These 25 emerging African artistes represent the continent’s most compelling musical voices who deserve to be on your radar and are absolutely worth your time and attention.
By Afrocritik’s Music Board
At Afrocritik, we turn our ears across Africa to uncover the continent’s most promising emerging voices every new year. It’s become an annual ritual and a deliberate commitment to champion voices from every corner of the continent, particularly those standing at the cusp of something transcendental. It is a vision that aligns with our role as a custodian of African music, amplifying the margins and celebrating burgeoning talent before the world catches on.
Last year’s list delivered on its promise. Some of the artistes we featured have gone on to prove their worth as some of the most promising voices in Africa’s burgeoning music scene. FOLA, one of the most compelling discoveries, has become one of Nigeria’s most sought-after acts, his emotive, hypnotic blend of R&B and Afro-Pop proving irresistible. Khalil Harrison has solidified his place as a torchbearer for South Africa’s Amapiano scene, pushing the genre’s boundaries with each release. Kenny Sol has established himself as one of Rwanda’s most exciting new voices, carving out a lane that feels distinctly his own.
This year, our mission remains unchanged: to spotlight deserving emerging acts whose work is vital to sustaining the creative spirit that makes African music indispensable to the global soundscape. As we step into 2026, these 26 emerging African artistes represent the continent’s most compelling musical voices who deserve to be on your radar and are absolutely worth your time and attention.
1. Zee Nxumalo (South Africa)
Zee Nxumalo has emerged as one of South Africa’s most compelling Amapiano voices, carving a path that feels both culturally rooted and wildly contemporary. Born Zandile Nxumalo in Bloemfontein before growing up in Alexandra, Johannesburg, her early work buzzed quietly before breaking into mainstream South African consciousness with the 2023 single “Funk 55,” a track that captured the nation’s ears and went on to be certified five times platinum.
Her 2022 debut EP KwaNxumalo laid the groundwork for a voice steeped in rhythm and personal expression, while 2024’s Inja Ye Game gave listeners a fuller picture of her depth and dexterity as both singer and songwriter. “Thula Mabota”, a striking platinum-certified collaboration with Pabi Cooper and 031choppa, showcases a grounded lyricism and chemistry with collaborators that feels effortless and deeply connected to the community that raised her.
What sets Nxumalo apart is her ability to channel the soulful roots of Amapiano through a contemporary lens that feels both immediate and enduring. Her voice is uniquely warm, grounded, and agile, typically finding space to soar atop shuffling pianos, swung percussion, and basslines that feel alive beneath the groove, whether on solo tracks or features with heavyweights such as Dlala Thukzin and Funky Qla.
Beyond charts and certifications, she’s become a vessel for a new generation of South African storytellers, infusing the genre with introspective narratives that move beyond dancefloor euphoria into personal reflection and collective pride. In 2026, Nxumalo is poised to deepen her impact, not just as a hitmaker, but as a cultural voice whose music holds both weight and warmth.
2. Champz (Nigeria)
Champz’s early rise can be attributed to the fact that he’s the son of Wizkid, but there’s no denying that he’s a genuinely talented young rapper. Ever since a studio video of him previewing his music went viral, sparking conversation about his potential, he’s proven his mettle with a debut 5-track EP, Champion’s Arrival, a project that made him the youngest artiste to top Apple Music Nigeria’s Top Albums Chart. Any lingering doubts about his talent have been met with tangible proof.
With a suave delivery that belies his age, the 14-year-old glides over Afroswing production with smooth rap lines that are genuinely impressive. Much of his writing reflects the hunger of a young artiste eager to stake his claim.
On “Champion Sound”, he raps, “Shout to the OGs in the game, but it’s time to pass the baton to the champion”, a line that captures his confidence and ambition. For an emerging act so early in his journey, Champz already sounds like someone fully aware of the weight and perhaps promise of stepping into the spotlight.
