In-House: Best Albums of 2024

By Patrick Ezema, Chibuzo Emmanuel, Damilola Oyeleke, Shalom Tewobola and Alex Omenye

Another year has come and, save for a few days, gone, and we’ve been introduced to another glut of albums released from the stables of Nigerian artists. A year that started out slow for Nigerian music—prompting discussions from fans and thinkpieces from critics over its continued survival—would go on to improve dramatically. The second half of 2024 saw many of our brightest stars release some of their best work, especially from the new wave of superstars in Tems, Ayra Starr, Rema and Asake, in addition to a multitude of projects from every section of the industry. Of course, not every one of these lands as an instant classic, so here is Culture Custodian’s definitive ranking of the best ten projects of 2024, as chosen by our editorial team. 

             (CE)

10. Leather Park – Odunsi The Engine

Since his debut album Rare, Odunsi has constantly displayed a predilection for intense experimentation. Even in Nigeria’s Alté scene, notorious for its partiality towards the avant-garde, Odunsi is singular in his ability for skillful subversion. Rare finds him deftly combining the delightfully frothy atmosphere of 80s RnB with the whimsy of vintage Nollywood scores. On Everything You Heard is True Trap, Afro Swing, Anime influences, and Afropop slush around, combining beautifully. Leather Park finds him upping his tendency for subversion, deploying a far-reaching assortment of sounds to this end, The genre-defying album is less thematically hemmed in than its predecessors, alternating between lovelorn ballads, boastful bluster and, occasionally, nonsensical blabbering. While this furnishes the freewheeling ethos of the project, it at times feels chaotic. However, whatever discomfort the rapidly shuffling themes on the album may pose, it is mitigated by the album’s movingly beautiful and cohesive production.

(PE)

9. By Any Minz – Minz

Minz’s By Any Minz is his very first album, nay, project of any kind, but the 29 year old showcases a maturity and clarity on it that should ordinarily be sharpened with multiple attempts. By Any Minz captures the reality of where he is right now: young, rich, and happy to finally be making a headway after eight years in music. The album is bouncy and fast moving, always approaching the cusp of banging Afropop but never quite getting there. In a year when Nigerian music has shifted directions, By Any Minz is the perfect transitional pack, reworking the airy bounce of Amapiano into a fresh, innovative creation. 

(DO)

8. Adedamola – Fireboy DML

Fireboy DML peels the layers of his identity in his album, adedamola. He describes the album as a call to home that embraces every piece of him, which is evident in the depth of the songs and the sincerity of his delivery. adedamola shines in melodies, flow, and stellar production by legends and new-wave producers alike. From the praise jam iseoluwa, to the captivating romantic track hell and back with Lagbaja, and the ode to Afrobeat pioneer Wande Coal, the album is a heartfelt exploration of Fireboy’s roots and experiences. 

(ST)

7. Born In The Wild – Tems

The eponymous opening track sets the tone, showcasing her signature vocal style that has been her trademark since Mr Rebel in 2018. Yet, make no mistake—Tems is far from the artist she was six years ago.

Her journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, with international acclaim propelling her career since 2022. The album is a testament to her growth, featuring Love Me Jeje, a standout track that pulses with tender affection. Over a sultry bass line, Tems invites listeners into an intimate musical landscape, her voice calling out to a love interest with characteristic softness and depth.

Spanning 54 minutes and comprising 10 tracks with two interludes, Born in the Wild offers a comprehensive musical experience. Each song feels carefully crafted, demonstrating Tems’ remarkable ability to create music that speaks to diverse emotional landscapes. The debut album declares a powerful statement: it’s Tems’ world, and we are merely fortunate enough to experience it.

(PE)

6. Full Time Job – Phyno

Full Time Job, Phyno’s fifth solo album, is a reminder of why he’s the Igbo rap king and one of Nigeria’s finest and most consistent artists. He rides Jaysynth’s rap beats with a flawless finesse, crafting idiom-laced, biting punchlines in the Igbo language. Significantly, the album showcases his eye for collaboration, and how he works best bouncing off lines with equally adept confreres. From Fave dueting on the love-laced Deep to Ardee’s noble attempts at Igbo on Time Of My Life, from Burna Boy’s kingly romp on Do I (Remix) to Cheque’s saccharine hook on Back Outside, Full Time Job is a shimmering assortment of talent, and Phyno is the glue that brings it all together. 

