Top Ten Nigerian Albums In 2011

 

10 Double Dare — Dare

Label: Soul Muzik

Date: March 2011

Double Dare Is A Double album comprising two parts; Heart (majorly slow love songs) and Beat (more up tempo and fast paced songs). Featuring Production By TY Mix And Providing Hit Singles Like Love The Way You Are, Ba Ni Kidi As Well As The Chamillionaire assisted Love The Way You Are remix. Other Guests On The Album Include Flavour, Timaya, 9ice, jesse jagz, mo’ cheddah, p square.

 

9 Super Sun — Bez

Label: Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions

Released: July 2011

Bez; this soft-spoken soul singer breezed into the hearts of the ladies. With his slow-music. Honestly, I didn’t like bez at first, I didn’t get More You (his first single) at all, even though I loved the kemi adetiba directed video. But listening to and watching bez perform LIVE at an event in lagos blew me away. I searched for, found his songs and eventually copped the album. Super sun is something different, something fresh, after all the heavy and fast paced beats we listened to all year, super sun offers something mellow, something to slow it all down. If You Love Asa, You’re Gonna Love Bez. Highlights include Super Sun, Super Sun remix, More You, That Stupid Song. The album features production by Cobhams & Guests the likes of eLDee, Eva, Ice Prince & Praise

 

8 Port-Hacourt First Son — Duncan Mighty

Label:

Date: January 2011

Ask Any Young Person From The Eastern Part of Nigeria Who Their Best Artiste Is, And Some Might Mention Duncan Mighty. The Singer Has A Knack For Making Catchy, Melodious Sing Alongs That Rock Any Party. He Makes The Best Gyration Music while also passing a message across. The album takes up many topics from love to hate to forgiveness and to the good life. The singer smiled home to the bank with numerous shows all around the east

 

7 Nonilizing — Samklef

Label:

Date: January 2011

Samklef noni, producer extraordinaire is gifted. If u see him on the streets of ogba, a suburb of lagos, just say noni. I had heard a couple of samklef songs on the radio n t.v (laba laba, n noni). Then I attended his birthday bash in february 2011 where I had mad fun n got a signed nonilizing cd as well, I didn’t even give it a chance. A few days later, I slotted it into my laptop and for the next hour I was unconciously screaming noni n nodding my head. Immediately Molowononi came on, I knew it was a hit. Nonilizing is one of those albums you can buy over and over again.  Surprisingly lovely effort by samklef; excellent production and superb delivery by guests such as Wizkid, Da prince, Olamide, Ice Prince and Skales.

6 Super C Season — Naeto C

Label: Cerious Music

Date: January 2011

2008’s ‘You Know My P’ took many by surprise as we had never seen a rap album achieve such a huge acceptance by mainstream naija (where hip hop and rap isn’t really accepted). Naeto Chikwe produced hit track after hit track and also made popular street slangz like ‘P’ and ‘las gid’i… So when it was announced in january that the album was ready for release, fans across naija were clearing their music shelves in anticipation. Preceded by smash hit singles like ‘Ako Mi Ti Toju’, ‘Ten Over Ten’ and ‘Share My Blessing’ (which features soul maestro asa). Naeto C not only delivered another classic album but also provided an album which even your mother and aunties can listen to due to, with the infusion of pidgin english, as well native languages like ibo and yoruba. On this album, naeto worked with TY Mix, Sarz, Sossick, Dr Frabs and Terry G and guests the likes of Omawumi, Asa, Waje, Da Grin, Terry G, YQ, as well as UK rapper Sway.

 

5 Rapsodi — Olamide

Label: Coded Tunes

Released: April 2011

When Da Grin Died Last Year, the whole naija music was saddened by the loss of a huge talent, he is remembered in nigerian pop culture. The akogun of naija rap paved the way and inspired a lot of up and coming artistes, one of them is olamide. think I’m lying? he even made a tribute the song the nigerian icon in debut album rapsodi. Rapsodi was surprisingly good, preceded by smash hit track eni duro and its very creative dj tee directed video, naija peeps really took this guy serious when the second single omo to shan featuring rave of the moment singer wizkid. Backed by production from the legendary Id cabasa as well as great delivery, clever rhymes as well as native proverbs, all layed out in his mother tongue, rapsodi is an album that was superior to most in 2011. the album had guests such as wizkid, 9ice, terry tha rapman,  as well as label mates like 2phat, adol, reminisce. Olamide can hopefully, get even better from here.

