Meet the Artist

Born Blessing Akiode Mariam in Lagos, Candy Bleakz is that female rapper who refuses to sit pretty. A Chocolate City signee, she torched her path with a sound that blends street, rap, pop, Afrobeats & an attitude that’s hard to ignore. She first caught attention with Owo Osu featuring Zlatan & Naira Marley, but records like Tikuku & Wale announced her as a force, & her music, as one that thrives on contrast, sweet hooks, biting bars, & a delivery that feels both mischievous & defiant. In 2024, she pushed her sound further with the Better Days EP, featuring the likes of Bella Shmurda, Blood Civilian, DTG and Vector. Her recent hits with Terry Apala, Simi, Blaqbonez & Rybeena are a testament to the irrefutable legacy she’s building in the music industry. If you’re just getting acquainted, Owo Osu, Tikuku, Wale (Remix), & selections from Better Days will give you the full picture.

Born Michael Adebayo Olayinka on the 23rd of September, 1999 in Lagos, Ruger is the sharp-shooting Afropop sensation who walked into the scene with an eye-patch, pink hair and enough confidence to make a whole continent turn its head. Having made it to the spotlight in 2021 under Jonzing World with a clean streak of hits including Bounce, Dior and Snapchat, Ruger’s peculiarity not only owes to his melodies, but to the persona he built around being a flirts, a croon & small troublemaker with a smirk you can almost hear in his music. Coming with his debut album RU The World(2023) are global hit tracks like Asiwaju, Jonzing Boy, & Tour. Songs that helped him stake his claim as a true hitmaker with range. Followed by the joint project with Buju, RnB(2024) and his latest album Blownboy RU(2025). Since launching his independent imprint Blown Boy Ent., Ruger has proven to be intentional & unstoppable. If you’re trying to catch up, tracks like Asiwaju, Dior, Bounce & Jonzing Boy are your perfect shots.

Born Chukwuka Ekweani in Kaduna, CKay is the tender auteur who turned vulnerability into global currency. He started behind the boards with producing, writing & crafting moods, but had always carried the reputation of having a voice of his own. Over time that voice which is a blend of Afrobeats, emo-pop, highlife warmth and moody electronic hues became a a lane of its own as it leads to what fans now call Emo-Afrobeats. His journey turned global with Love Nwantiti, first released in 2019 on his EP CKay the First, a sleeper hit that refused to sleep. It went vìral among TikTok dancers and scaled the charts in six continents, topped Shazam’s global chart, and turned into a viral anthem that redefined what an Afrobeats love song could do. Today, Love Nwantiti stands as one of the most certified African songs ever having being certified 8× Platinum in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making CKay the first Nigerian artist to hit that level of sales in the States. In 2022 he dropped his debut full-length album Sad Romance, an emotional body of work that threaded heartbreak, longing and hope through smooth melodies and beats. What sets CKay apart isn’t just the numbers or the awards. It’s that he’s built an intimate, melodic and real world people keep coming back to with songs like Emiliana, Mmadu, Felony & Way proving that he doesn’t need to yell to be heard worldwide, he whispers, and the world listens.

Crown Uzama, popularly known as Shallipopi, is the Benin-born hitmaker whose charm lies in how effortlessly he turns street slang into sonic gold. Bursting onto the scene in 2023 with the viral Elon Musk, he introduced a refreshing blend of street-pop and trippy vibe the fits perfect into the name he christened it, “Plutomania.” Welding Edo traditional tunes with Afrofusion bounce, he’s been able to drop back-to-back smashes like Ex Convict, Obapluto, and Cast featuring Odumodublvck. His 2023 debut project Planet Pluto and follow-up Presido La Pluto in the same year validated him as one of Afrobeats’ most unpredictable new stars. Now running his own label, Plutomania Records, with signees like Zerrydl and Tega Boi DC, Shallipopi has proven he’s more than a viral act; he’s a full-blown culture shaper. His music speaks to the streets but travels the world — raw, rhythmic, and always wrapped in that Plutonic mischief that keeps everyone hooked. If you’re new to the wave, tracks like Elon Musk, Obapluto, Things on Things, and Cast will tell you all you need to know about the boy who turned slang into stardust.

