A good remix can turn a local hit into a global one overnight. In the last decade African remixes have pulled in Drake, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Selena Gomez and Travis Scott, and in several cases the new version carried the song onto charts it could never have reached alone. Some remixes went the other way, with African stars from different countries joining forces first.
Here are ten African remixes that changed a song’s story, in the order they came out.
1. “Ojuelegba” by Wizkid, with Drake and Skepta (2015)
“Ojuelegba” is named after the busy Lagos area where Wizkid grew up, and the original was already a monster at home. It won Song of the Year at The Headies 2015 and topped Capital Xtra’s Afrobeats Chart in February 2015.
The remix did not start as Wizkid’s plan. It came from outside interest, with Canadian rapper Drake and London grime star Skepta adding verses. A year later Wizkid was on Drake’s “One Dance”, one of the most streamed songs of its era.
2. “Jerusalema” by Master KG, with Burna Boy (2020)
South African producer Master KG and singer Nomcebo Zikode first released “Jerusalema” on 29 November 2019. In mid-2020 the dance challenge started by Angolan dancers sent it around the world, and on 19 June 2020 a remix with Burna Boy arrived to ride the wave.
The song went to number one in Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland, and a second remix with Venezuelan singer Micro TDH and Colombian singer Greeicy followed in September 2020. The video passed half a billion YouTube views. Read the Jerusalema story.
3. “Love Nwantiti” by CKay, and a remix for every region (2020 to 2021)
Few African songs have been remixed for as many markets as this one. The first remix, on 14 February 2020, brought in Joeboy and Ghana’s Kuami Eugene. When TikTok made it a global hit in 2021, CKay kept going.
There was a North African remix with Moroccan rapper ElGrande Toto that took off in the Maghreb and Germany, a French version with Franglish, a German one with Frizzo, a Spanish one with De La Ghetto, an East African remix with Rayvanny and a South African version with Tshego and Gemini Major. One love song, seven remixes for seven audiences.
4. “Essence” by Wizkid and Tems, with Justin Bieber (2021)
“Essence” came out on 30 October 2020 on Made in Lagos, and its video was shot in Aburi, in Ghana’s Eastern Region. It was already climbing the American charts before Justin Bieber joined. His remix landed on 13 August 2021 and appears on the album’s deluxe edition.
The song became the first Nigerian track to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and Rolling Stone named it the best song of 2021. It also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance. Our full story: how an album track became a Hot 100 top ten hit.
5. “Peru” by Fireboy DML, with Ed Sheeran (2021)
Fireboy DML released “Peru” on 20 July 2021 through YBNL Nation. After it reached number one on the UK Afrobeats chart, he reached out to Ed Sheeran, and their version came out on 23 December 2021. A second remix with 21 Savage and Blxst followed in February 2022.
A fun detail: the title does not refer to the country. It has been widely read as a nod to Nigerian singer Peruzzi. Peru’s government still shared the song online.
6. “Monalisa” by Lojay and Sarz, with Chris Brown (2022)
“Monalisa” was a sleeper hit. It first appeared on 4 June 2021 as the fifth track on Lojay and Sarz‘s EP LV N ATTN, then grew slowly through radio in the UK, including BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra. The Fader put it at number 30 on its 100 best songs of the year.
The official remix with Chris Brown came out on 20 May 2022. Lojay said he did it to help the song reach a wider global audience. Read about the producer in “Sarz on the beat”.
7. “Sungba” by Asake, with Burna Boy (2022)
“Sungba” was one of the songs on Asake‘s first EP, Ololade, in early 2022, the year he exploded out of Lagos. Burna Boy jumped on a remix that became one of the singles from Asake’s debut album, Mr. Money with the Vibe.
This one is an all-Nigerian affair, but it worked like a global remix: a rising star got the backing of the biggest name in the genre at exactly the right moment.
8. “Calm Down” by Rema, with Selena Gomez (2022)
Rema released “Calm Down” on 11 February 2022. The Selena Gomez remix followed on 25 August 2022 and turned it into one of the biggest African songs ever. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, Rema’s first top ten and Gomez’s ninth, and number three on the UK Singles Chart, where it spent 27 weeks in the top ten.
We broke down its records in “Calm Down” and the billion-stream milestone.
9. “Soweto” by Victony and Tempoe, with Rema and Don Toliver (2023)
“Soweto” was the lead single from Victony‘s 2022 EP Outlaw. A first remix with Omah Lay helped at home, then a second with Rema and American singer Don Toliver pushed it further, into charts in the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Canada. Rolling Stone placed it at number 15 in its top 40 Afropop songs of 2022.
10. “Water” by Tyla, with Travis Scott (2023)
Tyla released “Water” on 28 July 2023, after testing it as an opening act on Chris Brown’s European tour. A TikTok dance challenge did the rest. On 17 November 2023 two remixes arrived: one with Travis Scott and one with producer Marshmello.
“Water” went multi-platinum in South Africa and the US, Diamond in Brazil, and won the first ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance.
Do African remixes with global stars really make the difference?
Not always on their own. “Essence”, “Peru”, “Water” and “Calm Down” were already hits before the famous names joined. What the remix did was open doors: American radio, playlists in new countries and fans who would never have searched for a Nigerian or South African artist. “Love Nwantiti” shows the other approach, a remix in every language rather than one big American name.
Either way, the template is now set. When an African song starts moving abroad, the remix call is not far behind.
