African Fresh Picks: Amaarae, Rema, Victony, ODUMODUBLVCK & More

After Tyler, the Creator and Metro Boomin encouraged their fans to put down their phones and pull up to the dancefloor with reckless abandon ahead of their recent albums, Rema echoed their sentiments by writing on X, “Ok.. I want y’all to DANCE this summer.” Shortly after issuing his mandate, Rema released another banger to “shake your bakasi” to with “KELEBU,” which draws inspiration from different French-speaking countries in Africa and the Caribbean.

Rema isn’t the only star soundtracking raves this season, as Amaarae honors dance music from the Black diaspora by borrowing from her native Ghanaian highlife, Brazilian baile funk, Jersey club and more for her third studio album Black Star. And DJ Tunez — whose 2016 hit “Iskaba” with Wande Coal was ranked No. 27 on Billboard‘s 50 best Afrobeats songs of all time staff list — aligns with the Starboy, Wizkid, and FOLA on the irresistable “One Condition.”

We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new songs by African acts that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and soak up the last bit of summer with our Spotify playlist below.

DJ Tunez, Wizkid & FOLA, “One Condition”  

The dyanmic duo of DJ Tunez and Wizkid deliver another sensational hit with “One Condition,” also featuring “Alone” breakout artist FOLA. Saxophonist Ikaey Asanga deserves special props for carrying the song’s smooth jazz-forward instrumental, while Big Wiz and FOLA sing about how they can’t get enough loving from their special ladies. With “One Condition,” Wiz earns his 19th top 10 entry on Billboard‘s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. 

Rema, “KELEBU”  

Rema the Rave Lord summons us to dance (and is even willing to pay someone $10,000 to do so) with his latest banger “KELEBU.” The frenetic track finds Rema occasionally rolling his r’s like he’s firing a machine gun while fusing Coupé-décalé, a popular, percussive style of music and dance from Côte d’Ivoire; Dominica’s high-octane dance genre Bouyon; and the bass-and-brass-heavy Makossa from Cameroon. “In school parties, we used to dance to a lot of Caribbean and Francophone bounces. We didn’t care about what they were saying because most of them were not even in our local language in Nigeria. They just kept repeating one word with a fantastic instrumental backing it up, and we all danced,” Rema told Rolling Stone. “Making music now, I’m reliving those moments by expressing it with my art.”  

Mavo, Ayra Starr, Shallipopi & Zlatan, “Escaladizzy II” 

The 21-year-old Afro-trap star Mavo takes Ayra Starr, Shallipopi and Zlatan on a joy ride in the “Escaladizzy II,” just one month after he hotboxed the whip with WAVE$TAR on the original track. A slang term that affixes the “izzy” suffix from Mavo’s own lexicon Bizzylingua to a Cadillac Escalade, as he explained to The iMullar, “Escaladizzy II” introduces listeners to Mavo’s street-hop-meets-amapiano sonics and uniquely catchy hooks while strategically positioning him among other prominent Nigerian acts. 

Amaarae, “B2B” 

Amaarae described “B2B,” the standout track from her latest album Black Star, as “POSSIBLY THE BEST EXPRESSION OF THE SIGNATURE AMAARAE SOUND.” While the DJ term “B2B” (“back-to-back”) signals two DJs taking turns on the decks during the same set, the Ghanaian American star recontextualizes it to mean “love that is taken but given back at the same time,” she explained in a press release. The pulsating deep house and amapiano of the song’s first half fit the rave format of her official visualizer, but “B2B” later mellows out into a lilting Spanish guitar melody and sweeping strings that originate from the sample of Toni Braxton’s 2001 single “Maybe.”  

ADH & Elzo Jamdong, “No Stress (Remix)” 

Two years after ADH hoped and prayed that no one would kill his vibe on “No Stress” with Citizen B, the AfroHop artist still finds himself at ease while recruiting fellow Senegalese rapper Elzo Jamdong on the remix for his new EP ALMADIES. The project’s executive producer Keyflo Music polishes the original track’s breezy amapiano groove, which suitably underscores Jamdong’s new verse. “ALMADIES is like my love letter to Senegal. This one’s for the culture, for the diaspora, and for anyone trying to stay grounded while reaching higher,” ADH said in a press release. 

Kwesi Arthur feat. King Promise, “Real Thing”

Ghanaian artist Kwesi Arthur is probably more known for his staccato rapping delivery on his singles, but “Real Thing” sees him leaning more into melodic sung vocals, and his voice shines alongside another prodigious singer, King Promise. His hip-hop bonafides emerge halfway through on his second verse, and his memorable lines add another element to an earworm single that still pulses with energy and soul.

FOLA, “you”

FOLA has crafted a lane for himself mixing traditional Afrobeats drum patterns with some soulful smooth jazz elements, crafting heartfelt, emotional songs against that varied backdrop. “you” is his latest single in that lane, and it serves as almost a desperate love song, but its delivery elevates it to new levels, with his vocals and double-tracked hook resulting in a catchy song that stands out in his catalog.

Amaarae, “Fineshyt”

Amaarae’s long-awaited Black Star album finally arrived, two years after the Ghanaian-American’s breakout Fountain Baby project introduced her to listeners around the globe, and Amaarae delivered with a project that combines all kinds of different elements into her own particular blend of dance music. This track features pitched up vocals and a slick, propulsive beat, with a dancefloor-ready chorus that makes it a standout on a project that has plenty. Producers Kyu Steed (who produced the entire album), Bnyx and Ape Drums deserve plenty of credit as well.

Victony feat. Terry G, “Tanko”

Victony, at this point, has a well-established track record of delivering brilliant melodies, and while this track sees him upping the tempo more than on some of his prior singles, his ear for a harmony and unexpected vocal runs is as poignant as ever. Terry G’s aggression on his verse matches the energy of the production, with a drum pattern that is much more in-your-face than usual from Victony, while musically it slides right into the sweet spot established by megahits like “Soweto.”

ODUMODUBLVCK feat. Stormzy & Zlatan, “PAY ME”

Over the past few years, few artists have arrived with such a distinctive aesthetic as ODUMODUBLVCK, who burst onto the scene with a frenetic rapping pace and high-energy singles and collaborations, with a voice as singular as any on the scene. This new teamup with Zlatan and British MC Stormzy continues his recent trend of broadening that palette by digging into more melodic and less intense singles — which is not to say that “PAY ME” lacks energy or verve, quite the opposite. But it continues to push the parameters of what he can deliver, and the horizons that are open to him.