The 10 Hottest Artists in Nigeria #TheList2016 takes into account the hottest names in Nigerian music from the tail-end of 2015 till date. For the rest of the week, we’ll systematically reveal all 10 names on #TheList2016.
Be sure to continue refreshing your NJO homepage to see who’s next.
4. Phyno
Phyno is a bonafide Nigerian star! He’s not only shattered the myth that you can’t blow in Lagos if you sing in Igbo, he’s done it while also rapping, and stayed consistent with it.
Phyno ended the year 2015 with the first-ever #Phynofest Concert in Onitsha, and by all accounts, it was a resounding success! All the stars with Eastern roots showed up to entertain tens of thousands of fans at the Chuba Ikpeazu Stadium, making #PhynoFest2016 in Enugu on the 20th of November, quite frankly, unmissable!
Focusing on the music itself, “Connect” – even though it was released late 2015 – continued to do damage in the first quarter of 2016 across the East and Naija in general. However, the biggest Phyno song till date, and one of the biggest songs of 2016, is “Fada Fada“. The Olamide-assisted and Masterkraft-produced single is the 2nd most downloaded song on MyNotjustok.com, racking up 1.6 MILLION DOWNLOADS and counting!
“Fada Fada” also held the record as the song with the longest streak at #1 on the PlayData Charts (9 consecutive weeks), barely losing that title last month, making it a candidate for “Song of the Year“, “Best Pop Single“, with Masterkraft earning a “Producer of the Year” nomination at the upcoming Headies.
In retrospect, Phyno slips down #TheList from his #2 placement in 2015 to #4 on #TheList2016. But this isn’t down to him dropping down in standard or stardom. He’s had an excellent year, touring Nigeria, America and other parts of the globe. We expect The Playmaker to continue bossing the game in 2017 with the release of The Playmaker album.