2nd Quarter Wrap Up!

The second quarter of 2021 has been quite an eventful period in the music industry and in Nigeria at large. This time last year, the story was different. The lockdown was gradually being relaxed but with heavy restrictions. And the music industry was still nursing its share of Covid blow.

Well, June started on an exciting note. From the Twitter ban to June 12 democracy day protest, the last three months hold a good number of notable events in the music industry worth looking back on. I have taken the liberty to compile a list.

Wizkid at 10 

The Starboy of Africa himself celebrated 10 years of making hits back to back in the music industry. He released a docuseries 'A Superstar Made in Lagos' on June 12, which happens to be the 10th anniversary of his debut album. Wizkid has indeed come a long way to become one of the biggest artists on the planet to even becoming a Grammy winner. It is truly worth celebrating. Cheers to more years, Wiz Baba!

Kizz Daniel Becomes a Daddy 

The month of May started with good news from Kizz Daniel welcoming his set of twin boys. The singer took to his social media page to share a picture of him holding his sons’ hands with the good news. Anyway, if you need the twins anointing, you know where to go.

Miss Kedike to Minister Chidinma 

Nothing could have prepared us for the news of Chidinma’s transition to Gospel music in May. The Kedike singer who came into the limelight as the winner of MTN Project Fame season 3 winner had been lowkey for a while, but it did not raise any suspicion. That has been her style for years. The transition generated mixed reactions online, especially on her comment, “The devil has been winning for too long”. At Epoh music, we applaud her strength, and we wish her success in her new line. 

Davido at 10 

Turns out 2011 was a year of good music as Davido also celebrated 10 years of his debut single, ‘Back When’ featuring Naeto C. The song was a hit track back then. Over the years, Davido has proven to be more than just a lucky rich kid with his array of back to back hit songs. Twitter also spiced things up with a customized emoji to mark his anniversary. 

Banky W and Adesua’s Story

Banky W, a musician, and his wife Adesua, both actors, shared in church the story of how they lost their first pregnancy. The couple spoke of the agonising journey to healing and how the situation brought them even closer. Their story generated a lot of attention and applause in the media, with goodwill messages pouring from millions of fans. The couple welcomed their son, Zaiah, in February this year.

Of Lay Lay Laycon

The season 5 winner of BBN, who has also established himself as a seasoned rapper, released his second studio album, Shall we begin, on 30th, April. The rapper, who has a large fan base, had his album trending on Twitter for days after its release. The 12 track album features Mayorkun, Teni, Joeboy, and Terri, all on different tracks. It is definitely a brilliant one!

Grammy in Nigeria 

Well, it is no news that Nigeria bagged two grammy awards at the last Grammy Awards. However, due to the Covid restrictions, the event was virtual. The awards were presented virtually to be delivered later. However, while Burna Boy received his grammy plaque and posted a picture of it online, we did not hear anything from Wizkid, who also won a grammy. This raised a lot of dust on Twitter as fans wasted no time dragging Wizkid and his fans over it. Well, Wizkid finally received his plaque on the 23rd. He made this known via his Instagram handle.

While many other things happened, I have simply picked these as the highlights of the quarter. Do you think I missed anything? Which was your favourite moment/event? Kindly let us know in the comment section. I'll be waiting! 

Best Albums of 2020

Despite the adverse effect of the lockdown on the music industry worldwide, the Nigerian music industry celebrated several beautiful albums last year. 

Perhaps we have the lockdown to thank for the great music that graced our ears. The quality of music showed that our favs had a lot of time to work on good songs.

There were albums from every big name in the industry. Even new artists were not left out. We can rightly tag 2020 as a year of good music. The previous years can go get their awards from the music concerts they hosted ...(laughs) 

Well, the albums were not without the usual fights over who is the better artist. No fan base was ready to accept their fav is second.

I think they were all great music. And if you are like me, you probably were not part of the fan fight. Nothing serious, just good music and cruise.

However, even in the abundance of the albums released, we cannot shy away from the fact that some albums completely merit our unreserved applause. A lot of these albums did well, with some even going on to win international awards. In no particular order, here is a list of the top albums of 2020.

