25 Greatest Afrobeats Songs Of All Time (NO. 10 - 1)

For 25 years, the success of Nigerian pop music has been driven by a steady release of smash hit records that have birthed new stars, impacted the culture, and exported Afrobeats to a global audience.

At every point in Afrobeats history since 1999, there have been era-defining songs that pushed creative boundaries and held the aspirations of a culture.

To mark 25 years of Afrobeats (1999 - 2024), Pulse Music Desk has compiled a list of the 25 greatest songs that have left an indelible mark on the nation’s pop culture and played a part in the local and international expansion of Nigerian music.

This list is compiled with contributions from industry experts, including veteran music journalists, executives, and media personalities. 

The panelists were guided by the following criteria: 

• Commercial Success - The commercial scale of the song and its impact on the Nigerian music scene. 

• Cultural significance - The importance of the song in pop culture and its contribution to the sonic direction and mileage of Nigerian music. 

The first installment of this list (NO. 25 - 11) was unveiled last week. This week, we unveil the top 10 greatest Afrobeats songs of all time.

In 2004, Eedris Abdulkareem was already the country's biggest rapper. With his song 'Jaga Jaga', he didn't aim for the club. Rather, he dug into the conscience of a nation grappling with socioeconomic injustice.

The bold track united the Nigerian masses and angered the then-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who publicly condemned Abdulkareem for daring to make a national anthem of resistance.

'Oleku' announced the entrance of the rapper whose music would dominate the African hip hop scene and underscore the influence of rap in Afrobeats.

Ice Prince's swaggering new school rap, Brymo's captivating chorus, and Jesse Jagz's vibrant production delivered a record that dominated the country and gave Nigerian pop music mileage on the continent through one of the most covered Afrobeats songs yet.

"You don hit my car, oyinbo repete," is one of the most famous and iconic lyrics in Afrobeats history.

Released in 2001, Tony Tetulia's 'My Car' delivered what was Afrobeats' earliest hit record that offered insights into the sonic structure of a genre combining hip hop, Nigerian language, and drums, and the daily reality of life in making music that would export Nigerian culture to the world.

Few songs have impacted the Nigerian party scene, music industry, and the career of a star like 'Dami Duro,' which rocketed a teenage Davido from new star to superstar.

Over a decade later, the song continues to capture Davido's essence and Afrobeats spirit. 'Dami Duro' is loud, confident, captivating, and an unapologetic announcement of the entrance of a star and culture ready to take on the world.

When Afrobeats needed to get into the second gear of its global ascent, Wizkid stepped in with the mid-tempo groove 'Ojuelegba'.

The song soulfully tells the story of a star who rose from Ojuelegba, Surulere, to an international superstar face of Afrobeats.

The emotions, hope, and delight it offers won the hearts of listeners, including Nigerian-British star Skepta and Canadian global star Drake, who jumped on the record and rocketed it to international fame.

D'banj is one of Afrobeats' most enigmatic stars whose music, videos, and persona captured the confidence and flamboyance of Nigerian pop music.

His hit single 'Oliver Twist' held the perfect blend of Afrobeats, hip hop, and EDM, which combined for a song that took Nigerian pop to the big international stage, evidenced in its historic number nine peak on the UK Singles Chart.

With 'Oliver Twist', D'banj caught the ears of Kanye West, who signed him to his label GOOD Music, which was a cultural breakthrough that positioned the famous Koko Master as one of the first Nigerian pop stars to truly taste global success

Nigerian street pop has had a major part in the evolution and success of Afrobeats, and when it comes to street pop, the defining moment was 9ice's smash hit record 'Gongo Aso'.

'Gongo Aso' is more than just a record; it was a turning point that announced the arrival of the street on the mainstream.

9ice's hip hop flows, delivered with a rich use of Yoruba language, and ID Cabasa's stunning production delivered a record that brought home the MOBO Awards, rocketed Afrobeats with all of its cultural identity to international success, and opened a path for the popularity and acceptance of street pop.

The legendary duo P-Square is the first evidence of what superstardom can be in Afrobeats and African music.

'Do Me' is a power-packed single that captures the hit-making ability with which P-Square ruled the Afrobeats scene and positioned Nigerian pop music for continental dominance.

The sticky lyrics and melodies, confident delivery, luxurious music video, and captivating choreography showcased what Afrobeats superstardom could be and gave Nigerians a moment to be proud of on the global stage.

If there was ever a song that captured the dynamism of Afrobeats, it's Olu Maintain's 'Yahooze'.

The smash hit record showcased the fusion of hip hop with Fuji music influences. It came with a dance move that had everyone moving their hands in unison, and its composition held the flashy, showy, and unapologetic hedonism that shapes Afrobeats.

The song held a mirror to Nigerian society, which insists on morality while worshipping wealth.

In 2008, the impact and popularity of Olu Maintain's 'Yahooze' were captured at a London event where former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell famously joined the Nigerian star on stage to do the Yahooze dance.

That was the fourth-highest-ranking U.S. citizen dancing to a song that celebrated the fraud schemes for which his country was the primary victim.

Nearly two decades later, 'Yahooze' continues to be a street anthem.

With 'African Queen', one of Africa's most gifted and greatest artists, 2Baba FKA 2Face, shows that Nigerian pop music has no limitations.

The iconic star traded Afrobeats party starting drums for soft R&B keys. He set aside genre-bending hip-hop flows for an enchanting ballad that showed that Nigerian musicians can hold their own against the finest singers and writers on the international stage.

'African Queen' is a love anthem that brought pride to the Nigerian and African music scene. It was the first song played at the launch of MTV Base Africa and earned Afrobeats a place on the international stage when it made the soundtrack of Phat Girlz.