(CE) 

5. Morayo – Wizkid

Entitled after his late mother, Morayo is dappled with somber invocations of grief. But more than anything else, the album, Wizkid’s sixth, is a play at consolidating his legacy. To this end, he corals the many disparate styles and themes that have underscored his artistry over his career, stitching them end to end into a delicately gorgeous pastiche. Thumping Afropop club bangers exist side by side with gentle slow-burn RnB. And the ecclesiastical atmosphere of Gospel dovetails with jaunty Dancehall. On Morayo, Wizkid explores familiar themes: sex, love, self-adulation and gratitude. But his writing and his voice take on the maturity of a virtuoso refined and sharpened by age. On A Million Blessings, the album’s crest, he trades his usual boastful bluster for a measured voice, as he at once considers his detractors and takes stock of his blessings over poignant synths. Over 16 tracks, he oscillates between cherry pop bangers and substantive ballads, elegantly surfing the P2J-helmed production, as he puts forward yet another impressive addition to his decorated canon. 

(AO)

4. Stubborn – Victony

It has been three years since the fatal car accident that tragically took the life of one of Victony’s close friends, a trauma he continues to carry daily. The April 2021 crash reshaped the Afropop star’s outlook on life, as he endured intensive surgery and physical therapy to relearn how to walk.

For Victony, music became a refuge and a vehicle for resilience. He channeled that determination into Stubborn, his debut album. The 23-year-old explores themes of love, ambition, and self-discovery, with tracks like Tiny Apartment and Everything weaving his life stories into universal emotions. While collaborations range from inspired to uneven, songs such as Risk and Kolo (Kolomental II) highlight his experimental flair and growing confidence.

Featuring a versatile lineup of collaborators, including Teezo Touchdown, Saint JHN, Asake, Shallipopi, and Shorae, Stubborn solidifies Victony’s place in Afropop’s pantheon.

(DO)

3.TYIT21 – Ayra Starr

The number one Sabi Girl, Ayra Starr, proved once again that she has the game on lock. Arguably one of the best releases this year,  The Year I Turned 21 (TYIT21) captures the artist’s growth and maintains the raw and vulnerable essence of a young girl navigating fame and adulthood. Her assuredness shows throughout the album, TYIT21 is the declaration of a woman who knows she is unstoppable, right from the intro track Bird Sings of Money, which begins with a fuji-style adulation sung in honor of the star. TYIT21 boasts stellar features with heavyweights Afrobeats artists like Asake and Seyi Vibez, and international acts like Giveon, Coco Jones, and Anitta. Ayra Starr’s TYIT21 was a defining moment this year, with her chart topping lead single Commas, the women-empowering anthem Woman Commando, and the no-nonsense hit Bad Vibes. Ayra Starr gives a full-fledged exploration of love, power, hope, and heartbreak — the vastitude of her experience as a young woman whose goal is world domination. 

(AA)

2.Lungu Boy – Asake

Lungu Boy, Asake’s third studio album, builds on the budding legacy of the artist, demonstrating creative  fluidity as he welcomes features from Afrobeats compatriot Wizkid, British rappers Stormzy and Central Cee, Brazilian singer-songwriter Ludmilla, and American rapper Travis Scott. The album takes its title from a word that refers to the ghetto, or “streets”, establishing his simple roots and humble beginnings. On the album, his soundscape reflects his signature palette of Amapiano, hip-hop and a neo-Fuji style that fuses indigenous Yoruba rhythms with local storytelling. An appreciable degree of consistency is noticeable in production value as Asake retains producers P. Prime, Magicsticks and Sarz, all of whom he has previously worked with. While there are brief but notable influences from Travis Scott’s collaborator Mike Dean and  Sak Pase’s dancehall on Whine, offering a refreshing perspective, Asake remains faithful to his own formula, maintaining authenticity throughout yet another musical expedition.

(CE)

1. Heis – Rema

Amongst many other things, Rema sees himself as a child of providence, an instrument of destiny leading a cause of cosmic proportions. His tendency for invocations of the divine and for moments of foreshadowing surfaced as he picked up the Headies award for the Next Rated category in 2019, declaring himself “the future.”

Heis—translating to a variation of the christian God’s alias “I am” on one hand and “number one” in Greek on the other—is yet another instrument of prophecy. In the album, he declares hegemony over his peers and postures as a messianic figure shepherding Afrobeats to a verdant future. On HeHeHe, over a menacingly whimsical beat and theatrical trills that ricochet around the production, he declares “No more big three, there’s now a big four.” Across the album, to bolster his claim of primacy over his peers, he, alongside a phalanx of talented producers—London, Andre Vibez, Sarz and P. Prime—conjures a vignetted soundscape that is as cinematic as it is breathtaking.