Born Marvin Ukanigbe Oseremen in Ekpoma, Edo State, the 21-year-old sensation, Mavo stands out because of a new street lingua franca he’s incorporated into Afrobeats; a sound he calls “Bur Bur Music,” where street slang & rap swagger meet at the confluence point of melodic bounce. His debut EP Ukanigbe (2023) introduced his sermon, followed by SANKO and SANKO II, projects that sharpened his identity in the noise of new voices. The game changed for him when Escaladizzy (feat. WAVE$TAR) went viral, & Escaladizzy II came stacked with Ayra Starr, Zlatan & Shallipopi to confirm he’s not just rising but taking over. What’s especially special about him is the way he crafts a vibe; slang becomes chorus, street stories become anthem. Every move is a testament to the fact that Mavo isn’t waiting for a moment, he’s building his own. Wanna get acquainted? Start with tracks like Escaladizzy, Tumo Weto & his latest hit with Ckay, Body.

Born Osayaba Andrew Ize-Iyamu in Lagos, Cruel Santino, formerly known as Santi, is one of the fearless architects of Nigeria’s Alté movement, a boundless universe where Afrobeats flirts with punk, hip-hop, and dreamlike pop. A self-taught visionary who began writing, rapping, and directing as a teenager, Santino built his sound and visuals from a deep well of Nollywood nostalgia, anime aesthetics, gaming culture, and the limitless spirit of the internet. His work thrives on storytelling and worldbuilding, drawing from the imaginations of creators like Junji Ito and Hideo Kojima, but always finding its own pulse in the chaos. His 2019 breakout album Mandy & The Jungle introduced listeners to his lush, layered world through records like Rapid Fire and Sparky—songs that blurred the lines between genre and feeling. Then came Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN in 2022, a 21-track odyssey that expanded his creative universe into something larger than music, blending trap drums, Afrofusion textures, and surreal worldbuilding. With features from Amaarae, Skepta, and Koffee, the project earned acclaim from Rolling Stone and Fader, further proving Santino’s place among the architects of modern sound. Beyond the studio, his vision stretches into fashion and film, with collaborations alongside Mowalola, Tyler, The Creator, and Odumodublvck, and performances with Rema, FKA Twigs, and Blood Orange. His work has crossed global stages from ICA London to MoMA PS1, Triennale di Milano, and Sole DXB, with mentions in Pitchfork, GQ, Billboard, NME, Crack, and Dazed.Songs like Final Champion and I Told Gus I’m Dreamin’ capture his raw, cinematic, and endlessly curiousworld perfectly.

Shittu Usman Damilare, known as Badman Pondo, is the voice of street sermons and everyday hustle, weaving stories of grit, growth, and glory through Afro-adura rhythms and experimental blends of Afrobeats. After a quiet spell of honing his craft, Pondo stepped out in February 2022 with his debut EP Comfort Zone — a six-track confession of faith and fearlessness that marked his entry into the scene. He kept the fire burning with two follow-up singles, Lately and Dimension, before the year’s close, proving he wasn’t just testing waters but staking his claim. Long before his spotlight moment, Pondo made his first recorded appearance back in 2020 as a featured artist on Dreymakanaki’s Sonorous Sound EP. Now, with every release, he continues to shape a sound that’s versatile enough to explore spiritual, streetwise and zestful as evident in his trending TikTok sound set to release on the 15th of October. This is undoubtedly a balance only a true oracle could master.If you’re new to his sound, start with tracks like Update, Lately and Brag.