3. Rebo (Congo)
Long before the Def Jam headlines, before the industry discovered how to pronounce her ambition, she was already rewriting the grammar of Congolese pop—carrying a sharp musical edge of intent. Born Deborah Tshimpaka Mulanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rebo Tchulo is a singer, songwriter, and performer whose music pulses with Ndombolo’s kinetic heat while flirting confidently with Afro-Pop’s global polish.
There’s a delicious sense of reinvention in her story. She began in gospel, where discipline and devotion shaped her voice, before stepping into urban music. Mentored by the Congolese great Ferré Gola, Rebo learned how to hold tradition without being held back by it. Songs like “Mbote”, “Pepele”, and “Mukaji Internationale” made her unavoidable and anthemic, flirtatious, and self-possessed.
In 2025, Rebo crossed a symbolic threshold, becoming the first female Congolese artiste to sign with Def Jam Africa. Her post-signing release, “Antidote”, was of an artiste fully aware of her power and unafraid of new scale.
4. oSHAMO (Nigeria)
oSHAMO has been quietly building something special. The singer-songwriter’s ability to weave Afrobeats, R&B, and Hip-Hop into a cohesive sonic identity sets him apart in a crowded landscape. Tracks like 2022’s “Woman” and 2023’s “Into You” showcase his knack for crafting emotionally resonant music that feels both intimate and expansive, while 2024’s “Life of the Party” proves he can deliver the energy when the moment calls for it.
His EP First of My Kind laid the groundwork, but it’s last year’s standout album I D R I S, which spurned songs like “Superfuji (GOBE)” and “Shekere” that truly announced his arrival as an artiste with staying power. With a cult following that grows with each release and a sound that bridges continents without losing its African soul, oSHAMO is poised to dominate 2026.
5. Xowié (South Africa)
In a landscape hungry for bold, genuine voices, Xowié has quietly risen to become one of South Africa’s most compelling new R&B storytellers. Born Velile Mnguni and shaped by her upbringing in KwaZulu-Natal, she first garnered broader attention through Idols South Africa before asserting her own musical identity with her debut EP ALLO (A Little Long Overdue) and its recent Deluxe edition.
Named an Apple Music “Up Next” artiste in 2025, Xowié has translated a mélange of R&B, soul, pop, and reggae influences into a voice that feels both nostalgic and freshly personal. Tracks like “Nobody’s Fool” and collaborations with artists such as Ghana’s Stonebwoy demonstrate her intuitive grasp of emotional nuance in songs about love.
Her sound lives at the intersection of vulnerability and strength. Drawing inspiration from iconic voices like Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and SZA, Xowié’s vocal presence carries a quiet power, often rooted in the lived realities of self-discovery and resilience. Whether weaving heartfelt melodies or trading verses with continental peers, she brings an instinctive richness to her music that belies her years.
Beyond the studio, her performances and personality reflect a belief in music’s ability to uplift and empower, particularly for Black women whose stories have long been underrepresented. As she solidifies her place on the global stage, Xowié’s evolution signals not just the rise of a star, but the deepening of a voice ready to shape the future of R&B and soul from the African continent outward.
6. Elsy Wameyo (Kenya)
A Kenyan-Australian singer, songwriter, and producer based in Nairobi and Adelaide, Elsy Wameyo fuses Hip-Hop, Soul, and Traditional African sounds as a polite blend and as a productive argument. What distinguishes Wameyo is the gravity at the centre of her music. It is spiritual; it explores her identity and culture.
Her 2025 EP WAMEYO was a gritty, rap-forward declaration of self, raw in texture and unflinching in tone. Featuring collaborations with Kenyan heavyweights like Khaligraph Jones, the project situated her firmly within an East African Hip-Hop lineage while asserting a voice that is unmistakably her own, and declaring a new rap-proficient Kenyan artiste on the rise.
7. 99 Phaces (Ghana)
99 Phaces proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This Ghanaian collective, comprising producers, engineers, and vocalists like Freddie Gambini, Moffy, Cozy, TikkiWaja, Anabel Rose, and Kiki Celine, has been building momentum since they stepped into the scene. Their DIY ethos means everything from production to performance is handled in-house, resulting in a cohesive sound that effortlessly blends Afro-Fusion, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Alté.
