To highlight the power of collaborations and how they’ve helped strengthen the relationship between Ghana and Nigeria, this list gives a rundown of 18 unforgettable Nigerian and Ghanaian music collaborations, from the early 2000s to recent times.
Amidst the heightened festivities of December last year, fumes of controversy and adversity had risen, threatening to cause a rift between the symbiotic and filial relationship between neighbourhood West African countries, Ghana and Nigeria. Brewed by controversial Ghanaian dancehall sensation, Shatta Wale’s utterances touching on the Nigerian music industry and media seemingly not showing enough love to their Ghanaian counterparts, it had also swirled up in its wake, several discourses, highlighting the many strategies Nigerian musicians and its presiding industry had taken to see to the supremacy of their music. One of such strategies includes collaboration which essentially amplifies the strengths of all parties involved across their fanbases and is an exchange of co-signs by so doing. To highlight the power of collaborations and how they’ve helped strengthen the relationship between Ghana and Nigeria, here’s a list of 18 unforgettable Nigerian and Ghanaian music collaborations, from the early 2000s to recent times:
Unforgettable Ghana and Nigeria Music Collaborations;
1. Fefe Na Fe- Tic Tac ft. Tony Tetuila, 2004
A line from an Ashanti proverb, Fefe na efe had already been demystified by the late Fela Kuti to mean ‘it is the beauty of a woman.’ And then when the Ghanaian hiplife musician Tic Tac had recruited Nigeria’s Tony Tetuila on a similarly titled record, they’d put out something so fresh and evergreen, a brief listen will act as an instant memory recall of the song for Ghana and Nigeria-born 90s babies and millennials.
An ode to the beauty of a woman, Fefe Na Efe can stand toe-to-toe with the latest African woman appreciation songs out in recent times.
2. My Love- Tuface, now 2Baba and VIP, 2006
Once upon a time in Nigeria, Ghanaian music had been all the rave, with radio stations and DJs putting records from the country on heavy rotation. In that era, Ghanaian highlife and hip-hop trio, VIP had been a favourite, leading with songs like Ahomka Womu and more.
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In 2006, Tuface, now known as 2Baba, whose artistry had begun to expand beyond African shores off the back of his African Queen smash hit, had put out My Love together with the group, it had been a spirited and up-tempo boy-band sounding affair that had captured the market Ghanaian and Nigerian market as not just another Tuface hit, but an evergreen cross-continent love anthem. In fact, the record was so loved that even little kids with the faintest inkling about love never failed to sing along as wholeheartedly as if they were a member of the Ghanaian group or even the softly crooning Tuface himself.
Unforgettable Ghana and Nigeria Music Collaborations;
3. Two Women- Tony Tetuila ft VIP, 2006
Further proof of VIP’s star power back in the days was their collaboration with Nigerian star, Tony Tetuila, who was himself formerly one of three of the Remedies. Tony Tetuila also a chart blazer, had before that given the airwaves Omode Meta, My Car and his feature on Tic Tac’s Fefe Na Efe. So back then in the early 2000s, this collaboration was a hand joining of two music heavyweights to create an unforgettably hip record that speaks on a unique dilemma; being in love with two women.
Two Women had had such an impact on the airwaves that right from the intro which goes ‘Sele, sele, Ghana, Naija, let’s go,’ everyone knew it was party time.
4. Kiss Your Hand- R2Bees ft. Wande Coal, 2009
In present time Lagos state and at a gathering of young Nigerians, a certified way to get them on their feet is to put on the Wande Coal-featured Kiss Your Hand dancehall-inflected hiplife record by R2Bees. You turn the volume all the way up from the adlibs on the intro that go ‘Ratata! It’s Wande Coal!’ And watch the party get started.
Such was and still is the Black Diamond and R2Bees effect, making a Ghana-Nigerian collaboration that is not only unforgettable but incredibly iconic. Ironically, Wande Coal himself had before that put out a similarly titled record as one of the masterpieces off his debut album, Mushin 2 Mohits, but as fate would have it, it was the cultural exchange that would be the anthem and the soundtrack of the 90s baby’s childhood.
5. Becca- No Away ft M.I Abaga, 2012
In 2012, Becca, one of Ghana’s top vocalists decided that the men had had too much fun representing Ghana all by themselves where the Ghana-Naija musical crossovers were concerned and stepped in to put her spin on things.
For this, she’d recruited iconic rapper, M.I Abaga, moulding him into a lover boy for their romantic collab on No Away which was soon followed by equally moving vocals that had shippers rooting for the duo.