Osabuohien Osaretin, professionally known as Sarz with the signature tag,“Sarz On The Beat.”, has been one of Afrobeats’ most essential producers & a major driving force of modern Afrobeats since 2007. Born in Benin City, March 17th, 1989, you probably know him as the mastermind behind everlasting hits like Wizkid’s Come Closer (ft. Drake), Niniola’s Maradona & Reminisce’s Kako Bi Chicken while also producing for the likes of Obongjayar, Drake, Tiwa Savage, Wurld, and Skepta. A pioneer and innovator, beyond singles, Sarz has a catalogue of projects that are a testament to his artistry, from the experimental I Love Girls With Trobul (2019) with Wurld, to LV N ATTN (2021) with Lojay, which gave the world Monalisa & Tonongo. Now he’s fully owning the stage himself with his recently dropped body of versatile brilliance, a 12-track debut studio album titled Protect Sarz At All Costs released on September 26, 2025 and packed with features including Wizkid, Asake, Lojay, Fireboy DML, Skillibeng, Joeboy, Libianca, Shallipopi, Theodora, amongst others. It’d also interest you to know that he runs The Sarz Academy where he grooms the next wave of producers with producers like P. Priime, Tempoe, Kel-P & STG being products of his tutelage. The academy released an alumni and academy compilation titled Memories That Last Forever 2 in 2023. All of these come off as Sarz’s contribution to pushing Afrobeats into new territories by bending dance, R&B, and electronic textures, hereby cementing his name on the hall of fame of Africa’s most sought-after producers. New to Sarz? Start with Monalisa(Lojay ft. Sarz), Billions(Lojay & Sarz), Maradona(Niniola), Gone Girl(Obongjayar) and Getting Paid(Wizkid, Skillibeng & Asake). @Alaro Basit

Adopting “Aṣa” which translates to “hawk” in Yoruba, and symbolizes freedom and grace, Bukola Elemide is a Nigerian artist with French Roots as she was born in Paris, France, to Nigerian parents. Before later moving back to Lagos at a young age, where she grew up. It’d interest you know that Aṣa is self-taught guitarist as she taught herself to play the guitar at the age of 20, and eventually made it the signature element of her sound. Having grown up listening to a variety of music genres, including Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye, she was able to shape her music in the distinct fusion of jazz, soul, and Afropop. With her self-titled debut album, “Aṣa” released in 2007, Aṣa made an international acclaim with tracks like Jailer and Bibanke, earning her the French Constantin Award in 2008. An annual French music prize established in 2002 to recognize the best album by a new artist who has emerged in the past year, particularly those with limited mainstream exposure and haven’t sold more than 100,000 copies. This consequently skyrocketed her career in Europe. Aṣa is however known to lead a private life as she rarely shares details about her life outside of music. She also shares a passion for environmental consciousness as she has evidently participated in green energy campaigns. If you’re new to Aṣa, you can as well start with tracks like Be My Man, Jailer, Bibanke and Mayana.

Going with the stage name Lojay, Lekan Osifeso Jr., born on the 28th of April, 1996, hails from Lagos and owns one of the smoothest voices in Afrobeats. Fitting into an exclusive genre known as Afrofusion, Lojay’s bubbles first popped in 2021 with LV N ATTN, the 5-track EP with producer Sarz that offered an irresistible aroma of melodious sweetness & delivered breakout songs like Monalisa (which later got remixed with Chris Brown), Tonongo & LV N ATTN with Wizkid. Making another appearance in 2023 with his debut album, Gangster Romantic, all doubts of Lojay’s iron grip on every listening ear cleared. With tracks like Moto & Leader granting legitimacy to his Afrofusion prowess. On August 22nd, 2025, Lojay released his most recent project titled XOXO on Apple Music and other platforms and amidst banger features with the likes of Libianca, Olamide, Fireboy, Zlatan, Ayra Starr and Blaqbonez to mention but a few, Lojay has an award-winning discography that includes Sensational with Davido, a track that bagged him a Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance. He also racks up over 250 million total streams across all streaming platforms. If you’re new to Lojay, start with tracks like Billions, Moto, Monalisa and Tonongo for a proper introduction. @Alaro Basit