Their debut EP So We Made a Tape introduced their chemistry, with standouts like “Brotherman” becoming viral favourites, while 2025’s THE KIDS ARE JUST FINE showcased a collective hitting its stride.
The album’s exploration of Afro-Pop, palmwine music, and beyond reveals a group unafraid to experiment while staying rooted in their Ghanaian identity. With each member bringing distinct strengths, 99 Phaces is building something impossible to ignore. 2026 promises even more from this collective superpower.
8. Tul8te (Egypt)
Tul8te is redefining what it means to be a global face of Arab pop, blending traditional Egyptian sensibilities with a modern sonic palette that speaks to Gen Z’s experience of love, identity, and cultural pride. Since debuting in 2023 with MAGHOOL, he’s steadily built a body of work that bridges the rich musical heritage of his home country with R&B, Trap, and flamenco-tinged pop elements, most notably on his 2024 album Cocktail Ghena’y.
The standout single “HABEEBY LEH”, a track that reverberates with nods to Egyptian pop tradition while embracing contemporary feels, quickly amassed millions of streams and views, an organic testament to his appeal that didn’t rely on major label backing. Across North Africa and beyond, listeners have gravitated toward Tul8te’s music precisely because it roots itself in authentic cultural expression while remaining unmistakably fresh.
What makes Tul8te particularly intriguing is his emphasis on anonymity and universality. The mask he dons in performances and visuals isn’t a gimmick but a philosophy: that the music itself should be the entry point for interpretation, unencumbered by personal biography.
His lyrical explorations of love, heartbreak, and emotional nuance unfold over arrangements that are both intricate and accessible, usually combining Middle Eastern rhythms with the swagger of contemporary pop and R&B. In doing so, Tul8te occupies a rare space where local culture and global pop sensibilities not only coexist but enhance one another, placing him among the most exciting emerging voices in the Arab music sphere today.
9. Rayona (Nigeria)
Rayona might only be at the start of her career, but the singer’s arresting voice and instinctive grasp of emotion-driven storytelling immediately set her apart. Her debut EP, Ray Of Sunshine, is a luminous blend of R&B and emotive Afro-Pop, built on introspective lyricism that lays bare her vulnerabilities.
With vocals that are achingly tender yet startlingly resonant and songwriting that excavates raw feeling, 2026 could be the year she steps out of the margins and claims the spotlight she’s quietly been building toward.
10. Zaylevelten (Nigeria)
In 2025, Zaylevelten rose from obscurity to become one of the year’s most electrifying acts, wielding a dark, edgy form of Hip-Hop that seized the attention of Nigeria’s underground music scene and earned him a fervent cult following among young listeners drawn to his uncompromising aesthetic.
His 2025 project, then 1t gOt Crazy—which features in our list of top 50 music projects of 2025—sees him bend the genre through an Alté lens, stitching together distorted basslines, warped synths, abrasive percussion, and woozy melodies into a restless, psychedelic soundscape.
But Zaylevelten isn’t just a rapper and songwriter. He’s a meticulous producer operating under the alias “Tenski”, crafting the claustrophobic, glitchy beats that define his sonic universe. With a sound that thrives in dissonance and a fearlessly experimental approach to structure, he’s carved out a lane that feels entirely his own.
His cult following is already locked in, hanging on every warped bassline and cryptic lyric. 2026 could be the year Zaylevelten expands his genre-blurring sound beyond the underground while solidifying his place as one of Nigeria’s most daring and unorthodox voices.
11. MAUIMØON (Uganda)
MAUIMØON, born Donald Otim in 1997, is a Ugandan singer, songwriter, and producer who sits at the centre of East Africa’s Alté and R&B awakening. His sound is laid-back, a soft conversation between R&B, Afro-Pop, and Hip-Hop that trusts the listener to lean in.
