A good Afrobeats party playlist needs songs that work the second they start. These ten have all proved themselves on dance floors, TikTok and radio, from global smashes to the records that ran Lagos for a whole summer. Press play and let them run.
1. Calm Down by Rema (2022)
“Calm Down” came out in February 2022 on Rema’s debut album, Rave & Roses. Then the Selena Gomez remix arrived in August and took it to a level no Afrobeats song had reached. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the US Radio Songs chart for ten weeks.
The IFPI named the remix the second best-selling single in the world in 2023. Its video passed a billion views on YouTube in November 2024.
2. Buga by Kizz Daniel featuring Tekno (2022)
“Buga” hit number one on Apple Music Nigeria three days after its release in May 2022, and it stayed at the top of the TurnTable chart for weeks. Two weeks in, it had set a record for the biggest streaming week since TurnTable began tracking.
TurnTable named it the number one Nigerian song of 2022, and Billboard later placed it on its list of the 50 best Afrobeats songs of all time. If the dance floor is quiet, this fixes it.
3. Terminator by Asake (2022)
Asake signed to Olamide’s YBNL in February 2022, and by the end of the year he was everywhere. “Terminator” was one of the singles that led into his debut album, Mr. Money with the Vibe, which broke the record for the biggest opening day for an African album on Apple Music.
4. Sungba (Remix) by Asake featuring Burna Boy (2022)
The original “Sungba” came out on Asake’s debut EP, Ololade, in early 2022. The remix added Burna Boy. It also appears on Mr. Money with the Vibe.
5. Finesse by Pheelz featuring BNXN (2022)
Pheelz was best known as a producer, having produced almost all of Olamide’s Baddest Guy Ever Liveth. “Finesse” made him a star in his own right. He first uploaded it to TikTok in February 2022, where the #FolakeChallenge spread across Europe and America, and it was released officially that March.
It entered the Billboard Global 200 and was named the second-best Afrobeats song of 2022 by Music in Africa.
6. Rush by Ayra Starr (2022)
Released in September 2022 from her debut album 19 & Dangerous, “Rush” went viral on TikTok and reached number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. It also went top ten in France and South Africa.
7. Ku Lo Sa by Oxlade (2022)
Before its official release in October 2022, Oxlade performed “Ku Lo Sa” live on the COLORS YouTube channel, and that video alone has drawn more than 74 million views. A remix with Camila Cabello followed in December.
8. Commas by Ayra Starr (2024)
From her second album, The Year I Turned 21, “Commas” was produced by Ragee, London and AoD. Ayra Starr has said she went through around fifteen versions of the lyrics and melody before landing on what she called a “high vibrational” track.
It is sung in Pidgin and Yoruba over Afropop instrumentation.
9. Ozeba by Rema (2024)
“Ozeba” is the seventh track on Rema’s second album, Heis, released in July 2024.
Play it after “Calm Down” to hear how far his sound has moved in two years.
10. Gwagwalada by BNXN, Kizz Daniel and Seyi Vibez (2023)
Three big voices on one Sarz production. “Gwagwalada” came out in February 2023 as the second single from BNXN’s debut album, Sincerely, Benson, and made OkayAfrica’s list of the best Afrobeats songs of 2023.
It is a strong way to close the night.
Find these artists, with track previews and streaming links, in the AfroYard artist directory.
