New Music Friday: Fola links up with Ayra Starr, Jorja Smith taps Wizkid, other songs you need to check out this week

This week's New Music Friday is a cross-continental spread: Wizkid appears on two separate releases, Vybz Kartel links up with Mr Eazi for a dancehall-Afrobeats crossover, and Pasuma delivers a straight Fuji record with no detours. 

Here is everything that dropped that might be worth a listen.

A warm, romantic Afropop and R&B blend from Fola and Ayra Starr, released in July 2026. The track sits comfortably within Fola's established lane without pushing much further than that. It's a good listen that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Released July 2 from Jorja Smith's album What Are The Odds, this R&B and Afrobeats crossover is built around club-ready percussion and hypnotic rhythms. 

Jorja is the standout; her voice moves across the production effortlessly. Wizkid's verse isn't his sharpest, but his ability to shape his sound around whatever track he's on remains one of his most underrated qualities, and it shows here.

The opening track from his Worthy Challenger project blends polished Afropop production with lively percussion, jazz undertones and R&B textures. 

Not a party record, but built for the moments between like when you want Afrobeats without the noise.

A cross-continental summer record pairing Frenna's melodic rap delivery with Wizkid and Odeal's soulful hooks over a dancefloor-ready Afrobeats bounce. 

It works as a summer listen if you're already a fan of any of the three, otherwise, fairly mid.

The emotional centrepiece of Tekno's third studio album, Where Did Love Go?, this mid-tempo Afropop record leans into love, vulnerability and reconciliation over warm guitar arrangements and his signature melodic delivery.

Released July 3, this follow-up to their previous collaborations pairs Balloranking's smooth delivery with BhadBoi OML's raw street charisma over bouncy, energetic percussion. 

Carries their signature street-pop sound. Not the best, but fans of the duo will find it familiar in the best way.

The lead single from Mr Eazi and producer Dre Skull's upcoming joint project Yard & Yanga is exactly what it promises, a heavy-bass dancehall and Afrobeats collision, with Vybz Kartel's sharp Jamaican delivery cutting cleanly over Mr Eazi's relaxed Afrobeats flow.

A label showcase blending contemporary Afropop with R&B harmonies and subtle Fuji and Apala-inspired textures. 

Bouncy production, smooth lyricism, and a collective energy that does what Mavins posse cuts are supposed to do.

From his Karadan EP, Presh dives into Fuji territory alongside Obesere, exploring a genre he has long credited as a cultural touchstone. A genre exercise worth hearing if Fuji is your thing.

Released June 29, this is Pasuma at his most foundational. No Afrobeats crossover and no modern production compromise. Heavy traditional Yoruba percussion, rapid drumming patterns and call-and-response vocals. He stays exactly where he has always belonged.

Nigerian rapper FatBoy E (also known as Big Zoot) teams up with Port Harcourt artist Dan Dizzy on his new single 'Tidy.' ‘Tidy’ by Fatboy E is an Afro-fusion song heavily rooted in the modern Nigerian Street-Pop subgenre. It is built around confidence and humour, wrapped in bouncing Afropop rhythms full of personality and energy.

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