Africans are thriving in numerous fields, including the music industry. They are creating waves in the music industry on a global scale. The accomplished musicians from various regions of the continent have made this possible. Singers such as Davido, Wizkid, Sarkodie, and Sho Madjozi are among Africa’s finest musicians.
Beginning in the 1990s, Africans have been acknowledged in the world music community, and this recognition has continued to grow.
Bob Marley, Lucky Dube, Brenda Fassie, and other African titans must also be mentioned when discussing well-known African musicians who brought African music to the forefront of popular culture. Due to these musicians and others not mentioned in this article, Africans have maintained their prominence in the music industry.
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This article will examine the top ten finest African musicians in 2021 who have represented the African music industry internationally. The list also includes contemporary African musicians who have produced numerous hit compositions in recent years.
The finest African musicians are:
- Davido
- Wizkid
- Tiwa Savage
- Burna boy
- Diamond Platnumz
- 2Face Idibia
- Fally Ipupa
- Sarkodie
- Yemi Alade
- Sho Madjozi
1. Davido
David Adeleke, better known by his stage name Davido, is a leading Nigerian musician. Davido is one of the finest Nigerian musicians. In addition, he is one of the wealthiest musicians in Nigeria.
Davido was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to the affluent Nigerian family of Dr Deji Adeleke, co-founder of Adeleke University in Osun state and Pacific CEO Holdings Limited.
Before ‘Dami Duro,’ which introduced Davido to the world, he released his debut single, ‘Back When,’ which featured Naeto C, but it didn’t gain much traction.
Davido released ‘Dami Duro’ on October 30, 2011. Clarence recorded the single, which he co-produced with Shizzi, in Lagos.
In January 2012, the song Dami Duro was accompanied by a fantastic music video, and it became the topic of the media due to its frequent airplay.
Davido released his debut studio album Baba Olowo (Child of a Wealthy Person) under the HKN Music Record Label on July 17, 2012. The song was a success because it garnered him more fans.
Since then, he has released a multitude of singles that have brought him fame, wealth, and international recognition, including his position as the fourth wealthiest musician in Africa.
Davido served as the executive producer for OBO and collaborated with Jay Sleek, Spellz, and Maleek Berry. It featured notable musicians such as Sina Rambo, Ice Prince, Kay Switch, B. Red, 2 Face, and Naeto C.
Davido is without a doubt one of the greatest Nigerian musicians of all time. In 2021, he was the fourth greatest African musician. Currently, Davido has ascended to the pinnacle as the greatest musician in Africa.
2. Wizkid
Wizkid is a well-known vocalist and songwriter from Nigeria. Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun was born on July 16, 1990, and his stage moniker is Wizkid. He is one of the top 6 wealthiest musicians in Nigeria as a result of his success in the African and international music industries.
Wizkid began his musical career at 11 years old. The Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church mates formed, released his first collaborative album.
Later, Wizkid encountered O.J.B. Jezreel, who became his mentor during his difficult times. Then he began to visit Jezreel’s studio, where he observed and learned from recordings by artists such as 2Face Idibia and Sound Sultan.
In 2009, Wizkid joined Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E. ), and his career in the music industry was launched. Wizkid is one of the most prominent Nigerian musicians, and he is also regarded as one of the finest African musicians.
Wizkid has collaborated with numerous notable musicians, including Drake, Chris Brown, and most recently Beyonce on a song titled “brown skin girl.”
His music brown complexion girl earned him the Grammy Award for Best Music Video of the Year in 2021. All of his efforts enabled him to become the second-best musician in Africa in 2021, a position he still holds in 2022.
3. Tiwa Savage
Tiwa Savage was the sixth greatest musician in Africa in 2021, but she is currently in third place. Tiwa Savage is a Nigerian R&B vocalist who was born in Ikeja, Nigeria, on February 5, 1980. In the United Kingdom, she began her music career as a backup singer for various performers, including George Michael and Mary J. Blige.
Tiwa Savage inked a contract with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2009 after performing on the U.K. version of The X Factor.
In 2012, Tiwa Savage relocated returned to Nigeria to pursue her music career, signing with Mavin Records, a renowned record label owned by Don Jazzy.
Tiwa Savage signed with the Mavin record label and released two albums, Once Upon a Time in 2013 with seven singles and R.E.D. in 2015.
Tiwa Savage inked a new contract with R.O.C. Nation in 2016, and her debut album Sugarcane was released in 2017. Additionally, the album was nominated for Album of the Year at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
In 2019, she moved to enter a contract with Universal Music Group; her album, Celia, was released under Universal Music Group in 2020. Her albums have contributed to her recognition as one of Africa’s finest musicians.
Once Upon a Time, Tiwa Savage’s debut album, was nominated for Best Album of the Year by the Nigeria Entertainment Awards and Best R&B/Pop Album of the Year by the Headies Awards in 2014.
Tiwa has won many awards in music, including Best Female West Africa on four different occasions, Soundcity’s M.V.P. Awards for African Video of the Year 2020, Best Reggae/Dancehall Single Headies 2014 and 2014 Channel O Music Video Awards as the Most Gifted Female Artist.
