For the Nigerian entertainment sector, 2023 was a remarkable year. Incredibly, Tems, Burna Boy, and Tiwa Savage performed exceptionally well and broke records. Every year, a new generation of talented musicians competes in the extremely competitive Nigerian music scene, and they are all expected to give it their all. New Telegraph’s EDWIN USOBOH outlines five artistes who are expected to enthrall audiences and push the boundaries this year, based on their recent performances

Odumodublvck

Tochukwu Gbubemi Ojogwu, otherwise known as Odumodublvck, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, and composer. The brilliant lad is proving to be really successful at his craft over the past year, 2023. Remarkably, he is growing to be well-known for his genre-bending theatrical acts. Notably, Odumodublvck is a part of Anti World Gangstars, a hip-hop ensemble majorly based in Abuja, Nigeria, and that has stopped his quick rise to fame in the afro music scene as a rapper. We can say we knew it started going smoothly for the amazing rapper when he inked a record contract with NATIVE Records in 2022, working with Def Jam. However, the artist is known to be one of the most vivid storytell- ers in the genre. In November, his latest single, ‘Blood on the Dance Floor’, featuring Wale and Bloody Civilian snagged the No. 1 spot on Nigeria’s Top 100 charts.

On December 8, 2022, he won the Next Rated Artist category at Galaxy Music Awards. The next-rated honour comes with a reward, and the rapper receives a new Lexus IS 350. He was revealed on December 9, 2022, to be one of the opening per- formers for the December 17, 2022, Vertical Rave concert, which would also feature Teezee, Cruel Santino, PsychoYP, and Odunsi the Engine. In 2023, he almost survived a nearly fatal surgery before releas- ing the song, ‘Declan Rice’. His career saw a peak so far when he released ‘Declan Rice’ – a low-key tribute to Arsenal’s 2023 big (100 million pounds) signing, his music was even used to unveil the brilliant English lad, Declan. Since then, Odumodublvck hasn’t stopped as he has come through with so many exciting collaborations and even a new album ‘EZIOKWU’ which was endorsed by many big dogs in world music such as Skepta.

He went on to release the deluxe version of the album. EZIOKWU UNCUT – and even the original version – went on to top charts locally, regionally, and globally as Odumodublvck proves a feat of a turning point in Nigerian Hip Hop. Odumodublvck has been a very amazing artist with a solid presence in the entertainment community, we don’t expect him to back down any time soon. He is definitely one of the promising Nigerian artists to watch out for this year

Bloody Civilian

Emoseh Khamofu, professionally known as Bloody Civilian is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and musical producer signed to 0207 Def Jam, a UK wing of Def Jam Recordings. Remarkably, her songs ‘How To Kill A Man’ and ‘Wake Up’ which feature Rema in the soundtrack of the American superhero movie Black Panther, from 2022 are some of her really popular songs which she grew into stardom with. Notably, her collaboration with Odumodublvck on ‘Blood on the Dance Floor’ is another reason for her notoriety as the track may be her most popular song, as the song was one of the biggest tunes to hit the Nigerian airwaves in 2023. According to NME’s 2023 Emerging Art- ist Forecast, Bloody Civilian is one of the most important up-and-coming mavericks in Nigerian music, and The Guardian Nigeria has featured him as one of the most radical.

She was voted number one on TurnTable’s NXT Emerging Top Artistes on October 9, 2023, and sixteenth on Turn- Table’s Artiste Top 100 on November 6, 2023. After releasing her project, it seemed evident that the Afrobeats princess, Bloody Civilian, is here to stay. Released in 2022, ‘How To Kill A Man’ is her debut single and the first lead single off her debut extended play, Anger Management. She wrote, shot, produced, and directed the video, which was also released in the same year. As the third single off her debut extended play Anger Management, which was independently released on June 2023, through Def Jam Recordings, she released ‘Escapism’ on June 6, 2023.

As the main singles from her extended play Anger Management: At least we tried, she released ‘I Don’t Like You’ starring JELEEL! and Candy Bleakz, ‘Mad Apology’ featuring Odumodublvck, and ‘Escapism’ featuring Fave and Tay Iwar on November 9, 2023. Bloody Civilian is definitely a name you should note and watch out for this year 2024!

Shallipopi

Rapper, singer, and composer, Crown Uzama, popularly known as Shallipopi had his tune, ‘Elon Musk’, widely accepted and popular in 2023 after it was released as it peaked at the top of the Nigeria Top 100 Apple Music chart. Remarkably, Presido La Pluto (2023), his first studio album – which was his follow-up after a remarkable EP, ‘Planet Pluto’ – reached number one on TurnTable’s Top 50 Albums and number five on Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums. Shallipopi began his career by creating freestyles and sharing them on social media sites like TikTok. When his song “Elon Musk” was released, that’s when the amazing entertainer achieved success and his big breakthrough.

