A good workout playlist needs drive, attitude and a bit of defiance. These ten African songs bring all three, from Ghanaian rap and drill to Nigerian street-pop. None of them appear on our other playlists, so this is fresh fuel for the gym.
1. Terminator by King Promise (2023)
“Terminator” is a song about self-confidence and putting your own happiness first, which makes it perfect gym music. King Promise released it in May 2023 with the producer KillBeatz, and it became the most successful song of his career, passing 200 million streams and appearing in over a million TikTok videos.
Remixes followed with Young Jonn, and with Tiwa Savage and Sean Paul.
2. Amapiano by Asake and Olamide (2023)
Asake and his label boss Olamide teamed up on “Amapiano”, and it earned both of them a Grammy nomination at the 66th Grammy Awards, Olamide’s first. That made him one of the first African rappers recognised in that category.
3. Omo Ope by Asake featuring Olamide (2022)
This is where Asake’s rise began. “Omo Ope” was the breakthrough song from his debut EP, Ololade, released in February 2022, the same month he signed to Olamide’s YBNL. Within a year he would break the Apple Music record for the biggest opening day for an African album.
4. Second Sermon by Black Sherif (2021)
Black Sherif followed “First Sermon” with “Second Sermon” in July 2021, and the song made his name. A remix with Burna Boy followed.
5. Holy Ghost by Kweku Smoke
At the 26th Telecel Ghana Music Awards, “Holy Ghost” won Kweku Smoke Best Rap Performance and Best Hip Hop Song. In it he names Yaayaa, a rice seller whose kindness helped him through hard times growing up in Berekum.
It is a song about getting through struggle, which is exactly what a workout is.
6. Big Bricks II by Essumann featuring Medikal and Lalid (2026)
The newest song here. Tema rapper Essumann released “Big Bricks II” with Medikal and Lalid in February 2026, and it became a viral hit with millions of plays on Audiomack. It follows the original “Big Bricks”, a song about climbing from a broken home to the top through hustle.
7. Bounce by Ruger (2021)
“Bounce” is the song that launched Ruger. It led to his deal with Jonzing World in 2021 and became the hit from his debut EP, Pandemic. It finished at number 20 on TurnTable’s end-of-year chart and reached number two on Apple Music’s top Afrobeats songs.
8. Dior by Ruger (2021)
Ruger followed up quickly. “Dior” was the lead single from his second EP, The Second Wave, released in November 2021, and it reached number 15 on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart.
9. Wish Me Well by Kuami Eugene (2018)
Kuami Eugene released “Wish Me Well” in June 2018 in response to the negative comments he was getting on social media. He made it out of pain, and it turns that pain into motivation.
10. Hat-trick by Seyi Vibez (2023)
A song named after scoring three goals belongs on a workout list. “Hat-trick” was one of the lead singles from Seyi Vibez’s album Vibe Till Thy Kingdom Come, released in May 2023 with a video directed by TG Omori. It debuted at number two on the TurnTable Top 100.
Find these artists, with track previews and streaming links, in the AfroYard artist directory.
