Olamide returns with “Burukutu” as this week’s Afrobeats Heat Different selection brings together Nigerian street-pop, Ghanaian melodies, alternative voices and a new generation of African music makers.
A familiar voice, a changing musical landscape
Few Nigerian artists have maintained a relationship with popular culture quite like Olamide. Across successive generations of listeners, his music has remained closely associated with the language, humour, ambition and everyday experiences of the communities that helped shape his career.
His latest release, “Burukutu,” arrives at another significant point in that journey. With a forthcoming album, Time & Space, and a headline concert at London’s O2 Arena scheduled for March 2027, the rapper and YBNL founder is preparing for another chapter without abandoning the identity that has made him one of Nigerian music’s most recognisable figures.
Olamide leads this week’s Afrobeats Heat Different, a selection of seventeen records reflecting the breadth of contemporary African popular music.
Around him are artists working across different traditions and stages of development. Mavo, 6uff, ODUMODUBLVCK and Shallipopi represent distinct expressions of Nigeria’s evolving street-pop and rap culture. King Promise, Kuami Eugene and AratheJay bring Ghanaian perspectives into the selection, while Mannywellz, Juls, DOTTi The Deity and several emerging voices extend its musical and creative range.
Together, these records offer more than a snapshot of new releases. They provide an opportunity to consider how established musical identities continue to develop alongside the artists and communities shaping what comes next.
Continuity, individuality and the sounds between generations
African popular music has never developed through a single sound or creative tradition. Its evolution has been informed by regional languages, local performance cultures, migration, collaboration and the exchange of musical ideas across communities.
Those influences remain evident in contemporary music, even as streaming platforms and social media create new routes for artists to reach listeners.
The relationship between established performers and emerging talent is particularly important. Artists who helped define earlier periods of popular music continue to release new work, while younger musicians introduce fresh expressions drawn from their own experiences.
This week’s playlist brings those generations into the same listening space without suggesting that their music must share a common identity.
Olamide’s continued presence provides one perspective on artistic longevity. The younger Nigerian acts surrounding him demonstrate how quickly new languages, personalities and approaches can emerge. Elsewhere, the Ghanaian selections and alternative-minded collaborations remind us that the African music ecosystem extends well beyond any single national scene or commercial formula.
The value of that diversity lies in allowing each artist’s individuality to remain visible.
Cover Story: Olamide and the enduring language of Baddo
Olamide’s contribution to Nigerian popular music is inseparable from his ability to move between musical environments while retaining a distinctive voice.
His early work helped bring Yoruba-language rap and street-rooted storytelling into wider mainstream conversations. As his career developed, his recordings increasingly incorporated melodic Afropop, collaborations and changing production styles, reflecting both his own creative interests and the wider evolution of Nigerian music.
That adaptability has remained central to his longevity.
Beyond his discography, Olamide’s work through YBNL Nation has also positioned him as an important figure in artist development. His influence can therefore be understood through two connected histories: the records he has made and the opportunities his platform has helped create for other musicians.
On Tuesday, October 20, he introduced “Burukutu,” a new single accompanied by a music video directed by TG Omori.
The song takes its name from a traditional fermented grain drink associated with parts of Nigeria. Its title draws on a familiar cultural reference, while the release’s celebratory presentation continues Olamide’s longstanding engagement with street language and communal expression.
The accompanying visuals bring performance, movement and stylised imagery into the presentation, extending the release beyond the recording itself.
“Burukutu” also introduces his forthcoming album, Time & Space, announced for November 16, 2026. It follows his self-titled 2025 project, Olamidé, and arrives ahead of his scheduled headline performance at London’s O2 Arena on March 25, 2027.
These developments place the new single within a broader period of activity. Yet it would be premature to treat one recording as a complete indication of the album to come.
For now, “Burukutu” offers a first impression of Olamide’s next chapter, and another example of an artist whose career has developed without requiring him to distance himself from his musical foundations.
Why Olamide takes the cover
Olamide’s selection as this week’s cover artist reflects more than the arrival of a new single.
His release brings together three important dimensions of an artist’s career: recorded music, visual storytelling and live performance. It also offers a point of connection between an established figure in Nigerian music and a generation of performers developing their own creative identities.
The significance of Olamide’s longevity is not simply that he remains active. It is that his work continues to occupy a recognisable place within a musical culture that has changed considerably around him.
That makes him a fitting introduction to this week’s selection.
Inside this week’s selection
Following Olamide’s “Burukutu,” Mavo’s “Goyard” introduces one of the younger voices attracting attention within Nigeria’s contemporary street-pop landscape.
His developing artistic identity reflects the importance of personality and language in a musical environment where new expressions can quickly become part of wider youth culture.
6uff and ODUMODUBLVCK follow with “Salt,” bringing together artists at different stages of visibility within Nigerian rap. The collaboration also illustrates how shared recordings can introduce audiences to performers they may not otherwise encounter.
Shallipopi’s “.com” extends the street-pop presence. His career has been marked by an immediately recognisable vocabulary, relaxed delivery and the development of a creative identity closely associated with his Benin City roots.
The playlist then moves into another register with Mannywellz and Ode al’s “Cry On You.” Their pairing makes room for a different approach to contemporary African songwriting, broadening the selection beyond the more assertive personalities of its opening records.
Ghanaian music occupies an important place in the middle of the sequence.
