New Music Friday: Songs to check out featuring Olamide, Shallipopi, Mavo and others

This week's Friday list arrives with Olamide previewing his upcoming album Time and Space, Shallipopi dropping a three-track EP, and King Promise returning with his first solo single of the year. A relatively quiet week overall with a few interesting entries.

A luxury brand namecheck over familiar street-pop production. 'Goyard' is catchy and comfortable within the sonic space that put Mavo on the map, but it does not push beyond it. Works for its intended audience without demanding anything new from the artist.

The first preview of Time and Space finds Olamide in a calmer, more composed mode than his earlier street anthems. The confidence is there but the record takes time to settle. Not an immediate listen, but patient listeners will find something to hold onto.

The opening track from his WayWard EP builds its entire identity around converting web addresses and internet domains into street slang. The concept is playful but the execution sits in familiar Shallipopi territory at a moment when that sound has arguably peaked. Neither bad nor particularly fresh.

The contrast between the track's soothing, ambient instrumental and its explicit lyrics is the most interesting thing about it. The production is genuinely pretty. The content undercuts whatever warmth the music creates. A strange record that will find its audience primarily through TikTok.

A gritty drill-influenced Nigerian hip-hop record that comes off 6uff's Iron Ore II EP. Odumodublvck's presence raises the energy and credibility of the track, but the collaboration does not fully resolve into something greater than the sum of its parts.

A punchy Afropop and R&B record that pairs Kimani's commanding vocals with street themes. Confident and well-executed for what it is, though it does not linger long after the listen ends.

A smooth, heartfelt Afrobeats and Afropop record that marks the Ghanaian star's first solo release of 2026. King Promise does not overcomplicate things here with his warm vocals, romantic themes, clean production. A straightforward reminder of why he built the following he has.

The week's most sonically distinct entry. The Egyptian rapper steps away from typical braggadocio into introspective psychological territory on a hip-hop record that operates in a lane almost entirely separate from the rest of this list. Worth a listen for the curiosity alone.

READ NEXT: Burna Boy and Davido spotted shaking hands at Zlatan's bachelor party years after their public fallout