There’s a nomadic intelligence to his music, shaped by years lived across Rwanda, Uganda, the UK, and Canada. You hear it in the way his songs travel, hooks that glide rather than strike, rhythms that feel imported and intimate at once, with an ear for texture, negative space, and the emotional pull of restraint. When he sings, he is MAUIMØON, and also behind the boards, as La Soülchyld, he becomes the architect, engineering moods.
The industry has already learned how to listen to him. MAUIMØON became the first East African artist featured in Apple Music’s Up Next program and has earned a spotlight on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Africa, markers of recognition.
12. Jakk Quill (Kenya)
One would probably know Jakk Quill for dropping what many are already calling Africa’s most ferocious rap verse of 2025—an unignorable moment on Khali Cartel 5 . In the verse, he announced a lineage and ambition in the same breath, delivered with a precision that felt studied and feral all at once.
Jakk Quill is a Kenyan rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer whose music lives in the tension between contemporary urgency and old-school discipline, bars built carefully, then released with devastating punch. His flow—nimble, elastic, sharply intentional—carries the kind of self-awareness that might make Kendrick Lamar glance up and mutter twin.
A recent track with EL Chi, who landed on our 2025 list, cements Quill’s place in a growing underground surge: artists applying pressure, forcing their way into the conversation through craft alone.
13. CupidSZN (Nigeria)
CupidSZN’s story reads like a modern Afrobeats fairytale. The Port Harcourt native went from discovering Juice WRLD on a boring afternoon to signing with Mavin Records in just over a year; a rise fueled by raw talent, family support, and an unshakeable belief in his vision. When his father advised him to conquer home before conquering the world, CupidSZN pivoted from Trap to Afro-Pop, teaching himself the genre on BandLab and convincing his entire family to relocate to Lagos to support his dream.
That leap of faith has paid off spectacularly. Early 2025 saw him team up with producer Wademix for the stirring single “Osogeme”, which helped build buzz before his November 2025 signing to one of Africa’s biggest labels.
Under Mavin, he wasted no time dropping his debut EP MYTH-ERA, a vibrant project featuring standout tracks like “Palava”, “Zesty Money”, and “Famous” that showcase his knack for crafting catchy, emotionally resonant numbers. With the full weight of Mavin behind him, CupidSZN’s journey to conquering the world is just getting started.
14. Ciza (South Africa)
Ciza has rapidly grown into one of South Africa’s most compelling young voices in Afro-pop and house music, blending the rhythmic energy of Johannesburg’s streets with melodies that feel both personal and universal. Born Nkululeko Nciza in Benoni, he grew up in a household drenched in music, crafting his songwriting from the age of 15, an early start that’s evident in the confident polish of his sound.
Breakout singles like “Isaka (6am)” not only received heavy airplay but also topped official South African charts, propelling him into national consciousness and marking him as an artist whose songs resonate deeply with local audiences. His earlier EP Golden Boy Pack showcased collaborations with respected producers such as DJ Maphorisa and Major League DJz, hinting at the vast creative circles he was already engaging with and the versatility that defines his artistry.
Ciza’s music navigates the joyful intersections of Afrobeats, house, and South African Afro-pop with an ease that feels instinctive. Tracks often pivot between dancefloor momentum and lyrical reflection, revealing an artist increasingly comfortable balancing mainstream appeal with honest expression.
Whether he’s layering Yoruba-influenced rhythms over Afro-pop grooves or leaning into melodic hooks that stay with you long after they finish, his work feels both rooted and forward-looking. As he continues to refine his voice and expand his collaborations, Ciza stands poised to be one of South Africa’s defining musical figures of this moment.
15. Braye (Nigeria)
Braye is one of Nigeria’s most exciting genre-defying talents, a storyteller whose musical compass seems only limited by imagination itself. Born and raised in Port Harcourt with formative years spent in Accra and now based between Lagos and Ghana’s creative hubs, Braye’s journey has been shaped by trans-West African experiences of sound and narrative.