6. Slow Down- R2Bees ft. Wizkid, 2013
Hiplife was at the very core of Ghanaian music back in the noughties and 2010s and the R2Bees duo made up of Mugeez and Omar Sterling had greatly blessed the subgenre not only with their talent but with era-defining collaborations. This is a feat they sealed four years after their Kiss Your Hand smash hit, this time with a slow-paced number that travelled past being for lovers alone to being for music lovers as Ghanaians and Nigerians everywhere crooned along to Wizkid’s laidback lines on the song and then to rap song lines from R2Bees.
The official video of Slow Down which marked Wizkid’s entry into continental currently sits on 21 million views on YouTube as a slight testament to the power that this collaboration holds.
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Unforgettable Ghana and Nigeria Music Collaborations;
7. Skin Tight- Mr Eazi ft. Efya, 2015
In the late 2010s, a sound had infected the airwaves of Ghana and Nigeria and it was the Ghanaian-bred Banku music, pioneered by Mr Eazi, a cultural hybrid of his Nigerian roots and time studying in Ghana. The sound had begun its circulation following the release of his Juls-produced and Efya-assisted single Skin Tight, done up in his Banku style which he described as a mix of Ghanaian expressions and Nigerian chord progressions.
Juls and Efya both being Ghanaians, had been the perfect collaborators for the track, with Juls who’d reached out to him earlier on in his career, serving as a catalyst to the growth of Eazi’s sound and Efya becoming a long-running Nigerian collaborator afterwards.
Skin Tight by Mr Eazi had not only grown into a smash hit, but was an entire cultural reset and era for Nigerians and Ghanaians, both consumers and creators as it influenced a lot of choices from then on and remains a favourite till now.
8. Hollup- Mr Eazi ft Joey B and Dammy Krane, 2015
In 2015, you didn’t need a whole lot to have a good time in a gathering of young people, granted you had a source of playing music at amplified volumes and they promptly heard Mr Eazi quip ‘You think say di world dey revolve around your bumbum?’ over the kicks looped in the instrumentals that punctuated Mr Eazi’s vocals and just before Dammy Krane’s Fuji like vocalisation, Joey B’s even-paced yet arresting rap to wrap in one of the biggest records of the year.
That was the effect of the Mr Eazi Hollup collab joint, we daresay it still holds sway till date.
9. Anointing- Mr Eazi ft Sarkodie, 2016
The Mr Eazi-influenced Banku era had witnessed a resurgence of Ghanaian and Nigerian collabo/rations that created several smash hits with a markedly slower beat count that would normally not have climbed to such levels. Anointing by Mr Eazi featuring Sarkodie was one of such records and had partly due to the cosign from the Ghanaian OG rapper, simultaneously reigned over the airwaves even while Skin Tight featuring Efya also did.
It’s safe to say in this era, that the Ghana and Nigerian collaborations were not only iconic, but the vibes themselves, immaculate.
Unforgettable Ghana and Nigeria Music Collaborations;
10. Daddy Yo- Wizkid ft. Efya, 2016
In late 2016, Wikzid had dropped Daddy Yo as the precursor to his then forthcoming third studio album, Sounds From the Other Side. A dancehall infused pop- affair that was heady and irresistible, it had Ghanaian Efya on the backup vocals, creating the perfect aura for the record which became a continental hit as well as an end of the year jam.
11. Dance For Me- Eugy, Mr Eazi, 2016
2016 also saw Ghanaian British singer, Eugy team up with Mr Eazi who had been the rave of the moment to make a certified dancehall banger. But this time around, the impact had been felt more by Africans in the diaspora, with the song’s dance challenge snowballing into a sub-movement while the song itself was recognised as a sure party starter.
12. No Kissing Baby- Patoranking ft. Sarkodie, 2016
Much like the opening of a portal, the boon in the Ghanaian and Nigerian music scene as influenced by their collaborations, had led to a further increase in collaborations during the period and it had given us the Patoranking banku-inflected dancehall anthem, No Kissing Baby. Making Patoranking’s first international collab, it had given Ghanaians and Nigerians one of the smoothest Sarkodie guest verses even while he enjoyed an insane run in the music scene.
