New Music Friday is more than a weekly release calendar. It is an opportunity to identify the records worth carrying beyond the first listen, connect the conversations happening across African music markets, and give deserving releases a place alongside more familiar names. For Friday Frequency #017, AceWorldTEAM brings together 15 selections spanning Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, with a focus on discovery, collaboration and the broader picture of contemporary African music.
At the front of this edition is “GODDESS (feat. Lojay)” by Fireboy DML and Lojay. It leads a playlist that moves between established artists, collaborative records and selections with a more regional footprint. The objective is not simply to assemble a list of new releases, but to create a considered listening experience in which each selection contributes to the identity of the whole.
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Friday Frequency #017 opens with Fireboy DML and Lojay before moving into “Deja Vu” by Sarkodie and KiDi, followed by Blaqbonez’s “CA$H OUT” and Gyakie’s “Your Body (Craze).” These opening selections place recognisable artists and collaborations at the front of the conversation, giving the playlist a clear editorial starting point.
But familiarity is only part of the brief. The selection also makes room for records that broaden the listening experience beyond the names most likely to dominate a weekly music conversation. Kenya’s Iyanii and Fathermoh appear with “Nilipe Ama Nilipishe,” while Mura, Nes Mburu and Bensoul bring “Rehe Mbeeca” into the mix. Their inclusion reinforces an important principle behind Friday Frequency: African music discovery should not stop at the markets or artists a listener already knows.
The same thinking shapes the transition into “Imvuselelo” by Langa Mavuso and Nontokozo Mkhize, and “Big Drop (feat. Zaylevelten)” by Cruel Santino and Zaylevelten. These selections keep the playlist moving between different artist combinations and regional contexts without forcing the edition into a single narrow definition of what African contemporary music should sound or look like.
The result is a selection with multiple points of entry. Listeners can arrive through the lead collaboration, follow artists they already recognise, or use the playlist to discover names and records outside their usual rotation. That balance is central to the Friday Frequency identity.
Beyond Nigeria
Nigeria remains an important part of the Friday Frequency conversation, but it is not the boundary of the playlist. Ghana, Kenya and South Africa contribute to the broader editorial picture in #017, giving the edition a continental perspective rather than treating African music as a single-market story.
Ghana’s presence is reflected in selections including Sarkodie and KiDi’s “Deja Vu,” Gyakie’s “Your Body (Craze),” Akwaboah’s “Odo Ankasa” and Shatta Wale’s “One More Year.” The inclusion of these records places different artists within the same listening conversation without suggesting that they serve identical audiences or musical purposes.
Kenya’s contribution extends beyond one representative pick. “Nilipe Ama Nilipishe” by Iyanii and Fathermoh sits alongside “Rehe Mbeeca” by Mura, Nes Mburu and Bensoul. The latter’s collaborative billing also supports the playlist’s wider interest in bringing multiple artists into the discovery process.
South Africa enters the selection through “Imvuselelo,” “Amaphupho” and “Ngibuyele Kuye.” Langa Mavuso and Nontokozo Mkhize appear on “Imvuselelo,” while Darque, Nontokozo Mkhize and Mpho.Wav are credited on “Amaphupho.” “Ngibuyele Kuye” brings together Sfarzo Rtee, Tracy and Wesley Keys.
These records do not need to be framed as representatives of entire countries. Their value in this edition is that they widen the range of artists and collaborations listeners encounter in one place. Friday Frequency is at its most useful when regional context informs the selection without becoming a quota to fill.
The Records That Came Close
A 15-track selection necessarily leaves strong contenders outside the final playlist. That is part of the editorial process: a release can be worth hearing without necessarily being one of the records chosen to define a particular edition.
Among the strongest misses from this week’s pool are Pheelz’s “Cash Rules Everything Around Us,” Yarden’s “SDF (SO DAMN FINE)” and Toxic Lyrikali’s “Time.” Each remained in contention during the curation, but the final selection prioritises the combination of discovery, artist variety, collaboration and overall playlist fit represented by the chosen 15.
Other contenders included Balloranking’s “Better,” G4 Boyz and Famous Pluto’s “Involve Me,” and “Cassanova” by Iyanii. Their omission should not be read as a declaration that these records are unworthy of attention. The final 15 serves a specific editorial purpose; it is not a complete verdict on every release in the weekly pool.
That distinction matters. Friday Frequency is designed to give listeners a focused selection, not to imply that every good record has made the cut or that a missed release has lost its relevance.
Editorial Highlights
🎵 Cover Story — Fireboy DML, Lojay: “GODDESS (feat. Lojay)”
The lead selection for Friday Frequency #017. Its position at the top of the playlist establishes the central collaboration around which this edition’s editorial presentation is built.
🤝 Collaboration of the Week — Sarkodie, KiDi: “Deja Vu”
A collaboration between two established Ghanaian artists, selected as one of the edition’s key collaborative moments.
🔥 Breakthrough Pick — Fimi: “Asiko”
A discovery-focused choice that reflects Friday Frequency’s commitment to making room for artists beyond the most immediately familiar names.
🌍 Continental Moment — Langa Mavuso, Nontokozo Mkhize: “Imvuselelo”
A key selection in the edition’s wider African perspective, connecting the South African contribution to a playlist that moves across multiple markets.
🎶 Cultural Pick — Akwaboah: “Odo Ankasa”
A Ghanaian selection that adds another point of regional identity to the final 15 and keeps the edition’s scope broader than a single-market playlist.
Friday Frequency Essential 15
The final selection for Friday Frequency #017, in its approved listening order:
- Fireboy DML, Lojay — GODDESS (feat. Lojay)
- Sarkodie, KiDi — Deja Vu
- Blaqbonez — CA$H OUT
- Gyakie — Your Body (Craze)
- Iyanii, Fathermoh — Nilipe Ama Nilipishe
- Langa Mavuso, Nontokozo Mkhize — Imvuselelo
- Cruel Santino, Zaylevelten — Big Drop (feat. Zaylevelten)
- Akwaboah — Odo Ankasa
- Mura, Nes Mburu, Bensoul — Rehe Mbeeca
- Darque, Nontokozo Mkhize, Mpho.Wav — Amaphupho
- T.I BLAZE — Round One (Elle Mummy)
- Shatta Wale — One More Year
- Fimi — Asiko
- Sfarzo Rtee, Tracy, Wesley Keys — Ngibuyele Kuye
- Anendlessocean — PROMISES
The order is deliberate: the edition opens with its chosen cover collaboration, moves through established artists and collaborative records, makes room for regional discoveries, and closes with a selection that completes the overall listening journey. The individual tracks bring different artists and markets into the same editorial frame; together, they make the case for a Friday playlist that values discovery as much as recognition.
One Friday. Fifteen Records. A Wider African Conversation.
Friday Frequency #017 is built around a straightforward idea: a strong weekly playlist should help listeners find music they might otherwise miss, while still giving familiar artists a meaningful place in the conversation.
This edition brings together selections connected to Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa without treating regional representation as a box-ticking exercise. Its centre is “GODDESS (feat. Lojay),” but the wider story belongs to all 15 records and the different paths they offer into African music.
The next release worth hearing may come from an artist already in your rotation or one you are encountering for the first time. Friday Frequency exists to make room for both.
These are the records that made the cut. This is Friday Frequency.
