With the 17th Headies Ceremony just around the corner, the Nigerian music scene is buzzing with excitement. Arguably Afrobeats’ biggest night, the award ceremony sees performing artistes and the unrelenting teams behind them basking in the accolades they have earned after a year of immersing the global audience in their craft.
Amongst those to be recognised are the people that master and produce the sounds that have moved us and kept us moving throughout the past year.
The recipients of the prestigious ‘Producer of the Year’ award are responsible for the most acclaimed song or album of the year under review. From Don Jazzy to Killertunes, these producers have created sounds that stand out in the otherwise oversaturated Nigerian music scene, demand attention and inspire awe.
For decades, sound engineers have collaborated with artists to capture their sounds on tape. Technical experts, these producers were often in the background, experimenting with instruments to expand the bounds of Nigerian music. As the industry matured, producers began to assert a more prominent role, teaming up with artistes, guiding them to finding their sound and helping them refine it. In the 90s and early 2000s, producers like OJB Jezreel, Cobhams Asuquo and Don Jazzy emerged as influential figures, shaping the sound of Nigerian hip-hop, R&B, and gospel music.
Alongside fellow Mo’Hits pioneer, D’Banj, Don Jazzy heralded the rise of producer artiste duos, paving the way for the likes of Sarz, Juls and Magicsticks. It was somewhere along this timeline that the producer became a celebrity in their own right, with recognizable names, catchy taglines and distinct musical identities of their own.
From Magicstick’s “tune in to the king of sounds and blues” to Pheelz’s “riddimacoolayo!”, audiences are now forced to acknowledge the producer’s presence on tracks and to give them their flowers.
The contemporary Nigerian music producer is able to garner critical acclaim, transition into a recording artiste, own a record label, open creative training academies and even release tracks on their own without a recording artiste lending their vocals.
As Nigerian music continues to break barriers and Nigerian artistes captivate the global audience, the producers behind the chart topping tracks equally deserve recognition.
These 7 producers have held Afrobeats down in the last year.
P. Prime (Giddem!)
One of the youngest in the game, P. Prime brings a youthful flair to every track. With his preference for dynamic drum patterns and melodic synth layers, he has distinguished himself from his peers and carved a lane of his own. Trained at the Sarz Academy, he has worked with several artists placing Afrobeats on the global stage. He produced the majority of the tracks on Fireboy DML’s critically acclaimed debut album, Laughter Tears and Goosebumps and was featured on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
In the past year, his work has spoken for itself. Notably, his collaborations with Rema, Wizkid and Asake. Having previously shown that he and Rema have undeniable chemistry on the 2023 single DND, the two teamed up once more to deliver the Afro-rave anthems that had us on our feet, March Am which peaked at Number 18 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs Chart, and Number 27 on the Official Nigeria Top 100 and Azaman from Rema’s HEIS. In addition to this, P. Prime produced several tracks on Wizkid’s Morayo and Asake’s Lungu Boy including MMS which debuted at Number 1 on the Official Nigerian Top 100 Chart and the UK Afrobeats Chart. He collaborated with Ayra Starr on her sophomore album The Year I Turned 21 and is responsible for the nostalgic groove on Jazzy’s Song on which he interloped Wande Coal’s 2009 You Bad.
London (London!)
The brain behind the playful melodies on Rema’s 2023 hit Calm Down, London is known for his futuristic and innovative take on Afrobeats. With bangers like Wizkid’s Gyrate, Tiwa Savage’s Koroba and Rema’s Soundgasm under his belt, he is making a name for himself as a key player in the Nigerian music scene.
In the past year, he experimented heavily, mixing moody trap elements with Afrobeats percussion and testing the bounds of Afro-pop, which ultimately resulted in the genre-bending HEIS from Rema, on which London acted as executive producer. He specifically produced tracks Ozeba and War Machine, the former topping the Nigerian Music Charts for two consecutive weeks, reaching top 5 on the Top 100 Nigeria Turntable, Boomplay and UK Afrobeats Charts and ending the year ranked at Number 4 on Rolling Stone’s Best Afropop Songs of 2024 list. His moody trap production is also featured on Birds Sing of Money, the opening track of Ayra Starr’s sophomore album.