His music is rooted in Soul, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Afrobeat, and reflects a restless curiosity, exploring emotional terrain with an honesty that feels rare among his peers. With his EP I Wish I Had More Time and singles like “Painless Melody”, he’s asserted himself as an artiste unafraid of vulnerability, weaving intricate personal reflections into compositions that feel rich with texture and intention.
What distinguishes Braye is his reverence for storytelling: not just as lyrical craft, but as a way of mapping life’s contradictions, longings, and triumphs. His sonic palette is as diverse as his influences; spanning from Ray Charles and Bob Marley to Anderson.Paak. His ability to translate disparate genres into a cohesive, emotive voice has garnered attention from critics and fans alike.
Far from chasing trends, he leans into the nuances of lived experience, allowing his music to evolve organically rather than force itself onto a moment. In a musical era obsessed with speed and viral virality, Braye’s thoughtful evolution marks him not just as a voice to watch in 2026, but as an artist whose depth might shape the contours of future Afro-Pop and Alternative scenes.
16. Priesst (Nigeria)
Priesst has been putting in the work for nearly a decade, and 2026 might finally be his year. The Nigerian rapper-singer has been quietly building his catalogue since the late 2010s, steadily refining his sound and cultivating a dedicated following.
Tracks like 2023’s “Upcoming” and 2024’s “Osimhen” showcased his ability to blend rap with melodic sensibilities, while last year’s project KURIMA marked a significant step forward in his artistic evolution. But it’s his 2026 output that signals something different: a sense of arrival.
“Akonuche” kicked off the year with undeniable momentum, and the recent remix featuring Victony and Shoday proves the spotlight is finally on him. With online netizens singing “I go cut my coat oversize this year” and his confidence at an all-time high, the long come-up is about to pay off in a major way.
17. Njerae (Kenya)
Njerae sings like someone writing letters she never sent, and then deciding, at last, to mail them anyway. The Kenyan singer-songwriter and producer has emerged as one of the most emotionally articulate voices of her generation, folding Afro-Indie, R&B, and neo-soul into a sound that feels intimate without being insular. Nicknamed Kenya’s Lover Girl, she wears the title lightly, using vulnerability as a method, with love, heartbreak, longing, and healing rendered with a voice that sounds like it knows the cost of honesty.
She calls her music Afro-Indie, and the term does fit the description. Alternative textures meet contemporary African rhythms in songs that drift, ache, and then quietly insist. Her breakthrough came with “Aki Sioni,” the 2022 hit track—a song that moved with the slow burn of recognition before becoming Kenya’s most-streamed track of 2025.
The milestones followed, as they tend to with an artist’s timing. In 2024, Njerae signed with Universal Music Group East Africa, and by June 2025, she was named Spotify EQUAL Africa Ambassador, joining a lineage of women shaping the continent’s sound from the inside out. Later that year, she returned with an edition of her EP Four Letter Word, expanding its emotional universe through collaborations with artists like Bensoul.
18. Abigail Chams (Tanzania)
Born Abigail Anthony Chamungwana in 2003, this Tanzanian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has moved through pop stardom with a velocity that feels almost unfair. She belongs to that rare class of young artists who sound fully formed, as if the future arrived early and decided to stay.
Her ascent has been marked by milestones. She became one of the youngest African artists to sign with Sony Music Africa, a move that signalled her readiness. By 2025, she had made history as the first female artist from East Africa to receive a BET Award nomination for Best New International Act, carrying regional pop onto a stage that rarely looks this far east.
In early 2026, she announced a new partnership with Visa alongside the release of “Your Loss,” a single that balances emotional clarity with pop precision. Around the same time, she appeared as a cover artist for Rolling Stone Africa’s Future of Music, a placement that felt less like a confirmation.