 

4 Versus/Bashorun Gaa — 9ice

Label: Alapomeji

Released: December 2011

After several delays and controversies, 9ice finally released his much anticipated double-disc album in dec 2011. 9ice delivered on this showing how hard working he has been and providing enough material for his fans to last them for years. I’m not sure what the official numbers for the album are but the album moved off the store shelves faster than usain bolts gets off the blocks. the album is in two parts. Consisting of Two Parts; Versus which favours the younger section of his fans has a track list that reads the who is who in the industry, Hitlist would have been a more appropriate name for the album. The other part is Bashorun gaa which features the regular 9ice with the usual serving of african proverbs. Versus/Bashorun Gaa is feel good musci and is a good item to include in christmas hampers for your boss or your mum!

 

3 The Invasion — P Square

Label: Square Records

Released: July 2011

Naija’s Favorite Twins Have Already Achieved Veteran Status, Yet The Invasion Showed That These Talented Guys Are Not Resting On Their Laurels Just Yet. The Uber Succesful Duo, Invaded The Media, Market & Our Hearts With Yet Another Smash Hit Album! With Little or No promo, Just A Concert which was held a day after the album was released. No Preceeding Singles, Just Good, Quality stuff all round. Naija surely didn’t see this one coming! P square didn’t really have to do much work as they unleashed their secret weapon on the album to unsuspecting fans, MAY D the square record signee did what he does best, he stole the show at every opportunity he was given! Of course, like everything associated with p square is handled in the family, this was no exception as production was by jude engees okoye and the twins themselves. Notable guests on the album include, Naeto C, Muna, Eva, Tiwa Savage & May D.

 

2 — The Dreamer Project (Show Dem Camp)

Label:

Released: September 2011

My Personal Favorite -_-

Okay, You May Not Know who these guys are, but trust me, they make good music. Show Dem Camp easily is my album of the year! Both locally and internationally, the album I jammed the most. The duo of Tec & Ghost provided their fans with an instant classic! their varying styles served to add spice to the excellent beats provided by the various producers on the album. Not since M.I’s Talk About It has a nigerian rap album been this good! Lyrically, this album stands toe to toe with any other album out there, even modenine’s pentium IX! Pound for pound its the best naija rap album ever!! the arrangement, the production, even the skits, excellent! Tec & Ghost took no prisoners

The Dreamer Project Is Like The Hip Hop Equivalent of The Hail Mary Pass in American Football! If Only their distribution and production had been better, getting the album was like searching for the holy grail, I was glad I persisted though as I wasn’t dissapointed at all. The dreamer project was backed by beats from Ikon,   Rundatrax, Jusa Dementor, Kurt, Ceeko as well as Show N Prove and features guests like May D (who stole the song here too), Eva, Eyfa, M.I, Lynxx, Temi Dollface, Poe, Badman Floss, Abasa,  Lucci, Benny P, A1, Nneka & Tuface Idibia. These Duo “Showed Dem” What Real Music Is About In 2011

 

1 — SuperStar  Wizkid

Studio Album By Wizkid

Label: EME Records

Date: June 2011

Starboy! ,as Ayo Balogun is sometimes called, is undoubtedly the biggest artist in naija right now! Not since Tuface Idibia went solo or even D’Banj has Naija had a more widely accepted and crossovered artist. The 17 tracker was launched amid huge media hype and much pomp at the Eko with a large concert. The album was a huge hit and it had wizkid combining several styles of music. It also showed how much wizkid has grown as an artist, as he included material he had done earlier in his career. However, this proved to be a minor blip on the album as it seemed to lack cohesion and no particular arrangement. that could also be as a result of the album featuring a pot pouri of producers such as Samklef, Jay Sleek, Knighthouse, E Kelly. Guests Artistes On The Album Include Wande Coal, D Prince And Label Mates, Skales & Banky W. All In All, Superstar Is A Solid Debut Album earning the Holla At your boy singer awards both locally and internationally, MOBO, Headies etc. Despite Pressure & Huge Expectations, Wizkid Delivered To His Fans & Earned Rave Reviews From Critics. Wizkid Has Perfomed at almost all the major shows both in Nigeria and abroad in the last 12months.

 

Honorable Mentions Also Go To Beautiful Noize (Timi Dakolo),  Terry G.zuz (Terry G), Evolution (Godwon)