Thanks to TikTok challenges and Nigeria’s rich culture of creating memes and funny videos, numerous songs from past years have found renewed popularity.
By Abioye Damilare Samson
In late March, Skales’ fast-paced catchy single, “Shake Body”, began gaining more streams than ever before, unexpectedly returning to the spotlight. First dropped in 2015, “Shake Body” was released at a period when the Nigerian music industry was still coming to terms with the full potential of global streaming platforms, following the entry of services like Spinlet, Audiomack, and Boomplay into the local music market.
However, the thumping, dancefloor-built single didn’t just resurface online by accident. Its resurgence began with a remix by Dutch DJ Onderkoffer, which introduced the song to a new audience online. The momentum reached a new high in March when Spanish football stars Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Samu Omorodion danced to the original version in a now-viral TikTok video posted on Lamine’s page.
It’s likely Skales wouldn’t have imagined that a song he released ten years ago, after already spending several years in the industry, would be the one to bring him back into the limelight. But this kind of song revival, where an old hit record suddenly finds new life online, isn’t a new trend. Thanks to TikTok challenges and Nigeria’s rich culture of creating memes and funny videos, numerous songs from past years have found renewed popularity.
In this piece, we spotlight ten Nigerian songs that made surprise comebacks online, reminding us why great music never fades away.
“Love Nwantiti” — CKay
Without mincing words, CKay’s “Love Nwantiti”, released in 2019 on his CKay the First EP, deserves its place in the canon of Afro-Pop’s most melodious bops. However, at the time of its release, the song didn’t fully reach its streaming or popularity potential, as CKay was still primarily an underground artiste.
It wasn’t until 2021 that “Love Nwantiti” made a huge comeback online, sparked by a viral dance trend, especially on TikTok, where it all began. The song went on to break several records and firmly brought CKay into the global limelight.
“Gentility” — Melvitto & Wande Coal
Besides the crisp production by Melvitto on “Gentility”, Wande Coal’s honeyed vocals are the true sauce of the song. Initially released in 2019, the track returned to the top of streaming charts in early 2022, thanks to a viral TikTok trend of people making dance videos of waist-whining to a sped-up version.
To boost the momentum further, Wande Coal offered a 1 million naira reward for the best video made to the song in a tweet he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche” — Gentleman Mike Ejeagha
Many people might mistake the title of Mike Ejeagha’s slow-burning highlife classic “Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche”, released in 1983, for “Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo”, a line from the song that became widely popular after comedian Brain Jotter used it in a viral skit.
In the weeks that followed the viral video, the track was picked up by numerous content creators and skit makers across the world, pushing it back to streaming charts in 2024 and introducing a new generation to one of Highlife’s enduring voices.
“Billionaire” — Stanley Okorie
Stanley Okorie was a popular voice on many Nollywood movie soundtracks in the ’90s and 2000s, known for painting the films’ themes in a captivating and groovy way. In the early days of 2023, one of his standout tracks, “Billionaire”, created for the 2019 film Return of the Billionaires, became a viral favourite across TikTok and Instagram.
With lyrics like “Billionaire, onye ji cash. Chopping and spending the cash. There is no mercy for money. Maka why? O ji the cash”, the song’s playful ode to money and lavish living struck a chord online. Content creators used it to soundtrack videos depicting exaggerated luxury and carefree spending, helping the song resurface and find a new audience years after its release.
“Dodo” — Davido
With over a decade in the music industry, Davido remains one of Afro-Pop’s most reliable hitmakers. His groovy love tune “Dodo”, released in 2015, was a hit at the time.
But in 2024, it made an unexpected return online, thanks to a new dance challenge on Tik-Tok that’s equally thrilling and magnetic. If anything, the song’s resurgence is a reminder of just how hit-laden Davido’s catalogue truly is.
“Egungun Be Careful” — Abass Akande Obesere
Obesere, one of Fuji’s most audacious and influential voices, built his brand on an eccentric style. Known for his unapologetically raw lyrics and bold fashion choices, he stood out among Fuji contemporaries like Saheed Osupa and Pasuma. His song “Egungun Be Careful”, initially released in the late ’90s, was a fast-paced Fuji anthem with a streetwise warning: “Egungun be careful, na express you dey go”.
