5 Projects to Expect in September

What conveys “Happy New Month!” better than the promise of new music? Admittedly, a lot, but we can talk about all of those other things some other time. 2026 is still powering on as a year for music north of awesome and as we settle into the final month of Q3, so too have some of our favourite artists chosen to give the audience some new, hopefully fresh music.  

From one of Ghana’s brightest stars of the 2020s to an Alté giant down to mainstream neo-fuji excellence, here are 5 projects we’ll be on the lookout for going into September. 

In The Fire – Prettyboy D-O (September 11)

“Pretty, pretty, pretty!” If you do not know Prettyboy or haven’t listened to his music before, then there’s quite a lot in stock for you. If you do, even better, because this is the one we’ve been waiting for. Since his third album, Love is War, was released in 2021—a parade of soon-come classic cuts like the Mojo AF-assisted Broke Boy FC—Pretty has delivered eclectic single after single, all with his distinctive fusion of dancehall, grime, soukous, street hop and Afropop. 

Last year, the self-professed Nigerian Rodman released OYO (On Your Own) with Mojo, which sadly isn’t on the album despite being a rather endearing suite, and WHICH ONE BE CANADA?, a soukous record paying surprising homage to Cowboy Carter via its artwork. In January, he released the more mellow OYAKHILOME, featuring characteristic gruff melodies and pop culture references. If the 10-track album’s title, and almost too literal cover, are any indication, this will be some much needed alternative heat. It should be also interesting to see what other features to anticipate, alongside the boisterous SHAME ON YOU featuring Ezege 1 himself, Phyno. 

SUN SHERIF VOL. 1 EP – Black Sherif (September 4)

In an uber-utilitarian world, creating The Villain I Never Was as your debut album would probably earn you enough rest for a decade. Thankfully, we aren’t in one, and Blacko’s back to actively releasing music, despite just sharing his sophomore album, Iron Boy, with the world last year. The 24-year-old Ghanaian singer announced his forthcoming EP on Friday, 28 September, 2026, having teased the title as far back as a 20 July announcement for  a listening party in New York. 

The project arrives on the back of a busy year for Black Sherif, who released the Black Stars of Ghana’s matchday song, Find A Way, ahead of the World Cup. He appeared on Llona and Davido’s 2026 albums, after that, building on the momentum of singles, PopStar and Swagga, earlier in the year. If SUN SHERIF VOL. 1 is anything like the celebratory chest-thumping of PopStar or cinematic Hakuna Matata-esque Swagga, then we’re in for a treat. 

SWAGUU – Seyi Vibez (September 17)

The concept of a Seyi Vibez album executive produced by Burna Boy sounds like one of those things that pop up during blurry blunt rotations. But as it turns out, this is the real deal. Come all hither to a large beyond the largely disappointing FUJI MOTO. If you will, look past his reprehensible online antics against Adekunle Gold, Dapper, and Hilda Baci, to the promise of a return to form and the music that made Loseyi an undisputed top five by most charting metrics for the past three years. 

Both lead singles so far, GTA and BACK 2 U, have been underwhelming . The former fits bits of MARIO KART and Loseyi Professor Seyi Vibez into a track that doesn’t sound like it’s headed anywhere. BACK 2 U enlists a child choir for an almost unrecognisable dancehall track that pales in comparison to HAPPY PEOPLE (Apologies for the comparisons, but they’re literally just there, begging to be made. Sue us). Still, we aren’t counting him out just yet. Not with the wealth of music he’s put out. Certainly not for the man who gave us God Sent. 

IT’S YEMI ALADE – Yemi Alade (September 11)

For album 10, Mama Africa has decided to go with her bordering-on-legendary tag, reminiscent of Olamide going the eponymous route for his eleventh. On that run, Yemi Alade has evolved multiple times, taking on titles like King of Queens (2014), Mama Africa (2016),Woman of Steel (2019), Empress (2020), African Baddie (2022), and Rebel Queen (2024). After a lengthy career that began by donning the maiden Peak Talent Show crown, Yemi Alade has stayed relevant in her own right, most recently bagging a Grammy nomination in the Best African Music Performance category for Tomorrow. 

Lead singles so far, including most recently, Ada Bekee (feat. Don Jazzy), are as Yemi Alade as it gets, replete with witty innuendos and buttery Afropop—welcome sounds to her expansive pan-African fanbase. 

Stylish – Kaestyle (September 11)

Rounding up the trio of September 11 releases is Port-Harcourt singer Kaestyle’s sophomore album, the follow-up to last year’s Style Bender. Chances are that most of you recognise his name from the May 2024 hit, My Dealer (feat. Omah Lay), and its subsequent remix with Kizz Daniel. And if you stopped following after that—as this writer somewhat surprisingly did—this is our chance for restitution. Along with the group, Westhan Boyz, Kaestyle represents an emerging brand of soulful Afropop from the Garden City, a scene that’s never failed to provide top notch talent. If you’ll listen to nothing else at all this September, listen to Stylish. If anyone asks, tell them it’s a Culture Custodian recommendation. They’ll get the gist pretty quickly.