Afrocritik’s Weekly Music Spotlight: Rhythm & Blues
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Hello again, music explorers
Welcome to the last week of the first quarter (wow, the year is really flying by at this point). I hope you’re all doing well and that it’s been a favourable quarter for you and your accounts. If it hasn’t, let’s look ahead to the next quarter with some hope.
This past week was a bit light in terms of releases—it seems many artistes were holding off for the final Friday of the quarter. As a result, compiling our selection was quite the challenge, but when has that ever stopped us? We love a good challenge. Thankfully, the difficulty was eased by some standout R&B discoveries, so we leaned into that energy for this week’s playlist.
Before we jump in, don’t forget to follow us on our socials @Afrocritik to stay up to date with the Spotlights as they drop. Feel free to interact with us and let us know what gems you’ve discovered from our list—or even on your own. Also, if you or anyone you know is releasing music that deserves to be heard by our adventurous listeners, don’t hesitate to drop me a line at yinoluu@afrocritik.com for details on how to get your music considered!
And now, without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s rhythms and blues. We have:
R&B EPs: In a light week of releases, we were treated to a number of emotive expressive EPs from a host of talents across the continent. Ghanaian rising star, Darkua, blesses us with an R&B EP, Never Too Late, which gives us “MiiYa”, “Confession” and “On My Way”.
Nigerian newcomer, Strei, follows suit with I.T.A.M, from which we get “Toyin Tomato”, “I De Go”, and “Cool Down”. South African songstress Gemma Fassie’s Island 22 EP is represented by “No More”, “What You Want”, and “September”. Tanzanian multi-hyphenate, Hevi, released her R&B adjacent, Afrofusion-heavy self-titled HEVI EP, from which we take “My Rider”, “It’s Okay”, and “Jam”.
ALTERNATIVE ADVENTURE: This past week, we were also opportune to discover some interesting offerings to broaden our palettes. Kenyan-Nigerian producer, Afamefuna, puts together a stellar EP in i.r.l, represented here by “Not The One” with Zaituni Wambui, “Raindrops” with Terrianne Iraki, and the Stacy Kamatu-assisted “Better”.
Abuja sweetheart, Lady Donli, is back with “Keep On Loving Me”, Damilola Prodigi brings the energy on “I Don Get Money”, Kohdee enlists Odumodublvck on the Baile Phonk-inspired “Zaza”, and Ivorian staple, Vetcho Lolas, shines on “Togolo”, “La Pierre Rejetee” and “Mon Choix” from his new album Trinite Vol.1.
AMAPIANO?: We skipped our usual trip to South Africa last week to the shock of some of our regulars. They can rest easy knowing we’re back to our regular programming, although this week’s selection is quite light.
Flying the flag is Myztro and his Nkwari 3.0 project which gives us “Busy Boys”, “Monate Fela”, “Jakalas”, and “Thata”. We also have Shakes & Les on a collaborative project called The Playbook, giving us “Stuff Sama Grootman”, “Thus’mthwalo”, and “Sun or Rain”.
And there you have it—the cross-section for this week. I encourage you to play through the entire playlist to discover other hidden gems that went unmentioned. It might also be fun to explore the albums and artists featured to uncover personal favourites of your own.
If you’re a budding musician with a sound worth sharing, don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn how to get your songs considered for the Spotlight.
As the month draws to a close, you can look forward to the Monthly Editorial playlist update. Wishing you the best in the week ahead—I hope you have a great time vibing to the music on this list. I also encourage you to embark on your own musical adventures and maybe even share some of your best finds with me. Enjoy the journey, and have a blessed week filled with musical highs.
Warm regards,
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.