New Music Friday brings another wave of Afrobeats releases, and Friday Frequency #013 narrows the week’s strongest records down to 15 tracks worth hearing, with BNXN, Seyi Vibez, OMAH LAY, Kizz Daniel, Olamide and a strong mix of Nigerian, Ghanaian, Kenyan and South African voices leading the selection.
New Music Friday Finds Its Strongest Afrobeats This Week
This week’s New Music Friday pool stretches across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, with a mix of established names, emerging artists and collaborations that bring different sides of the African music scene into focus. But rather than simply following the biggest names, AceWorldTEAM has selected the 15 tracks that offer the strongest combination of African music relevance, variety, discovery and a reason to return to the playlist.
BNXN’s “Online” leads the way, bringing one of the week’s most consistent releases across the regional playlists. Its appearance on all four lists makes it a natural starting point for this edition, while Seyi Vibez’s “DIAMONDS” adds another strong Nigerian presence to the opening stretch.
Clean Bandit, Chlöe and OMAH LAY’s “Company” provides the week’s clearest international-Afrobeats crossover. With Omah Lay at the centre of the collaboration, the record brings a direct connection to the African scene while broadening the playlist’s reach.
Kizz Daniel, Young Jonn, Krizbeatz and Wave Choir’s “Owo Oluwa” follows with a distinctly Nigerian collaborative identity. DaniLeigh and Olamide’s “Goosebumps” adds another cross-border moment, while Heaven Sam and 1da Banton’s “OSHE” keeps the focus firmly on contemporary African music.
The Nigerian contingent remains dominant, with Fireboy DML, JAZZWRLD & Thukuthela’s “IMALI,” 2Baba & FAVE’s “Mental,” Seun Kuti & Egypt 80’s “DJB,” ELEMENT EleéeH’s “My Dear,” PaBrymo & Tay Iwar’s “Fancy” and D-Black & E.L’s “Customer” all making the final cut.
What makes these selections work together is that they don’t occupy exactly the same space. “IMALI” brings a Nigerian-South African collaboration into the mix, “Mental” connects veteran and newer-generation Nigerian voices, while “DJB” gives the playlist a more culturally rooted dimension. “My Dear” and “Fancy” add further variety without losing the central identity of Friday Frequency.
Beyond Nigeria
Ghana gets two strong entries through M.anifest, O’Kenneth & wavypae’s “ON TEN” and D-Black & E.L’s “Customer.” Both records add a Ghanaian perspective to the playlist, with “ON TEN” bringing together established and emerging voices from the country’s contemporary music scene.
Kenya enters through Brandy Maina’s “Switch Up,” giving the playlist a needed East African presence. Its inclusion ensures that the selection does not become entirely centred on the Nigerian and Ghanaian releases that dominate much of the pool.
South Africa contributes through Nadia Nakai, TOSS & Nkosazana Daughter’s “Blind,” a collaboration that adds another regional identity to the final 15. Fireboy DML, JAZZWRLD & Thukuthela’s “IMALI” also helps connect the Nigerian and South African sides of the selection.
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80’s “DJB” deserves particular attention here. While Friday Frequency remains Afrobeats-led, the playlist can still make room for records that carry a deeper African musical identity. “DJB” broadens the listening experience and reminds us that contemporary African music exists within a much larger cultural and musical tradition.
Together, these records broaden the playlist without losing its central identity. Nigeria remains at the core, but the strongest releases from elsewhere in the pool are given room when they genuinely add to the listening experience.
The Records That Came Close
Several releases narrowly missed the final 15.
Jeriq & TUFF KING’s “Different Wave” was a particularly close call, offering a strong Nigerian street-pop and hip-hop presence. Seyi Vibez & Quavo’s “SWAGUU” was also a notable contender, bringing an international collaboration with a direct Nigerian connection.
PaBrymo & Saqi NFG’s “Guap,” Mophty & siicie’s “Odo Nti,” Pure Akan’s “Ogyidinii,” Jomapel Yankee & Fido’s “Friends With Benefits (F.W.B)” and Dai Verse’s “IFEOMA” were also strong alternatives from the Nigerian and Ghanaian selections.
Ila Nia & We are Nubia’s “Healer” brought another African-led collaboration into consideration, while Kasango, Native P. & DJ RONN’s “Bodies” offered a different South African dance dimension.
Teddy Swims’ “Perfect Man” appeared across all four regional playlists and was considered because of its wide representation. However, Friday Frequency’s focus remains on Afrobeats and African music, and the final selection prioritised records with a more direct connection to that identity.
There were also plenty of records that simply fell outside this week’s brief. International hip-hop, pop and R&B releases, alongside several South African Amapiano, electronic and other genre-specific cuts, were left out because Friday Frequency remains an Afrobeats-led selection rather than a general African music playlist.
That distinction matters.
The goal isn’t to collect the 15 biggest releases of the week. It is to leave listeners with 15 records that feel worth their time, while still giving them a reason to discover something beyond the most familiar names.
Editorial Highlights
🎵 Cover Story
BNXN — Online
🤝 Collaboration of the Week
Kizz Daniel, Young Jonn, Krizbeatz & Wave Choir — Owo Oluwa
🔥 Breakthrough Pick
ELEMENT EleéeH — My Dear
🌍 Continental Moment
Fireboy DML, JAZZWRLD & Thukuthela — IMALI
🎶 Cultural Pick
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 — DJB
Friday Frequency Essential 15
BNXN – Online
Kizz Daniel, Young Jonn, Krizbeatz, Wave Choir – Owo Oluwa
Seyi Vibez – DIAMONDS
Fireboy DML, JAZZWRLD, Thukuthela – IMALI
2Baba, FAVE – Mental
Heaven Sam, 1da Banton – OSHE
M.anifest, O’Kenneth, wavypae – ON TEN
$pacely, Okese1 – WORK
Seun Kuti, Egypt 80 – DJB
Clean Bandit, Chlöe, OMAH LAY – Company
DaniLeigh, Olamide – Goosebumps
Jeriq, TUFF KING – Different Wave
tg.blk – Squeeze me?
ELEMENT EleéeH – My Dear
Brandy Maina – Switch Up
The Week in 15 Tracks
Friday Frequency #013 is ultimately a snapshot of where African music is moving right now: established stars still setting the pace, emerging artists pushing into the conversation, and collaborations continuing to connect different corners of the continent.
From BNXN’s “Online” to Brandy Maina’s “Switch Up,” this week’s 15-track selection is built for discovery without losing the familiarity that makes a Friday playlist worth returning to.
There is room for the established, the emerging, the crossover and the culturally rooted. That balance is what makes this week’s selection feel like a complete listening experience.
These are the records that made the cut.
This is Friday Frequency.