On 20 June 2023, Apple Music announced Shallipopi as the latest featured artist in its Up Next artist development program in Nigeria. He released the remix of ‘Elon Musk’ with Zlatan and Fireboy DML on June 30. Since then, it has been pure joy for the rising star, Shallipopi, as he has become the wave of the moment and the year 2023. He has enjoyed stardom and building a solid fanbase called Plutomanians. Some may actually even attribute some of his popularity to the fact that he was earlier ar- rested last year, prompting music fans to check out his music. Yes, Shallipopi, his manager, and other individuals were detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on May 30, 2023, on suspicion of engaging in online fraud.

On June 23, 2023, Shallipopi, his manager, and others were found guilty and given a two-year prison term with the “option of fines”. He released his EP Planet Pluto on July 11, 2023, and his single ‘Ex-Convict’ on July 7, 2023. On October 17, 2023, he launched his own record label after signing with Dvpper Music Distribution, which included signing Tega Boi and Zerry DL, two of his musical acts. On the same day, Shallipopi signed them. We can boldly say Shallipopi has been the face of Street Pop in Nigeria through 2023, there’s only an expectation of more to come in 2024!

Victony

Nigerian singer, songwriter, and rapper, Anthony Ebuka Victor, otherwise known as Victony is from Imo State’s Orsu local government area precisely. Growing up, he was influenced by musicians such as Falz, Mi, Wizkid, and Davido. Notably, he is contracted to Jungle Records and Mainland BlockParty, two Nigerian record labels. In August 2020, he released ‘Saturn’, his debut studio album. His debut in the music business came when he dropped his debut single, ‘Ina Benz’. Victony’s first single from his Outlaw EP, ‘Soweto featuring Tempoe’, was released in 2022. A remix with Rema and Don Toliver charted in the UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Canada after it acquired popularity on Tiktok.

Victony began his career as a rapper before transitioning and putting out R&B, trap, and Afropop albums. After he was involved in an automobile accident, his album ‘Pray’ became popular, marking the beginning of 2021. He had his biggest break in October 2021 when he paired up with Mayorkun on the song ‘Holy Father’. In December 2021, the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Top Triller Global charts after reaching the top spot on Apple Music Nigeria. Later, he worked on the EP Nataraja with Grammy Award–winning producer Rexxie. Note that Victony was involved in a deadly car accident on April 21, 2021. One of his buddies, Doyin, was killed in the crash, and he required surgery. Following the procedure, Victony continued to use a wheelchair, but on December 24, 2021, he amazingly got up to perform for the first time with Mayorkun and Davido.

We can proudly say Victony’s career peaked when he released the remix of his ‘Soweto’ song which featured iconic artist, Don Toliver, alongside the prince of Afrobeats, Rema. He went on to release another version with popular Nigerian artist, Omah Lay. The song was widely accepted and has been loved by fans globally. Last year 2023, Victony also came through with a brilliant collaboration in the industry with ‘OHEMA’, an audacious melody that combines vocals from many amazing Afrobeats singers. We look forward to what 2024 has in stock for Victony as we still expect a debut album from the entertainer.

Fave

Chidozie Godsfavour Ugochinyere, known as Fave is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and recording artist. After posting multiple one-minute videos to Twitter during the COVID-19 lockdown, she became well-known. She was nominated for Best Artist in African Reggae, Dancehall, and Most Prom- ising Artist at the All Africa Music Awards in 2022, and she won Rookie of the Year at The Headies 2022. Additionally, she received a nomination for the 2022 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival’s Best New Artiste. Fave began to acquire popularity after her verse on a free beat produced by Jinmi Abdul went viral online, especially on Twit- ter, where she received a ton of supportive comments. On April 17, 2020, Fave released her official debut single, N.B.U., which stands for ‘Nobody but U.’ It debuted at number 64 on the Apple Music Top 100 rankings.

She then inked a one-year licensing agreement with Mr. Eazi’s emPawa Africa in No- vember 2021, following several months of negotiations. Following the release of her most well-known song, ‘Baby riddim,’ on emPawa Africa, Fave became popular. The song ‘Baby Riddim’ became the number-one song on the Nigerian turntable chart, marking the second entry by a lead female artist to do so. The tune also held the top spot for six weeks in a row for the Global Shazam Afrobeats record in 2021. In January, 2022, Fave’s debut EP, “Rid- dim 5,” was released. The EP consists of five solo tracks: ‘Baby Riddim’, her biggest hit, ‘S.M.K.’, ‘Kilotufe’, ‘Mr. Man’, and ‘Obsessed’. The EP became the first project launched in 2022 to reach the top of Nigeria’s Apple Music Top Albums chart.

Olamide, the popular Nigerian rapper, included Fave on the songs ‘Want’ and ‘Pon Pon’ off his 2021 UY Scuti album which set her out to be one of Nigeria’s hottest female artists. The 2022 release of Simi’s single ‘Loyal’ features Fave. Later, she appeared in the song ‘Kante’ from Davido’s Timeless album, which was released in March 2023. Her voice played a significant part in the song’s powerful chorus. This year, 2024, we expect bold moves and top-charting projects from Fave as we expect her debut album is well overdue.