17 Nigerian albums to expect in 2017

What happened in 2016 stays in 2016 right? That’s what many artistes would have us believe with over 30 full-length projects which dropped from stars. There was an abundance of music last year from the musicians of Nigeria, who continued an album culture that doesn’t look like it is disappearing soon.

Only Mr Eazi came through last year as a breakout artiste. The rest of the lot showed promise, and the New Year gives them time to turn in actual work, and get materials out. A number of stars are also due for a new project, after going full circle since their last project.

This gives us much joy at Pulse Music, and we are anticipating projects from many artistes. But we have presented the best of them that deserve your anticipation.

Korede Bello

Is the year the Don Jazzy protégé becomes more than a handful of singles and very good hair? Is the year he decides to drop a body of work to match all of the love that he has ceaselessly enjoyed from the adoring public? Last year had Reekado Banks hitting that milestone. Mr ‘Do Like That’ stands a great chance to follow suit. He is ripe for it.

Tekno

What Tekno has built in the past two years has been a wave that continues to repeatedly hit the shores of our playlist with new singles. The Made Men Music Group star has the best followership in the country, and his singles game which is strong, will need to be housed on a project. 2017 will be that year that he makes his debut album, and blows us all to Mars with his awesomeness.

Olamide

The grinder continues his march towards immortality. Each year brings another blessing for fans of the Hip-hop artiste who continues to dominate, no thanks to his impressive haul of 6 studio albums in 6 years. This is year 7, and although the euphoria of outing out a great work like “The Glory” continues to liner, Baddo will have to snap out and get with his established program. Here’s to the legacy being extended.

Mr Eazi

The golden boy of Nigeria and Ghana has the world at his feet musically, with everything working out for him. Whatever he touches instantly becomes a hit, and all of his words are engraved on the hearts of an increasing number of fans who can’t wait for a project. Although he has two mixtapes promised, there’s hope alive that an album might be a late pleasant surprise for us all. Zaga dat.

Runtown

How time flies. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we embraced the magic of Runtown’s melody and the composition of his singles that destroyed dance floors? He released an album in 2015, and survived a rough 2016. But he is back in form this year, and ‘Mad over you’ is too profound a joint to not birth something more than just a few singles. These are early times, and no promises have been made. But we dare to hope.

Davido

Sure boy. Davido’s 2016 plans was cut short with the arrival of Sony who made him their mannequin for many months before pacifying fans with an underwhelming EP. 2017 promises a musical extravaganza as the star is pumped up for a March release of his sophomore album. For an artiste of Davido’s status, it gets embarrassing that only one project is recorded against his name. This year, he changes that. This year, he earns that Sony money in style.

Wizkid

Daddy Yo is a sneaky fox who is lazy to put out projects. All of his huge profile is belied by the absence of albums, and the star has made it a habit to promise new projects and turn up with singles, which feel like peanuts compared to what a Wizkid album promises. 2017 already has the promise of 4 mixtapes, but that is to be taken with a pinch of salt. We need your album, Wizkid. We’re waiting, and growing impatient.

Simi

Simi’s maturation into an alternative lady with mainstream playgrounds is a beautiful journey. Each step takes us into her space, where she unravels beauty and melody, hand in hand. She is mature enough to give us the project this year, and it is something we expect early into the year. Let’s get graceful music. Let’s be blessed.

Falz

The promethean entertainer will continue his rap career this year as a stronger, and more respected artiste who is enjoying the best run of his career. There’s space for more growth this year, and a project to continue his fine run wouldn’t be too shabby. He is our darling already.

Harrysong

Mr Five Star composer became a rebel last year when he departed the house and set up his stuff. This gives him more time to focus on his personal projects, instead of sacrificing his best works to pacify the looming figure of Kcee. 2017 appears to be his year, and he needs a project to seal his emancipation.

Timaya

Timaya’s time is sacred, and he drops when he wants. But there’s some new vibe about the singer that pushes our thoughts towards new material. Now firmly embedded in the dancehall space, the man who goes about his business with just the minimum required of him, will up his output in 2017 and give us a Pop/Dancehall project.

Flavour

2017 makes it three years since Flavour dropped a project for his teeming fans across the continent. He spent the rest of that time touring the world, and raking in the money. But his music output has suffered dramatically, although it is hard to notice, due to the amount of collaborations he racks up every year. He needs a full one this year. A full one.

Ycee

It’s almost two years since Ycee broke through and became the new standard for rap artistes to chase. But he is damn lazy, and continues to stall with his first project. Fans still expect the Sony-powered EP that he signed a legally binding deal for. But an album shouldn’t be so far off. A project from Ycee looks like a late one, given how much time he seems to enjoy between projects.

Niniola

This dance queen is doing well for herself, with her dance music continuing to win over many fans. She operates on a level that is hard to track, which puts her under very little pressure from without. But she looks like a dark horse to surprise with a good run this year and drop a project.

Yung John

The only producer on this list, ‘Wicked’ music maker has confided in close friends that he has big plans to let fly an album this year. And although producer albums are a rarity in this country, Yung John continues to be an exception when it comes to beat making and pop music production. He is set to come through for himself, we can’t fully explain how much we are pumped to see him put together beat and artistes for greatness.

Jesse Jagz

King Jaggo was in transit last year after he had to uncouple his business from the struggling power that Chocolate City has become. He spent the rest of the year setting up plays and building capacity for the New Year. Jesse Jagz is a god MC, and his works in the past will show that the rapper can get too prolific when he gets a bit of momentum going. He will have that this year, and we will have an album from him.

Lynxxx

Lynxxx can’t wait to provide the world with new music, and he continues to lay his claims that this year will have a new album. Last year, he gave a prequel project titled “The Album Before The Album”, which was meant to keep his fans occupied until the appointed hour. Cometh 2017, cometh the hulk of music, as Lynxxx is finally gearing up for that release. Good or bad? Let’s wait and see.