From Rema’s Mustard-produced “Tea” to Fireboy’s dancehall pivot with Masicka, here’s everything that dropped this New Music Friday.
Okay, so Friday just happened and honestly, your playlist is about to get very crowded. A whole bunch of Nigerian artists decided to drop music on the same day, and the range is wild. We’re talking Afrobeats, dancehall, Brazilian funk, even a bit of R&B thrown in. Something for everybody, basically.
Let’s start with the one everyone’s going to be talking about: Rema’s “Tea.” This is the first single off his third album, and get this, it’s produced by Mustard, the same guy behind some huge American hits, alongside Rema’s regular collaborator London. There’s a beat switch in the middle that’s genuinely the best part of the song, it flips from something hard-hitting into that classic Afrobeats bounce. Good song, but if we’re being honest, it feels like it could’ve hit even harder than it does.
Fireboy DML is doing something different too. His new single “CLAAT!” with Jamaican dancehall star Masicka is the lead single off his upcoming album ZUKO, and it’s a full dancehall record, not the melodic Afropop he’s known for. That’s a real gamble for him, and surprisingly, he pulls it off better than you’d expect.
CKay dropped “Shege” off his new album BANGER BOY, and the title alone tells you it’s about struggle and hardship, wrapped in his usual emotional Afrobeats style. Whether it blows up on TikTok the way it seems designed to, we’ll have to wait and see.
Then there’s Zlatan with “Italawa,” his first solo drop of the year. If you know Zlatan, you know exactly what to expect: log drums, Zanku energy, pure street vibes. Nothing new, but his fans aren’t complaining.
A few more worth your ears: Darkoo and Asake teamed up on “That Girl,” riding that whole cultural moment around the phrase, and the chorus genuinely sticks.
Ruger’s “Private Chef” mixes Afrobeats with Brazilian funk, which is a fun sonic choice even if the lyrics feel familiar.
TiMi somehow pulled together six different vocalists, including Ric Hassani, on “Do or Die” without it turning into chaos. That one’s actually impressive.
So yeah, it’s a packed Friday. Not everything is a home run, but there’s enough here to fill your weekend playlist twice over.
