What a year it has been in African Music and the world at large with the Corona Virus pandemic altering the lifestyle and landscape in so many ways. Despite the disruptions, African artists continued to prove their mettle and delivered to us some beautiful music, albums and videos. Music has proven to be a healing balm in these trying times and even though we can’t congregate together, we can still listen to music in our sanctuaries. In no particular order, we bring you the 20 hottest African acts of the outgoing year 2020.
- Burna Boy – The Odogwu himself continued his stellar run from 2019 with his critically acclaimed ‘Twice As Tall” album earning him consecutive Grammy Nominations. The Nigerian superstar is not letting up at all makes the list with his current hot form.
- Master KG – South African sensation Master KG tore up the form books with his monster hit song ‘Jerusalema’ becoming a world anthem. He earned multiple awards including the AFRIMMA 2020 Artist of The Year gong . Master KG probably had the most popular song in Africa in 2020.
*Davido – Nigeria’s hit-maker Davido followed up his ‘A Good Time’ album with ‘A Better Time’ to keep up his impressive form on the African continent. His staying power has been remarkable and no list of top African stars is complete without Davido.
*Aya Nakamura – Malian born French singer Aya has bestrode the African music scene as one of the most consistent female stars. 2020 was no different and the beautiful singer continued to wax stronger earning her place on the list with a consistent run.
*Wizkid – The Starboy is one of Africa’s biggest music stars and 2020 was no different, he finally gave us the Made in Lagos album which has earned a lot of plaudits. Wizkid has had a legendary run in his career and with what we had in Made in Lagos, he does not look like he is stopping soon.
*Fally Ipupa – Congolese Maestro Fally Ipupa is an ever present hit maker in African music despite years at the top, Fally has an uncanny habit of reinventing himself and maintaining his top dog status. Fally continued to wax stronger in 2020 and its safe to say no Fally no melody.
*Diamond Platnumz – East African music giant the Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platnumz kept his status as an African music top dog in 2020. His amazing consistency and ability to stay relevant even with influx of new talent has been replicated year in year out.
*Tiwa Savage – Nigerian star singer Tiwa Savage and the African Bad gyal is without a doubt one of the hottest African music stars of 2020, her ‘Celia’ album came out and has recieved much acclaim. Tiwa has never stopped giving us hits since debuting in African music with scintillating vocals and her sexy persona.
Kabza De Small- It is testament to Kabza De Small’s great 2020 that there seems to be an Amanpiano wave all over Africa. The SOuth African Producer/Artist alongside his co-hort DJ Maphoriza are the pioneers of the Amanpiano sound cutrrently gripping Africa like fever. Thus he earns his place in the Top 20 African stars of 2020.
*Yemi Alade – Mama Africa never disappoints, the Nigerian superstar is one of the best performers on the continent and she mainatined a glowing run in 2020 culminating in her fifth studio album ‘Empress’. Yemi Alade’s star continues to shine and you can not help but admit that this strong woman is a musical genius.
Part 2 of the List drops tomorrow, anticipate.