Twice As Tall

This album is actually by a tall artist with tall accolades... yeah! And its title is befitting, considering the feat this album has reached not only in Nigeria but globally. It is the fifth studio album by the Afrobeat giant himself, Burna Boy. As with many Nigerian artists, Burna Boy’s music is considerably influenced by the legendary Fela Kuti. And I must say that he has done well with this influence. The album was released in August 2020 and has since gone on to receive many international accolades. Chief of which is the Grammy for Best Global Music Album, making him the first Nigerian to win a Grammy in that category. Click here to listen on Epoh music - Twice as Tall 

Made in Lagos 

This album is by another Grammy-winning Nigerian. It is the fourth album by Wizkid, also called Starboy by his fans. Debuting at a very young age, Wizkid has risen become one of the biggest artists on the continent. This album features both international and local acts. In April 2021, it was announced that the album had surpassed 400 million streams across all platforms. Since its release in October 2020, the album has bagged several international accolades and rankings. Click here to listen on Epoh music - Made in Lagos 

A Better Time

This album has proven to surely guarantee a better time while listening to it. It is the third album by the O.B.O himself, Davido. The album contains 17 tracks, a lot of them being hit singles that had been released earlier. Since its release, the album has topped several music charts and streaming platforms all over the world. The album cover features his son, Ifeayin Adeleke, who was about a year old at the time. Click here to listen on Epoh music - A Better Time 

Boo of the Booless 

One cannot speak of 2020 Nigerian music without paying homage to Chike for the two fruits of hard work he birthed as albums. Boo of the Boless, being his first album, rose to the top of the charts and trended on social media for days. This 14 track album has since been nominated for the headies Album of the year award, among other accolades. Click here to listen on Epoh music - Boo of the Booless

Celia

Dedicated to her mother and created to challenge young girls to accept and be proud of who they are, this album takes a dive away from what we have always gotten from the African bad girl, Tiwa Savage. The album contains 13 tracks, and it is the third studio album by the singer. Since its release in August 2020, it has topped several international music charts and was nominated for the Headies award for the Best R&B Album of  2020. Click here to listen on Epoh music - Celia

Afro Pop Vol. 1

This is the third album by the sensational Afropop singer Adekunle Gold, who has recently begun to identify himself as AG Baby. His first track on this 10 track album is actually titled, AG Baby. From the title of this album, we know that we can expect a sequel which will be volume 2, and probably a volume 3. But whatever the number, we are definitely going to be here for it. Click here to listen on Epoh music - Afro Pop

 

Carpe Diem

The god-father himself is not left out of the grand music thread of 2020. The album containing 12 tracks is the eleventh studio album of Olamide. It is a timely piece from Olamide, who has been lowkey for a while. The artistic brilliance displayed in the album has only furthered sealed his reputation as a genius native language rapper. Click here to listen on Epoh music -  Carpe Diem

Other remarkable albums include: 

Apollo - Fireboy DML

Get Layd - Omah Lay

For Broken Ears - Tems

King of Love - Kizz Daniel 

The list really goes on and on, but here is where we end ours. Which of the Albums is your favourite? And which one would you rank as number 1? kindly let us know in the comment section. We’ll be waiting!

Burna Boy Wins BET Best International Act Again!

It is really the year of international awards for Nigeria. And Burna boy is making us proud all the way. He bagged the award for Best International Act at the just concluded BET awards. This is the third time the afrobeat giant is winning this award. And even took us a step further by bringing home a Grammy this year. Wizkid was also nominated in the same category alongside Diamond Platnumz from Tanzania and other artists from the UK, France, Brazil. 

The BET awards is an American award show by Black Entertainment Television, which is what BET stands for really. It was created in 2001 to celebrate African-American in the American Entertainment industry. It majorly covers Music, Acting, and Sports. Its 21st Edition was held on Sunday, 27th June. The award has continued to grow in international popularity and credibility. It prides itself as a platform and voice celebrating Black Excellence. 

Ice Prince was the first African to win the award as a solo act. 2Face and Dbanj won the award together in 2011, Wizkid won it with Ghana’s very own, Sarkodie, in 2012. Davido won the award in 2014 and in 2018. He is the first African act to receive his award on stage at the BET awards.   

However, Burna Boy has made a name for himself by winning the award for 3 consecutive years. And considering the back to back hits he has given us over the last 3 years, it is a well-deserved win.

Here is a heartfelt Congratulations to Burna Boy from all of us at Epoh Music. Keep making us proud!