King Promise’s “Melody” and Kuami Eugene’s “Ajei” introduce two established Ghanaian performers whose careers have contributed to the country’s contemporary Afropop landscape. Their inclusion places Ghanaian songwriting alongside Nigerian releases without treating either scene as an extension of the other.
Chella’s “Pretty Nun” returns the selection to an emerging Nigerian voice, followed by MOJO AF’s “Run Am” and TUFF KING’s “Sound of Freedom.” These additions are part of the playlist’s discovery function, allowing less widely recognised names to appear alongside artists with more established audiences.
The collaborative presence continues through Larry Gaaga and Peruzzi’s “OFF WHITE.” Both artists have developed careers in which collaboration plays an important role, and their pairing adds another dimension to the week’s Nigerian selections.
Juls, Projexx and Minz come together on “POSITION,” introducing a combination of creative perspectives shaped by the movement of African music across different audiences and markets.
The final stretch of the selection gives further attention to individual voices.
Hynezz’s “Fortify Me,” AratheJay’s “Wings,” Zen Univrse’s “swagsonic” and Noon Dave’s “MAZZA” each occupy a place in a sequence designed to extend listeners’ discoveries beyond the most familiar names.
The playlist concludes with L.A.X and DOTTi The Deity’s “IYAWO,” a collaboration bringing together artists with different approaches to melody, songwriting and musical expression.
The result is a selection that moves between established careers, developing identities and collaborations without requiring every record to serve the same mood or musical purpose.
The complete selection
| # | Track | Artist(s) |
| 1 | Burukutu | Olamide |
| 2 | Goyard | Mavo |
| 3 | Salt | 6uff, ODUMODUBLVCK |
| 4 | .com | Shallipopi |
| 5 | Cry On You | Mannywellz, Ode al |
| 6 | Melody | King Promise |
| 7 | Ajei | Kuami Eugene |
| 8 | Pretty Nun | Chella |
| 9 | Run Am | MOJO AF |
| 10 | Sound of Freedom | TUFF KING |
| 11 | OFF WHITE | Larry Gaaga, Peruzzi |
| 12 | POSITION | Juls, Projexx, Minz |
| 13 | Fortify Me | Hynezz |
| 14 | Wings | AratheJay |
| 15 | swagsonic | Zen Univrse |
| 16 | MAZZA | Noon Dave |
| 17 | IYAWO | L.A.X, DOTTi The Deity |
Five records in focus
Olamide — “Burukutu”
The week’s defining release introduces Olamide’s forthcoming Time & Space project. Its arrival alongside a new visual and a major international concert announcement gives the record particular significance within the artist’s current campaign.
6uff & ODUMODUBLVCK — “Salt”
The pairing brings attention to the relationships developing between different generations and profiles within Nigerian rap. For listeners familiar with ODUMODUBLVCK, it also creates an opportunity to discover 6uff’s work.
Larry Gaaga & Peruzzi — “OFF WHITE”
Larry Gaaga’s career has consistently placed collaboration at the centre of his musical approach. His latest pairing with Peruzzi continues that interest in bringing distinct performers together through shared recordings.
King Promise — “Melody”
King Promise represents an important part of Ghana’s contemporary Afropop identity. His inclusion strengthens the playlist’s regional balance and brings another established songwriting voice into the week’s listening experience.
L.A.X & DOTTi The Deity — “IYAWO”
The collaboration draws attention to the possibilities created when performers with different musical backgrounds share a recording. Its title, a Yoruba word associated with a wife or bride, also provides a cultural reference point for the song’s romantic subject matter.
Artists to watch: Mavo, Chella and Shallipopi
Mavo
Emerging from Edo State, Mavo has developed attention around his unconventional delivery, playful expressions and distinctive approach to contemporary Nigerian street-pop.
His growing presence reflects the opportunities available to artists whose identities are shaped as much by personality and language as by conventional genre expectations.
“Goyard” places him among the younger voices worth following as Nigeria’s musical landscape continues to develop.
Chella
Chella’s growing catalogue has introduced listeners to a performer working across Afrobeats and Afro-fusion.
Following the attention generated by “Nyash Na Nyash” and “My Darling,” he continues to develop an artistic profile shaped by expressive vocals, visual presentation and an expanding digital audience.
His inclusion this week reflects Music Custodian’s commitment to following artists through different stages of their development.
Shallipopi
Shallipopi is already a recognisable figure in Nigerian street-pop, but his continued evolution remains worth documenting.
Since gaining wider attention with “Elon Musk,” the Benin City-born artist has built a musical identity around distinctive slang, vocal delivery and his Pluto persona.
His presence alongside Mavo and 6uff provides an opportunity to consider the different ways a younger generation of Nigerian performers is establishing its place within popular music.
Afrobeats Heat Different : Why this week’s music matters
The relationship between Olamide and the artists surrounding him offers a useful perspective on how musical cultures develop.
Influence does not always mean imitation. Established performers can create new possibilities through their recordings, institutions and collaborations, while younger artists respond to the cultural environments of their own generation.
Across this week’s selection, those relationships appear alongside different regional traditions, creative approaches and levels of recognition.
Olamide continues to write new chapters in a career already closely connected to the history of contemporary Nigerian music. Around him, emerging and established performers contribute their own experiences to an increasingly varied African musical landscape.
Afrobeats Heat Different exists to document that movement: to recognise the artists shaping familiar sounds, introduce those developing new ones and create a listening space where different expressions of African music can be discovered together.
Listen to this week’s updated Afrobeats Heat Different playlist on Spotify.
