8 Nigerian music projects you may have missed in the last three months (Feb - April, 2026)

• Afrobeats in early 2026 may seem quiet, but several under-the-radar albums and EPs delivered strongly.

• Projects from Shoday, Jeriq, Tuff King, and Ice Prince highlight a mix of debut efforts, sequels, and reflective bodies of work with uneven but notable execution.

• Standout releases from Priesst, Joeboy & Wizard Chan, and Iyanya show growth and experimentation worth paying attention to.

Shoday arrived with Hybrid, a debut album that had been building in plain sight. The lead singles came early and often, which is both the record's strength and its problem because by release day, listeners who had been paying attention had already heard most of the best material. 

That front-loading softens the experience of sitting with the album as a whole. Still, Hybrid is a solid introduction from an artist finding his footing, even if it stops short of the statement a debut can sometimes be.

Six years after the project that established him as one of Nigerian hip-hop's more honest voices, Jeriq returned with Hood Boy Dreams 2.

The six-track EP picks up where the 2020 original left off, being uncompromising, specific, and rooted in the kind of lived experience that resists easy cleaning up. The growth in his craft is also clear. Hood Boy Dreams 2 does not soften the edges of its predecessor; it sharpens them.

Tuff King sits comfortably in the same lane as Odumodublvck, 6uff, and Monaky, rappers whose low registers and drill-grime instincts are most effective when matched with reflective writing or tight songwriting. 

Black Sheepizen (The 13th Disciple), a follow-up to his 2024 EP, makes clear that the inspiration is there. However, whether it fully translates across an album's worth of material is a different question. When the writing holds, the project rewards your patience. When it loosens, the cracks show.

Released less than a year after Starters, his joint project with producer Chopstix, Testimony of Grace, finds Ice Prince in a reflective mood. The album pulls from Afrobeats, rap, and contemporary sounds, with features from Niniola, Skiibii, Ria Sean, Sinzu, and Medikal. 

It is a more personal project than his recent output, and the intent is clear throughout. The execution may not fully earn the weight of the title, but that is dependent on what side listeners will land on.

The Abuja-based artist released Kurima Too quietly, but it deserves attention. Eight tracks built around mellow production, clean arrangements, and good lyricism. The EP moves through personal growth and self-examination. Priesst is an artist to watch, and Kurima Too is a confident reason why.

Korede Bello's six-track return runs roughly fifteen minutes and does what it sets out to do. Another One blends Afropop with romance (his signature theme), and the vocal control on display is noticeably sharper than earlier projects. It will feel familiar to anyone who already knows his sound, which is both its comfort and its ceiling.

The collaboration between Joeboy and Wizard Chan should not have worked as well as it did. Joeboy's melodic softness against Wizard Chan's rawer, Delta-influenced sound makes for an unlikely pairing, but Agaba Romantic earns its cohesion across seven tracks. The storytelling is consistent, the emotional register stays honest, and the project lingers after it ends.

Iyanya continues his steady comeback with Rumberas, an EP that leans fully into rhythm and melody. The project is not trying to reinvent anything; it is club-focused and built for the night. For an artist reclaiming his footing, it is a sensible and enjoyable step forward.

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