4. Burna Boy
Burna Boy is a Nigerian musician whose quality jams gained him the title of best African musician in 2021, although he has since fallen to fourth place as of the time this article was last updated.
Burna Boy is the performer moniker of Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu. On 2 July 1991, he was born in Ahaoda, Rivers State, Nigeria to Mr. and Mrs. Ogulu.
His grandfather Benson Idonije was once Fela Kuti’s manager. Burna Boy began producing music at age 10 after a classmate gave him the music production software FuityLoops.
Burna Bo established a band in secondary school that performed at concerts before continuing his education in London. Burna Boy dropped out of education in London due to his love of music.
His mother obtained an apprenticeship at a radio station due to his enthusiasm for music. Each day after work, Burna Boy would head to the studio to record tracks. He always kept a generator in the trunk of his vehicle in case the studio’s power supply failed.
Burna boy rose to prominence in the music industry in 2012 after releasing the popular single ‘Like to Party’ from his debut album L.I.F.E. Although the album was released by Aristokrat Records on August 13, 2013, five singles were issued in 2012.
Burna Boy’s debut album featured a number of well-known Nigerian performers, including e 2face, M.I., Reminisce, WizKid, Timaya, and Olamide. The album sold as many as 40.000 copies on its first day of release.
The legendary Yoruba musicians Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Bob Marley inspired his music. When listening to his L.I.F.E, the similarities in his musical style were audible.
L.I.F.E rated seventh on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart that year, as it was a successful album.
Burna Boy recently won a Grammy Award. He won the category for Best Global Music Album with his 2020 album Twice as Tall. Wizkid received a Grammy Award in 2020 alongside Wizkid. This is the first occasion that Nigerian musicians have received a Grammy award.
5. Diamond Platnumz
In 2022, Diamond Platnumz fell from the third-best musician in Africa to the fifth-best. Tanzanian Afropop and Bongo Flava (hip hop and R&B) recording artist Diamond Platnumz.
Diamond was born as Naseeb Abdul Juma Issack on October 2, 1989, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He adopted the stage moniker Diamond Platnumz in 2010 with the release of his debut studio album Kamwambie.
The Kamwambie album contained twelve tracks, including the popular single that dominated Tanzania and Africa, Kamwambie. In 2012, Diamond released another ten-track album titled Lala Salama.
On his best-selling album, Lala Salama, Mrisho Mpoto appears in only one song.
Diamond’s album A Boy from Tandale, which was released in 2018 by Universal Music Group after he joined the group in 2017, featured numerous artists from around the world in 2018, including Rick Ross, Omarion, Davido, P-Square, Tiwa Savage, and many others.
Since the release of his album in 2018, he has published numerous singles that feature other renowned African musicians, such as Fally Ipupa, who is widely regarded as one of the best musicians in Africa.
Diamond has been featured by numerous musicians, which has gained him the position of third-best musician in Africa. In addition to his musical popularity, Diamond is also well-known for his dancing skills, which he has demonstrated in his music.
He is considered among the finest dancers among African musicians. Diamond currently controls the record label WCB Wasafi and has signed numerous Tanzanian artists.
He is regarded as the best and wealthiest musician in Tanzania, with an untold number of hit compositions to his credit. He has also won numerous music accolades, propelling him to the position of fourth-best musician in Africa.
In addition to his ownership of the Diamond WCB Wasafi record label, he also owns Zoom extra, Wasafi TV, and Wasafi FM, three of Tanzania’s finest media outlets.
Due to his prominence in the music industry, Diamond signed a number of contracts with various companies in 2019, including Pepsi Brand Ambassador in East Africa, Brand Ambassador of Parimatch Africa, and Nice One Brand Ambassador.
In 2020, he also inked a new contract as Brand Ambassador for Coral Paints.
6. 2Face Idiba
In 2021, 2Face Idiba was the ninth greatest musician in Africa. He is currently ranked sixth on the list of the greatest musicians in Africa. Innocent Ujah Idibia, better known by his stage name 2Face Idibia, was born in Jos Plateau, Nigeria, on September 18, 1975. He is a music legend and the greatest musician in Africa.
Despite being born in Jos, he is a native of Benue State. 2Face ascended from obscurity to become one of Africa’s most prominent Afropop artists.
2face began his musical career with the group Plantashun Boiz, which included Black Face and Faze; after a disagreement within the group, 2face released separate compositions. His musical career has flourished without interruption.
Early in his career, Tuface was a top acquisition for Kennis Music, with whom he released his debut album ‘African Queen’.
In 2004, the publication of the album ‘African Queen’ catapulted him to prominence, and he has remained at the top of his game ever since.
His consistent development in resoluteness led to his recognition as the finest African musician. 2face has won awards such as the Headies, the MTV Video Music Awards, and the BET Awards.
Tubaba’s music is sophisticated, timeless and unique. The majority of Tubaba’s songs are grounded in reality, and his song African Queen will endure the test of time.
Due to his consistency and quality in music over the years, he will always be pertinent in the music industry.
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