Sarz (Riddim!)
Sarz has long established himself as a veteran Afrobeats producer, responsible for some of the genre’s biggest anthems including Wizkid’s Ojuelegba, One Dance with Drake and Kyla which peaked at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Happiness with Asake and Gunna. He captivates Nigerian and international listeners with his Afrobeats meets R&B sound, filled with infectious drums, clean samples and electronic elements.
In the past year, he collaborated with Asake on tracks Active with Travis Scott and Uhh Yeah on his third studio album, Lungu Boy. The former reached the top spot on the US Billboard Afrobeats Song Chart and also peaked at Number 1 on the Apple Music NG Top Songs Chart. He also worked with Ruger and BNXN to produce Ilashe from their joint EP, RnB which peaked at Number 10 on the official Nigeria Hot 100 Chart.
P2J
Credited with shaping the sound of modern Afrobeats, P2J’s Afrofusion combines the bounce of Afrobeats with the cool melodies of R&B. He has received local and international acclaim for his work with a wide range of artists home and abroad. He produced six tracks on Beyonce’s collaboration album Lion King: The Gift, earning a Grammy nomination, won a Grammy for Best Global Music Album for his work on Burna Boy’s 2020 album Twice As Tall and collaborated with Wizkid on his album Made In Lagos which resulted in global smash hit Essence with Tems, the first Afrobeats song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
His work in the past year is extensive; he produced the majority of Wizkid’s album Morayo, including Karamo and chart topping single Kese (Dance) which peaked at Number 1 on the Apple Music Nigeria charts and debuted at Number two on Spotify Nigeria, knocking off several popular tracks on charts from across the globe. He also produced Ayra Starr and Asake’s first collaboration, Goodbye (Warm Up) which peaked at Number 8 on the Official Nigeria Hot 100 Chart.
Blaise Beatz (Obah!)
Weaving complex drum patterns and infectious rhythms, Blaise Beatz has had undeniable influence in Afro-pop. He has worked with everybody from Davido to Tekno and is responsible for the production of hits such as Asake’s Lonely at the Top, Kizz Daniel’s Buga (Lo Lo Lo) and 1da Banton’s No Wahala. He was also instrumental in Adekunle Gold’s evolution from alternative folk to Afropop, lending his production skills to records like Something Different and Okay.
His presence in the Afro-pop scene was consistent throughout 2024; he worked with Fireboy DML on Everyday which debuted at Number 11 on the Official Nigeria Top 100 Chart, he collaborated with BNXN and Rema on chart topping single Fi Kan We Kan which peaked at Number 1 on the Apple Music Nigeria and Official Nigeria Top 100 Charts, he produced Asake’s Only Me and worked with BNXN and Ruger to create Poe and Bae Bae, the latter of which debuted at Number 15 on the Official UK Afrobeats Chart.
Producer X (Yo X!)
Ever the enigma, Producer X is known for his distinctive, often gritty beats which merge Nigerian South-South rhythms with modern pop and trap. Signed to Panda Entertainment, X is behind tracks like the viral Machalla by Carterefe and Otilo by Berri-Tiga, Poco Lee and Hotkeed.
2024 saw his gritty sound captured perfectly on Rema’s HEIS, giving us tracks Benin Boys with Shallipopi which topped the Official Nigeria Top 100 singles chart, also reaching number 1 on the Nigeria Apple Music chart shortly after its release and lead single Hehehe which topped the Nigerian Apple Music Top Songs chart.
Babybeats
Following his rise to fame in 2020 with DJ Tunez’ Pami, Babybeats continues to fuse Afrostreet with pop, hip-hop and R&B.
He worked with a variety of artists in 2024, producing singles including Abanikada by Zinoleesky and Naira Marley, Showcase byYoung John and Blaqbones, Real Life by Shatta Wale and Mr Heartbreaker by RoseMary Alaba and Odumodublvck.