19. Una Rams (South Africa)
Una Rams occupies a rarefied space among South Africa’s multimedia creatives: a singer, songwriter, producer, and cultural alchemist whose work bridges R&B, soulful pop, and electronic rhythms with an effortless cool. Hailing from Makwarela in Limpopo, he first picked up instruments in his youth and steadily developed a knack for weaving emotional candour into polished sonic frameworks.
His contributions to Black Coffee’s Subconsciously (most notably on the track “Flava,” part of a Grammy-winning album) validated his craft on the global stage early, signalling that his artistry could resonate far beyond local scenes.
His 2025 album Meet Me At The Altar further solidified his place as a singer whose work feels both intensely personal and widely accessible, traversing themes of love, longing, growth, and self-discovery with a lyrical precision that feels lived in and honest.
Rams’s music lives in the delicate balance between introspection and groove. Whether he’s delivering a tender ballad or laying a sultry mid-tempo track, there’s always a sense of narrative craft at play. His collaborations and genre fluidity reflect a musician comfortable pushing boundaries while remaining anchored in feeling, making his voice a touchstone for South Africa’s next wave of R&B and soul expression. With a discography that continues to expand and an artistic vision that feels as big as his dreams, Una Rams embodies the kind of modern artistry that’s both thoughtful and magnetic.
20. Ṣẹwà (Nigeria)
Princess Sharon Awoyeni, known professionally as Ṣẹwà, is a multifaceted artiste whose music gracefully fuses Afrobeat, Soul, Folk, Jazz, and R&B to convey emotion and depth with rare sophistication. She exists at the intersection of Asa’s Afro-Soul storytelling and Angélique Kidjo’s Pan-African rhythms.
Last year, in February, Ṣẹwà opened for Asa in Toronto, where she delivered a spellbinding performance of her song “Carry Your Love”, with Asa accompanying her on guitar for a moment that captured the beauty of musical kinship and mutual respect between generations.
Her album Detox makes our list of top 50 music projects of 2025, thanks to her deft and inspired fusion of Pop, Jazz, R&B, and Afro-Soul. If her impressive slate of quality releases from 2025 showed anything, it’s that the singer is steadily advancing toward her breakthrough.
21. Lovn (Nigeria)
Lovn, born Charles Akinloye, is Mavin Records’ latest signee, announced late last year. The talented artiste operates at the intersection of Neo-Fuji and Afro-Pop. His groovy, infectious single “Sorry I’m Busy” and the electronically charged, scatterbrained brilliance of “Do Not Disturb”, both off his upcoming debut project Soundbender, offer tantalising glimpses into what he has to offer.
With Mavin’s machinery behind him and a sound that bridges Nigeria’s rich musical heritage with forward-thinking experimentation, 2026 could be the year Lovn stakes his claim at the forefront of Afro-Pop’s next evolution.
22. Emly (Nigeria)
Emly’s Lo-Fi music style and unhurried delivery are her most potent weapons. Her music, steeped in pure soul and evoking a spectrum of emotions, instantly pulls even the most casual of listeners into her all-inclusive emotional universe. On her collaborative project with MBA For Africa, POV, she proved her ability to craft intimacy at scale.
Slowly but surely finding her footing within an oversaturated music industry, the Port Harcourt-born R&B and Soul singer has built her sound on raw emotion. With one EP and a handful of singles to her name, Emly is quietly amassing momentum, an irrepressible force steadily carving out space with candid lyricism and storytelling that will position her as one of Nigeria’s most emotionally intelligent voices in R&B.
23. Toxic Lylikali (Kenya)
Known for a ferocious Trap-Dancehall style, he emerged from Eastlands, Nairobi, as a force. Toxic Lylikali is one of the most streamed and most argued-about voices in the city’s contemporary hip-hop bloodstream. His music doesn’t romanticise the street but reports from it, bass-heavy and unfiltered, with the urgency of lived experience.
The name tells its own origin story. “Toxic” was a high-school verdict, pinned on him for a blunt honesty that made people uncomfortable. “Lyrikali”—drawn from the Swahili kali, sharp, fierce—was added later, a declaration of intent, a warning about the pen. His sound, which is all gritty storytelling, matatu-sized basslines, and the hard pulse of dancehall, maps directly onto Eastlands, Nairobi.
