The 2020s have produced a whole new generation of African stars. Some broke through on TikTok, some through a single perfect song, and some after years of work finally paid off. These ten artists all made their big breakthrough this decade, and all of them are still rising.
1. Tems
In 2020, Tems released her debut EP, For Broken Ears, independently. The same year she appeared on Wizkid’s “Essence”, which became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Her own “Free Mind” later reached number 46 on the Hot 100.
By 2025 she had a Grammy of her own, for “Love Me JeJe”. Few artists have risen so far, so fast.
2. Omah Lay
Omah Lay began as a rapper called Lil Street King. His 2020 debut EP, Get Layd, went to number one on the Apple Music Nigeria chart, and “Bad Influence” ended the year as the most-streamed Nigerian song on the platform. That July, Apple made him the first artist in its Africa Rising campaign.
His 2022 debut album, Boy Alone, confirmed him as one of the most honest songwriters of his generation.
3. Ayra Starr
Ayra Starr signed to Mavin Records in 2020 and released her debut EP and album in 2021. “Bloody Samaritan” made her the first female artist to top Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 with a solo song, and “Rush” earned her a Grammy nomination.
Kelly Rowland joined the “Bloody Samaritan” remix and became a mentor to her.
4. Asake
Asake had been working for years before Olamide heard an unreleased version of “Omo Ope” and added a verse. He signed to YBNL in February 2022, and by September his debut album, Mr. Money with the Vibe, had broken the Apple Music record for the biggest opening by an African album.
In 2025 he left YBNL to start his own label, Giran Republic.
5. Black Sherif
Black Sherif released “First Sermon” in May 2021 and “Second Sermon” that July, and Ghana took notice. His real breakthrough came in March 2022 with “Kwaku the Traveller”, which went to number one on the Apple Music charts in both Ghana and Nigeria.
He has since released two albums, played the Wireless Festival in the UK and toured the US.
6. Tyla
South Africa’s Tyla shared “Water” on TikTok in July 2023, and within months it was on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number seven, making her the highest-charting African female soloist in the chart’s history.
“Water” also won the first ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance.
7. Victony
Victony started out as a rapper on SoundCloud in 2016. In April 2021 he survived a car crash that killed a friend, and spent months recovering after surgery. In 2022, “Soweto” took off on TikTok, and a remix with Rema and Don Toliver charted in the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Canada.
8. Ruger
“Bounce” changed Ruger’s life. The song led to his deal with Jonzing World in 2021 and became the hit from his debut EP, Pandemic. “Dior” followed later that year and reached the UK Afrobeats chart.
In 2024 he left Jonzing World to start his own label, Blown Boy Entertainment.
9. Odumodublvck
Odumodublvck, a member of the hip-hop collective Anti World Gangstars, released “Declan Rice” in March 2023, soon after surviving a life-threatening surgery. It went to number one on TheCable Lifestyle’s airplay chart, and when Arsenal signed Declan Rice that July, they used the song in the announcement.
He is known for his stage performances and for wearing the Okpu Agu, the hat traditionally worn by warriors in Igboland.
10. Amaarae
The Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae released her debut album, The Angel You Don’t Know, in 2020. A year later, a remix of “Sad Girlz Luv Money” with Kali Uchis went viral on TikTok and reached the Billboard Hot 100.
Her sound is unlike anyone else’s on this list, and that is exactly why she stands out.
Find all of these artists, with track previews and streaming links, in the AfroYard artist directory.
