TBT: Songs That Brought Our Music Stars to Limelight

The Nigerian music scene has seen many faces come and go. Many reigned for a while before going MIA. Those that have stood the test of time and are still giving us awesome vibes really deserve some accolades.

Meanwhile, in the social media world, Thursdays are for throwbacks, with the hashtag #TBT. Thus we’ll be looking at some songs that brought some of our artistes to the limelight. If you are a fan of Nigerian music or you reside in this part of the world, you’ll definitely relate to these 5 songs from Nigeria’s top 5 artistes. Here are the songs and the artistes below:

“African Queen” by 2face Idibia

This song by 2face Idibia (now known as 2baba) was an anthem when it was released in 2004. It was a major hit in 2face’s ‘Face 2 Face’ album which was released shortly after his former group ‘Plantashun Boiz’ was disbanded.

African Queen is a guitar ballad with elements of West African folk music and hip-hop. It was a success not only in Nigeria but internationally too. In 2006, the hit-track was used as a soundtrack in a Hollywood movie titled ‘Phat Girlz’. 2face has since recorded African Queen Remix, enjoyed stardom and has attained legendary status in the Nigerian music industry.

“Holla At Your Boy” by Wizkid

Wizkid, whose real name is Ayo Balogun, came into limelight with the release of his single titled “Holla At Your Boy” in 2010. The song was released under the stables of EME records, co-owned by Bankole Wellington and Tunde Demuren. ‘Starboy Wizzy’ as he is currently known can also be called a legend for being relevant all these years. Fast forward to 2019, Wizkid is definitely a frontline act in Africa. Check out the visuals of ‘Holla at your boy’ and see Wizkid ‘fresh and fly,’ as he said in the song lyrics.

“Dami Duro” by Davido

Dami duro is a song by Davido under the label HKN Music. This song proclaimed the DMW boss as OBO (Omo Baba Olowo). It was released as the second single from his debut studio album and was released in 2011. Dami duro enjoyed massive airplay everywhere you go and had Shizzi as the producer, who is also waxing stronger. Kudos has to be given to Davido for giving us hits back-to-back since then. He is definitely one of the finest acts in Africa at the moment.

“Tongolo” by Dbanj

Almost everyone could relate to the line “Me I be Dbanj, my Jamo friends dey call me Skibanj, I don get degree for womanology…” This is the song that brought the Kokomaster, as he is fondly called, into the spotlight in 2005.

Apart from becoming a businessman, Dbanj has really been in the music industry for years and is also a legend. From ‘Tongolo’ to the later ‘Mo cover eh’, Dbanj hasn’t slowed down for years from the days of Don Jazzy’s Mo’Hits to his own record label DB records.

“Kele Kele Love” by Tiwa Savage

African Bad Girl, Tiwa Savage made it to the list, not for the sake of gender equality, but for success over the years. ‘Kele Kele Love’ was released in 2010 and was the lead single from her debut studio album, ‘Once Upon a Time’ (2013). The Berklee College of Music graduate has represented Don Jazzy’s Mavin Record and now the international Universal Music Group (UMG). Tiwa Savage is undoubtedly the number one female act in Africa and hasn’t stopped bursting our speakers with good music.

Here are some honorable mentions too:

• Senorita – Psquare
• Eni duro – Olamide
• Dem Mama – Timaya
• Ghost Mode – Phyno
• Like to Party – Burna Boy.

Okay. I’m done. Now you can share your own throwback songs from your favorite artistes in the comments section. Thanks for reading this piece.