Unforgettable Ghana and Nigeria Music Collaborations;
13. Painkiller- Sarkodie ft Runtown, 2017
Years after the cataclysmic success of Runtown’s Mad Over You record, the singer would admit that it was a blessing and a curse. While he meant the latter as a result of the weight of expectations it left behind, it was undoubtedly a blessing in its establishment of the blend of Ghanaian Banku and Igbo Highlife that was soon reapplied to create Sarkodie’s Painkiller.
On Painkiller, the rapid-fire spitting Sarkodie had flowed at par with Runtown’s chill tempo to cement the chokehold that the Ghanaian-originated Banku music had had on the airwaves of the countries and had given music lovers an unforgettable anthem.
14. Na Wash- Becca ft Patoranking, 2017
A leading lady in a male-dominated scene, Becca had put out Na Wash in early 2017 to re-assert her stake in the scene. This time, she’d featured Patoranking and they’d made a hit record that traversed the borders of Ghana to become a hit record in the two countries.
A song satirising the modern standards of showing love, it had been aptly released on Valentines Day with her and Patoranking serving as the perfect music making couple.
Unforgettable Ghana and Nigeria Music Collaborations;
15. Whoa!- Aylø ft Amaarae, 2017
In 2017, the burgeoning alternative scene that straddled Lagos and Accra and other regions of the two countries began to take shape and was getting gradual recognition with the label ‘Alte.’ It was also the year Nigerians discovered Ghanaian singer Amaarae through a feature on alternative RnB and Soul singer, Aylø’s Whoa! record off his Insert Project Name album. It had been a sensual and ambient output and Amaarae’s verse had complimented the song perfectly and had gotten listeners curious about the airy-voiced singer. From that moment on, Amaarae had unlocked a cult following of Nigerian music lovers who have only increased and spilled over to show love to other alternative acts from Ghana.
16. Awolowo- BOJ ft Kwesi Arthur, Darkovibes and Joey B, 2019
A pioneer of the alté subgenre, BOJ had redefined his power by having an all Ghanaian lineup on Awolowo which ironically had a chorus rendered fully in Yoruba.
Done up like a Ghanaian new age rap cypher, Awolowo featured the rapper Kwesi Arthur, singer and rapper Darko Vibes and Joey B.
Eventually, BOJ made a remix with an all Nigerian lineup but word on the streets is that the original is where all the juice is.
17. Body Riddim- Runtown ft Darkovibes, Bella Shmurda, 2020
In early 2020, when Runtown dropped Body Riddim with Darkovibes and Bella Shmurda, it had been one of the first songs of the year from an A-lister and it had been doubly interesting due to the features which ran from Ghana’s Darkovibes and the 2019 Nigerian breakout act, Bella Shmurda.
Body Riddim had been a fluid joining of Runtown’s Afrodancehall style of music, Darkovibes highlife and hip-hop cadences and Bella Shmurda’s street hop sauce. It had also been Bella Shmurda’s first international collaboration and had helped set the tone for his year.
18. Forever Rmx- Gyakie ft Omah Lay, 2021
Gyakie’s Forever off her debut EP, Seed was already a huge hit, but she’d been shrewd enough to see the advantage in a collaboration to make a remix that would further strengthen the impact of her breakout hit.
For this, she’d chosen a fellow breakout sensation in the Nigerian Omah Lay who laid a verse so cohesive, it felt like the original and had found even better placement on the charts.
Unforgettable Ghana and Nigeria Music Collaborations;
19. Second Sermon- Black Sherif, Burna Boy, 2021
Ghanaian Black Sherif had been steadily making a name for himself and growing a cult following from Ghana and Nigeria with his hard-hitting iteration of Ghanaian drill, his Second Sermon being a favourite thrumming beneath the mainstream.
His status soon changed after Nigerian megastar Burna Boy jumped on the record and gave it a befittingly rage-filled verse that soon became its remix. Known for his energetic performances and high expectations from his audience, Burna Boy had instructed fans to learn the lyrics for the remix of Second Sermon prior to his Lagos headline show, further helping to convert his fans to believers in Black Sherif’s sermon.
20. Yard- Poco Lee ft Black Sheriff, Bella Shmurda & Alpha P
In reference to the caliber of artistes who make up the new age of African music, it is often stated that the future is in good hands and on Yard, this statement is hoisted high and proved true.
With Poco Lee standing in as the binding element, and hypeman, on Yard, we get a hedonist anthem while stoners get a new tune thanks to stellar input from Ghana’s Black Sheriff whose vocals melds unexpectedly well with Alpha P’s and street hop sensation, Bella Shmurda.
P.S. This list was originally published on the 16th of January, 2022.
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