What’s most striking is how little he leans on industry scaffolding. Toxic Lyrikali releases music through his own collective, Mboka Doba—Sheng for “money from music”— a philosophy as much as a label. His breakout anthem “Chinje” (2024), was a ruthless declaration, meaning to finish business decisively, that has clocked over 11 million YouTube views, propelled by word of mouth rather than marketing muscle. “Backbencher” (2025) followed, flipping the classroom underdog into a victory narrative for those written off early.
Tracks like “Sick”, “Thugnificent”, and “Euphoria” continue to build a catalogue that feels cohesive, hungry, and unsanitized. By late 2025, he ranked as Kenya’s most-streamed artist for several consecutive months—a statistic that feels less surprising when you hear how directly his music speaks. Sharing stages with international artists like Tems at Blankets & Wine, Toxic Lyrikali carries Nairobi’s Inner City with him, proving that independence, when paired with clarity and conviction, can be louder than any major label megaphone.
24. RCee (Ghana)
RCee is making Highlife sexy again. The Ghanaian singer-songwriter, raised in Accra and Kumasi, blends Highlife’s rich heritage with R&B smoothness. His mellow yet commanding vocals carry a sense of purpose; he describes his music as ‘mood management’, a therapeutic outlet that channels emotion into lush soundscapes and infectious choruses.
Tracks like 2023’s “Deserve” and 2024’s “Enough” showcased his heartfelt songwriting and genre-fluid approach, while his 4-track EP How Did We Get Here revealed an artiste unafraid to explore and push his own boundaries. His 2025 releases “Agenda” and “Atiaa” further proved his versatility, demonstrating that RCee can shift moods and styles without losing his signature warmth. As Ghana’s music scene continues to evolve, RCee stands out as a fresh voice carrying the Highlife torch forward with modern flair and undeniable soul.
25. Jubed (Ghana)
Jubed is a sound architect building something beautifully unhurried. The Kumasi-born artiste has carved out a space where Afro-Pop and Amapiano converge. His breakout single, “Ruwa”, meaning ‘water’ in Hausa, perfectly encapsulates his approach: smooth, flowing, and deceptively deep. It’s a tribute to womanhood wrapped in soothing vocals and quiet confidence, the kind of track that doesn’t demand your attention but earns it effortlessly.
Following up with Hausa-Piano gems like “Gobaya”, Jubed proved he wasn’t a one-hit wonder but an artiste with range and vision. His EP From The Soil and its deluxe edition raised the stakes even higher, bringing in heavyweights like Yemi Alade, Seyi Shay, Oxlade, and Kojo Blak to co-sign his sonic elegance. As he continues to build his legacy one release at a time, Jubed represents a new kind of Ghanaian artiste; human enough to feel deeply, distinct enough to dream differently.
Emmanuel ‘Waziri’ Okoro is a content writer and journo with an insatiable knack for music and pop culture, with bylines on Afrocritik, PM News Nigeria, Tribune, ThisDay Live, Vanguard, and The Guardian. When he’s not writing, you will find him arguing why Arsenal FC is the best football club in the multiverse. Connect with him on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads: @BughiLorde.
Abioye Damilare Samson is a music journalist and culture writer focused on the African entertainment industry. His works have appeared in Afrocritik, Republic NG, NATIVE Mag, Newlines Magazine, The Nollywood Reporter, Culture Custodian, 49th Street, and more. Connect with him on Twitter and IG: @Dreyschronicle
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.
Frank Njũgĩ, an award-winning Kenyan writer, culture journalist, and critic, has written on the East African and African culture scene for platforms such as Debunk Media, Republic Journal, Sinema Focus, Culture Africa, Drummr Africa, The Elephant, Wakilisha Africa, The Moveee, Africa in Dialogue, Afrocritik, and others.