10 Afrobeat Songs That Blew Up Pre-Release

Music rollout processes have taken a new look in recent years. Before an artist releases a song officially, they sometimes tease the track by sharing snippets on their social media platforms. Some artists even incentivise their audiences to participate in challenges to boost the song’s popularity prior to the official release. However, snippets aren’t the only way that artists have used to build hype around their new music. Some also give DJs, radio stations, and TV stations exclusive access to their new records weeks before they’re released to the public, further increasing the demand for the songs to drop. Songs that gain popularity pre-release almost always go on to perform well long after their official releases. In this article, we’ve curated 10 songs that blew up pre-release and the methods that were employed:

Champion Sound – Davido

Months before it was officially released on digital streaming platforms, Champion Sound had already been causing a commotion at nightclubs. DJs were given exclusive access to the unreleased record and everytime it was played at the clubs, the demand for it to be released digitally increased. The song eventually got a release date for November 19, 2021 and the rest is history.

Last Last – Burna Boy

On an Instagram live session last year, Burna Boy shared a snippet of the then- unreleased single Last Last. The internet went crazy for the record with people already singing the lyrics word for word. Fans began sharing the snippet everywhere, anticipating the official release of the song.

Terminator – Asake

Asake is undoubtedly the king of snippets. Snippets have been a major part of his music rollout process and it was no different when he wanted to release Terminator. When he shared the snippet on his social media accounts last year, fans immediately labeled it a banger. People played the snippet multiple times, and some went as far as extracting the audio to play at clubs and parties.

Declan Rice – Odumodublvck

Odumodulvck is another snippet maestro. His two biggest music releases to date have been helmed by snippet based rollouts. He recently released Declan Rice on DSPs but had been teasing the record months before. The snippet he shared led to English football player Declan Rice, following and messaging him on instagram. This further built the buzz around the single. 

Straight From Naija – Adhnok

With over 17,000 posts on Tiktok Straight From Naija is an unreleased record from upcoming Nigerian artist, Adhnok. He shared the sound on TikTok in late February and it blew up. He eventually went on to perform the unreleased single at the just concluded Homecoming event and fans were singing along. 

https://twitter.com/adhnok/status/1647564077642776578?s=20

People – Libianca

Cameroonian singer, Libianca uploaded the audio from her breakout single, People to Tiktok two weeks prior to its release as the seasonal depression that typically comes with winter began to hit. The video which was captioned POV: You’re going through seasonal depression immediately caught the attention of users and has now gone on to amass almost 5M views. She quickly followed up that video with a Colors Studio style video setting the stage for her eventual release a few weeks later.

https://www.tiktok.com/@iamlibianca/video/7168578771493113134?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7222869326844331566

Back in Uni – Blaqbonez

When Blaqbonez shared a snippet for Back In Uni to his social media accounts, fans were immediately hooked. The snippet was put on automatic replay by a lot of people who were patiently waiting for the record to be released officially. Back In Uni was eventually released and the hype the snippet had created help catapult the song to Nigeria’s Apple Music Top 100 list. 

Finesse – Pheelz

Pheelz’s Finesse snippet was shared on TikTok when he had less than 100 followers on the platform. The snippet was immediately met with an outrageous amount of support and the hype surrounding the record’s release grew. Finesse was released after weeks of teasing and it went on to become one of the biggest Nigerian songs in 2022.

Rush – Bella Shmurda

Bella Shmurda uploaded a snippet of Rush to Audiomack and it garnered almost a million plays. The single was eventually released and it shot up to the number one spot on Apple Music, staying there for a while. Many people said the released version of the song didn’t live up to the snippet, but the song’s success disproves that.

Showmetheway – Cruel Santino

Cruel Santino’s Showmetheway was released on TikTok months before it was released on DSPs. The song managed to amass thousands of posts from fans eager for it to be released. The sound currently has 41k posts on TikTok and the majority of those were prior to the song’s release. The snippet wasn’t shared by Cruel Santino himself, rather it was posted by Smada who asked people to use the sound if they wanted Santi to drop the song.