Nigeria has produced some of the most important African albums of the last decade, records that won Grammys, broke streaming records and introduced new sounds to the world. This list picks one album per artist, so it covers as much ground as possible. Each one is worth hearing from start to finish.
1. Made in Lagos by Wizkid (2020)
Released on 30 October 2020, Made in Lagos is the album that gave the world “Essence”. It features Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Damian Marley and Tems, with P2J as executive producer.
It was nominated for Best Global Music Album at the Grammys, and after its deluxe edition added Justin Bieber, it climbed to number 28 on the Billboard 200.
2. Twice as Tall by Burna Boy (2020)
Released in August 2020, with Diddy and Burna Boy’s mother, Bose Ogulu, as executive producers, Twice as Tall won Best Global Music Album at the 63rd Grammy Awards. Guests include Youssou N’Dour, Naughty by Nature, Sauti Sol, Chris Martin and Stormzy.
It holds “Monsters You Made”, one of the most powerful protest songs in modern African music.
3. Mr. Money with the Vibe by Asake (2022)
Asake’s debut album came out on 7 September 2022, seven months after Olamide signed him to YBNL. It broke the Apple Music record for the biggest opening by an African album and reached number 66 on the Billboard 200.
With “Terminator”, “Peace Be Unto You” and the “Sungba” remix with Burna Boy, it made Asake the breakout star of 2022.
4. Timeless by Davido (2023)
Released on 31 March 2023, Timeless is mainly an amapiano record, with touches of Afrobeats, dancehall, highlife and Afropop across 17 tracks. Guests include Skepta, Angelique Kidjo, Asake, Focalistic and The Cavemen.
It was nominated for Best Global Music Album at the 66th Grammy Awards, and its single “Unavailable” earned another nomination.
5. Born in the Wild by Tems (2024)
Tems spent years building up to her debut album, and it finally arrived on 7 June 2024. Born in the Wild includes “Me & U” and “Love Me JeJe”, which won the Grammy for Best African Music Performance.
The album itself was nominated for Best Global Music Album at the 67th Grammy Awards.
6. Boy Alone by Omah Lay (2022)
Released in July 2022, Boy Alone is the most personal album on this list. Omah Lay has said songs like “I’m a Mess”, “Understand” and “Soso” capture how he felt at the time, and that he did not consider the album complete until he recorded “Soso”.
Many critics have called it one of the best debut Afrobeats albums. Pulse Nigeria rated it 8.4 out of 10 for its “honest, scary and relatable songwriting”.
7. 19 & Dangerous by Ayra Starr (2021)
Ayra Starr released her debut album in August 2021, less than seven months after her debut EP. Its lead single, “Bloody Samaritan”, made her the first female artist to reach number one on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 with a solo song.
The deluxe edition added “Rush”, which earned her a Grammy nomination.
8. Rave & Roses by Rema (2022)
Rema recorded most of his debut album in Benin City, and it was released on 25 March 2022. It includes “Calm Down”, which went on to become one of the biggest African songs ever after the Selena Gomez remix.
He told NME: “As I’m currently at the forefront of a musical generation, I know the album is going to have an impact.” He was right.
9. Laughter, Tears & Goosebumps by Fireboy DML (2019)
Fireboy DML’s debut has 13 tracks and no guest artists at all, and it still passed six million Spotify streams in its first three days. Produced mainly by Pheelz and Cracker Mallo, it includes “Jealous”, “What If I Say”, “King” and “Vibration”.
It is the best proof on this list that a debut album can stand entirely on its own.
10. Billion Dollar Baby by Seyi Vibez (2022)
Released on 2 November 2022, Billion Dollar Baby mixed street-pop with fuji, tungba and apala rhythms, and its single “Chance (Na Ham)” won Seyi Vibez Best Street-Hop Artiste at the Headies. The album peaked at number two on Nigeria’s Official Top 50 Albums chart, and its expanded version, Billion Dollar Baby 2.0, went to number one.
All of these albums can be previewed track by track on AfroYard. Browse them in the album library.