Two decades later, in 2019, a short clip from the music video resurfaced on social media and quickly morphed into a meme that was repurposed for comic and cautionary contexts online. The song’s sudden relevance brought it back into public consciousness, especially among a younger audience unfamiliar with its origins. Riding on the wave of its newfound virality, Obesere collaborated with rapper Zlatan in 2020 for a remix, cementing the track’s place in the streaming era.
“Shake Body” — Skales
One of Afrobeats’ most irresistible qualities is its ability to get you moving, and few songs capture that spirit as clearly as Skales’ 2015 hit, “Shake Body”. With its high-tempo production and dance floor-ready energy, the track was an anthem for its time.
Still, not many would have predicted that a decade later, “Shake Body” would be the song to return Skales to the spotlight, not even the Skales himself. In March, 2025, Dutch DJ Onderkoffer remixed “Shake Body,” injecting it with a heavier bounce and a slicker electronic edge.
The remix began circulating on TikTok and Instagram reels, piquing renewed interest in the original track. It fully exploded during the 2025 Copa del Rey tournament in Spain, when football stars Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Samu Omorodion were seen dancing to the track in a hotel room, as captured in a viral TikTok video posted by Yamal.
That spontaneous moment reignited interest in the song, sparking a TikTok challenge and sending the single climbing back up the charts. Riding on the wave of its renewed popularity, Skales launched a “Shake Body” Summer Europe Tour. It proves that great songs can always find a second life, especially in the age of internet virality.
“Vivid Imagination” — K1 De Ultimate
K1 De Ultimate has long held court as one of Fuji’s most enduring legends, known for his genre-defining records and powerful live sets. One of those records, “Vivid Imagination”, was released in 1999 as part of his album Okofaji Carnival Fuji Version.
Fast-forward to 2023, and the song took on a whole new life online. A snippet where K1 says “Vivid Imagination” suddenly became a meme sound, often used in TikTok videos for playful deception. Just like that, a two-decade-plus old Fuji song became part of a new generation’s favourite songs.
“Bana” — Niniola
Few Nigerian Pop artistes embrace sensuality in their music quite like Niniola. Since breaking into the scene, she’s carved a lane as the undisputed queen of Afro-House, fusing infectious rhythms with provocative lyrics. In 2018, she dropped “Bana”, an upbeat, sexually charged record produced by long-time collaborator Sarz. While it didn’t quite break into the mainstream at the time, “Bana” found a second life in 2025, thanks to TikTok.
A viral trend emerged where women took turns dancing and hyping each other up, with “Bana” playing as the soundtrack. The song’s infectious beat and the lyrics “Oremi mo de le awon oremi/ b’on ba de’waju bana mi/ Bana bana, bana mi, bana bana, bana mi” made it a perfect fit for the challenge by launching it back into popular consciousness and reminding everyone why Niniola remains the queen of dancefloor dominance.
“Who Get Dat Thing (Remix)” — Dekumzy Featuring. The Stormrex & Slowdog
Often likened to Nigeria’s Destiny’s Child, Desperate Chicks was a dynamic three-member girl group that shook up the Eastern music scene in 2008 with their debut album, Tell Dem. The trio, Yvonne Ogbuogu a.k.a. Stormrex, Barbie, and Mary Osonwa, a.k.a. Ursula Ice, enjoyed a brief but impactful run before parting ways in 2010 to pursue solo careers. Stormrex, the group’s standout voice, quickly became a sought-after collaborator.
That same year, she teamed up with producer Dekumzy and rapper Slowdog on “Who Get Dat Thing (Remix)”, a breezy, Igbo-inflected jam that flew under the mainstream radar then. Fast forward to 2024, the track found renewed fame on TikTok. A wave of nostalgic dance challenges featuring women dressed in old Nollywood-style outfits, channeling the aesthetic of early 2000s female actors, helped thrust the song into the spotlight, making it both a cultural throwback and a viral song.
Abioye Damilare is a music journalist and culture writer focused on the African entertainment Industry. Reading new publications and listening to music are two of his favourite pastimes when he is not writing. Connect with him on Twitter and IG: @Dreyschronicle