okayafrica Photo courtesy of the artist.
Olamide.
We dive into the Nigerian star s discography to bring you the
20 Essential Olamide Songs. Let s get something clear: no Afropop act outdid
Olamide in the 2010s, and even fewer can claim to match the sheer weight of his cultural influence. By all metrics, the 31-year-old musician reigned supreme over the sonic zeitgeist of the last decade, musically encapsulating, more than anyone, Nigerian music s trudge from fascination with Western-tinged music to the mass appeal of afrobeats. Rising from Bariga, Baddo first punctured mainstream consciousness with his belligerent bars that positioned him as an upstart with a point to prove before going on to hold the gaze of a generation with anthemic offerings that distilled conceptual narratives on hedonism, life in Lagos, and forces that moved culture into multiple hits singles.