds several layers that makes the narrative more faceted and layered to the point of undeniable honesty and inescapable relatability. It’s also a great Afro-fusion project with borders that extend all the way from Afrobeats and folk music to Jazz and R&B elements.
8. Young Preacher – Blaqbonez
Blaqbonez is a creative genius that approaches albums with the level of creative and cohesive detail that’s very rare in the Nigerian mainstream. Young Preacher, his sophomore album continues in the same vein of thematic cohesiveness and stylistic variety brilliance—that catapulted his infamous debut, Sex Over Love to exceptional heights.
On Young Preacher, he’s still as witty, sly and jaded but he is less cynical and hateful. Matter of fact, he’s charismatic even—documenting stories of heartbreak, sexual promiscuity and debauchery with a level of depth that’s more compelling than mesmerizing.
7. More Love, Less Ego – WizKid
Yes it’s not as gratifying or as resonant as Made In Lagos, but More Love, Less Ego isn’t quite as bad as the general consensus and mixed receptions from critics and fans alike would make you believe. Believe it or not, it’s a decent offering that consolidates on the same sonic formular that Made In Lagos excelled in. Mid-tempo BPM’s, highlife synth pads, palmwine music-esque horns and signature rhythmic delivery from Wizkid.
Where MIL was more Afro-R&B/Swing, MLLE is more Afropop and upbeat. The latter is more tailored to the Nigerian audience than the former and features more pidgin delivery, than patois and English unlike MIL. There is also a prominent Amapiano influence in the recurring log drums throughout the project, although Bad To Me was the sole Amapiano fusion track. Despite that, the album’s strongest moments were in Slip N Slide and Wow, 2 Afro-Swing/Bashment records.
6. Palmwine Music 3 – Show Dem Camp
SDC are another set of artistes on this list that have such an incredible, legacy discography that puts them in Hall of Fame territory. They’re the best rap duo Nigeria has ever seen and definitely top 5 Hip-Hop artists of all time in the country. They helmed one of Nigeria’s greatest rap franchises in The Clone Wars Series, an introspective, socio-political commentary on the state of Nigeria and even humane complexities.
The Palmwine Music series on the other hand is their more mainstream franchise, that they’ve built off the back of Highlife fusion and traditional Afro-percussion, infused with confessional rap verses on fame, women and love—all bonded by stellar verses from a variety of pop and R&B acts. Palmwine Music 3 merges the best sonic, cultural elements of the first 2 installments and the thematic cohesion of Palmwine Express into arguably the best offering in the franchise and a worthy finale. It’d be interesting to see where the rap duo go from here on out, commercially.
5. Rave & Roses – Rema
2019 ushered in a new generation of mainstream pop acts, that fused R&B so seamlessly on pop tinged soundscapes in such unique ways that enthralled everyone and forced even the OGs to adapt to a more adventurous atmosphere. The lyrics were more intentional and poetic, the concepts were less simplistic and the lines between genres were blurred. Rema and Fireboy DML were the 2 acts at the forefront of this movement and in many ways, are still the leaders of the new generation till date.
Whilst Fireboy DML already released an unprecedented debut classic in Laughter, Tears & Goosebumps and another great sophomore in Apollo, the stakes and expectations were incredibly high in anticipation for Rema’s debut, and it is this writer’s opinion that perhaps they were indeed too high, despite being justified.
Rema is one of the most talented acts of his generation and it’s only natural to expect sheer brilliance, but it’s okay for an artist to still be in the process of honing their sound in their first couple of years. Rave & Roses is no unarguable classic, but its psychedelic production, riveting cohesion and variety of topics makes it more than a decent offering, exceptional at many instances.
4. Love, Damini – Burna Boy
Burna Boy carved his name into the walls of artist with legacy discographies after completing the trifecta of Outside, African Giant and Twice As Tall. So it’s only natural that the poster-boy of afrobeats and the most dynamic pop artist of his generation be held to incredibly high standards on his sixth studio album.
The 19-track album spawned arguably one on the best/biggest afrobeats record of 2022 in “Last Last” and was still able to deliver successful enough records such as “It’s Plenty”, “Different Size” ft. Victony, “Common Person” and “Cloak and Dagger” with J Hus. Altogether, boasting of commercial success is too massive to be ignored.
3. Some Nights I Dream Of Doors – Obongjayar
If quality and artistic brilliance were the only important metrics to be considered, perhaps this project would come out on top. This album is the product of a pure Nigerian and staunch lover of traditional music, who grew up in the diaspora and inadvertently has western influences.
Some Nights I Dream Of Doors is a seamless potpourri of numerous genres like traditional Afrobeat, Afropop, Afro-R&B, electronic and folk music with other western influences like mid-west Jazz—all documenting a warrior’s tale of resilience, strength and purpose through the dark chaos of adulthood. It is so many things at once in such an organic, beautiful manner that it’s incredible escapism music. Art doesn’t get better than this.
2. Boy Alone – Omah Lay
When the pandemic brought the bubbling music scene to a halt in 2020, a drastic reduction in the BPM of pop music surfaced and Omah Lay was at the forefront of the movement with a debut EP, that produced multiple mid-tempo, R&B hit records. After the smash hit, Godly—he earned his rightful status as one of the new school leaders and on Boy Alone, his debut LP—he shows more artistic growth and vulnerability and the music although, not as mainstream—has never been more profound.
From narrating sensual encounters in such treacherous ways that would cause even the most jaded of Casanovas to blush, to writing about the overwhelming travails of emptiness and sadness that accompanies fame and riches, to delving into seeking solace in love—Boy Alone‘s classic status is a debate that would only exist because it hasn’t produced a genuine hit record. The music on the other hand? Is that good.
1. Mr. Money With The Vibe – Asake
At this point, not much more needs to be said about Asake, the divergent street-hop act that just had the greatest breakout year of any artist in the contemporary Afrobeats era. In just one year, Asake has done it all. Churned out multiple hit records that would rightly contend for song of the year, influenced pop culture and stirred conversation with his aesthetic rich and narrative embedded music videos and dropped an album that’s so great and resonant, that any negative comment towards it can automatically be labelled as hate speech.
Mr. Money With The Vibe is a rollercoaster of an album experience that’s built on the backbone of Asake’s unique sonic formular. Amapiano log drums, Hip-Hop/rap delivery, fuji focal texture and choir/crowd back up vocals. The ensuing result is one of the most sonically cohesive albums of the year and also the most commercially successful and beloved. Matter of fact, you knew this before you started reading this article. There is no tangible argument in any place for any other project.
This article is written by T.J. Martins, an Album Talks writer—although the list was combined by the entire Album Talks staff.
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