The 50 Nigerian Songs Of The Decade (2010 – 2019) | #TheDecadeList
Overview of The Nigerian Songs of the Decade (2010 – 2019) | #TheDecadeList
In the past decade, much of Nigerian music has, internationally, fallen into the “Afrobeats to the World” tag. While this may mean we’re steady gaining ground in foreign markets, the enduring quality of our sound lies in the Nigerian experience.
Many songs have reflected this. Either directly through social commentary (“Double Wahala“) or through love odes spiced by celebrity (“Fall“), or appropriating a viral dance (“Wo!“), Nigeria has proven to be an inspiration to its artistes, with many having made special songs out of the collective experience we all share.
#TheDecadeList, stretching back to 2010, celebrates the biggest – not necessarily most commercially-acclaimed – songs of the last decade (which ended 2019).
The criteria considered for this list include:
- CULTURAL IMPACT: How much the song effected conversation, and its impact within the industry and outside.
- QUALITY: Bearing in mind that “quality” is subjective, this was settled on by the consensus of our team.
- POPULARITY: How received is/was a song? How wide a demography does it cut across? What is its commercial pull? Charts, views, and all that.
- LONGEVITY: This refers to replay value. Is a 7-year song song still pulling streams and getting played at events? In pop culture phrasing– has the song aged well?
With the above points in mind, we put forward #TheDecadeList, curated by our team of music experts here at NotJustOk.com, to lend our voice, to recognize these 50 Nigerian songs released in the last decade.
50. JAYWON – THIS YEAR [2012]
An appreciative number. Jaywon’s song was massive as it was released in December 2012, and on the cusp of a new year, it quickly became an annual prayer to many Nigerians.
49. MR. EAZI ft. EFYA – SKIN TIGHT [2015]
One of the biggest songs from Mr. Eazi’s early career where he patented the Banku sound. “Skin Tight” still remains a cult classic to this day.
48. 2BABA ft. PERUZZI – AMAKA [2018]
Responsible for Peruzzi’s breakout, “Amaka” also came at a crucial period for 2Baba who, though his powers were waning, reminded us he could still hold his own. The song quickly caught fire, with many a man relating to its story about a ‘promise and fail’ character. It became one of the biggest songs of 2018.
47. WIZKID ft. DRAKE – COME CLOSER [2017]
After the remix of “Ojuelegba,” more international artistes built relationships with Afrobeats power players, and powerful songs were born. One of such is “Come Closer,” an Afro Dancehall song between Wizkid and Drake.
46. FLAVOUR – ADA ADA [2012]
For a long time, Flavour’s eccentric proclamation of a lady’s beauty was the unofficial wedding song across South Eastern states. It remains a classic, seeing as it practically birthed a sub-genre within the Afro Highlife genre.
45. STARBOY ft. WIZKID & L.A.X – CARO [2013]
The Afropop-spiced song, carried by the Starboy duo proved to be an immense success. It rose to become one of the more-resonant hit songs at the time of its release.
44. NAIRA MARLEY – SOAPY [2019]
Naira Marley provoked the country with “Soapy,” a sexually-inciting affair which came with an even more provocative dance step. But in time, people’s anger turned to confusion, and from there, Naira Marley set tent, thriving in unusual ways and spaces.
43. NINIOLA – MARADONA [2017]
That this song earns royalties from Beyoncé is quite the flex. Back home, “Maradona” was the song which introduced Niniola’s racy Afro House sound to many Nigerians.
42. MALEEK BERRY – KONTROL [2016]
Maleek Berry’s singing prowess went under the radar for much of the decade, but when he got into his zone, very few could match his ability to make a great song. “Kontrol” is no doubt a great song and its commercial and critical impact showed that.
41. WANDE COAL & DJ TUNEZ – ISKABA [2016]
This song reiterated Wande Coal’s mastery of Afro Pop elements. Undoubtedly an epic release, “Iskaba” would go on to rock dance floors in a way not many songs can.
