New Music Friday brings a flood of new releases every week, but not every song defines the conversation. For Friday Frequency #005, we reviewed the latest additions across Spotify’s New Music Friday Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya playlists, and curated 15 essential releases that capture the week’s African music conversation.
Leading this week’s edition is LADIPOE and Pa Salieu’s “No Level”, a confident collaboration that marks the beginning of a new chapter for one of Nigeria’s finest lyricists. Alongside major releases from Davido, Blaqbonez, M.anifest, CKay and East Africa’s rising voices, this week’s selection celebrates artists who continue to evolve while staying true to their identity.
Experience Takes Centre Stage
Not every week is defined by breakout stars or viral moments.
Sometimes, the biggest statement comes from artists who have already earned their place—and this week belongs to them.
LADIPOE returns with No Level, setting the tone for a release cycle built on confidence rather than spectacle. Davido continues the rollout to his next era with Gimme Dat Ting, while Chocolate City’s all-star collaboration Tonight showcases the strength of one of Africa’s most influential labels.
Elsewhere, M.anifest once again reminds listeners why he remains one of Ghana’s most respected lyricists, CKay returns with another melodic offering in E CLEAR, and East Africa delivers a strong showing through Chris Kaiga, Okello Max and FEMI ONE.
Rather than chasing trends, this week’s standout releases are driven by artists refining the sounds they’ve spent years building.
New Music Friday Across the Continent
Nigeria once again leads the conversation with a diverse mix of rap, Afrobeats and collaborations. LADIPOE, Davido, Blaqbonez, Cheque, Berri-Tiga and CKay headline a week packed with established names delivering quality releases.
Ghana maintains its reputation for thoughtful songwriting and lyrical excellence through M.anifest and Olivetheboy, while Francis Mercier continues to blur the lines between African electronic music and global dance sounds.
East Africa enjoys one of its strongest weeks this year. Chris Kaiga, Khaligraph Jones, Okello Max, Masauti and FEMI ONE all earn deserved places in this week’s selection, highlighting the region’s growing creative momentum.
Meanwhile, South Africa remains impossible to ignore, with Daliwonga, Focalistic and Mas Musiq delivering another standout Amapiano collaboration that reinforces the genre’s continued influence across the continent.
Why Friday Frequency Is More Than Just Another New Music Friday Playlist
Friday Frequency is AceWorldTEAM’s weekly editorial selection of African music worth your time.
Rather than simply recreating Spotify’s New Music Friday playlists, we review releases from across Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya, and carefully curate the records that best represent African music each Friday.
The result is a playlist shaped by editorial judgement—not algorithms.
Editorial Highlights
🎵 Cover Story
LADIPOE & Pa Salieu – No Level
🤝 Best Collaboration
Chocolate City, Blaqbonez, Major AJ & Noon Dave – Tonight
📝 Lyricist’s Pick
M.anifest – HANDKERCHIEF
🌍 East African Standout
Chris Kaiga, Mbithi & Khaligraph Jones – Catch Flights
🔥 Breakthrough Pick
FEMI ONE – Bumperr
Friday Frequency Essential 15
- LADIPOE & Pa Salieu — No Level
- Davido & NO11 — Gimme Dat Ting
- Chocolate City, Blaqbonez, Major AJ & Noon Dave — Tonight
- Cheque & Blaqbonez — ZODIAC II
- M.anifest — HANDKERCHIEF
- Berri-Tiga, Zlatan & Izztopik — Adamma
- Tobe Nwigwe, Flavour & C.S. Armstrong — PERFECTION
- Chris Kaiga, Mbithi & Khaligraph Jones — Catch Flights
- CKay — E CLEAR
- Olivetheboy & Medikal — Stopit
- Okello Max & Masauti — Body Tea
- Daliwonga, Focalistic & Mas Musiq — Simi Kanje
- Francis Mercier, Ginton & Valentino Rose — Like What I Like
- FEMI ONE — Bumperr
- Mavo & SSSoundGawd — BB Lifestyle
Featured Artists
LADIPOE, Pa Salieu, Davido, NO11, Blaqbonez, Major AJ, Noon Dave, Cheque, M.anifest, Berri-Tiga, Zlatan, Tobe Nwigwe, Flavour, Chris Kaiga, Mbithi, Khaligraph Jones, CKay, Olivetheboy, Medikal, Okello Max, Masauti, Daliwonga, Focalistic, Mas Musiq, Francis Mercier, Ginton, Valentino Rose, FEMI ONE, Mavo and SSSoundGawd.
African music continues to prove that every Friday brings a new story. This week’s chapter belongs to artists who have refined their craft, embraced collaboration where it matters, and delivered records built to last beyond the weekend.
Explore this week’s New Music Friday selection with Friday Frequency #005 on Spotify and discover the essential African music curated by AceWorldTEAM.
