Best musicians in Africa 2023 (with pictures): 14 most popular (2023)

Top 14 best musicians in Africa: Music plays a very special role in life. Above all, it connects people, creates identity and can shape people’s culture and way of life. This is especially true in Africa, where culture and tribes are held in high esteem by people, so the things that give them identity are particularly celebrated and possessed by people.

Africa is the second largest continent in the world; Therefore, there will be a people with many different cultures, religions and interests, and therefore people have different tastes in music. However, over time, cultural progress and world development have modified and streamlined most of these differences, so that it is now easier for people from different backgrounds and cultures to find common interests in different walks of life and based on them to combine interests.

Over the years, African music and musicians have evolved tremendously, so much so that the genre of music Africa was known for has also evolved a lot and the continent was originally known for juju, fuji, highlife, makossa, kizomba and afrobeat music is now boasting artists making hip-hop, rhythm and blues, rock and even country music, winning awards worldwide. African artists and music have become so good and diverse.

The artists can come together from different cultural heritages and backgrounds, make different genres of songs that Africans hear, enjoy and appreciate these songs and the artists win awards and make waves in the global community.

Some of these artists have taken the old sound they inherited and infused it with the new to create their original song genre and they will still sound incredible. In recent years, Indigenous artists from Africa are increasingly winning the pinnacle of music awards - the Grammy Awards - a testament to how good they are and how original the sound they create is.

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Top 14 Most Influential & Best African Musicians in 2023

Here is a list of the current top 14 musicians in Africa, this list ends and takes into account the artist's influence both locally and internationally in the music world over the past decade.

14. If:Nigerian singer, songwriter and guitarist Asa is known for her soulful voice and socially sensitive songs. Asa has become one of the most well-known African musicians of our time thanks to her ability to combine classically trained African instruments with modern genres such as pop and jazz.

Their distinctive sound has captured the hearts of fans in Africa and around the world. Her songs often deal with themes of love, peace and social justice. Asa is a true inspiration and a brilliant representation of the talent and originality of the African music scene. "fire on the mountain" And "prison guard' are two of her most famous tunes. She recently released the album "v.“

13. By:Lagbaja is a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and musician who has had a major impact on the African music industry. Lagbaja has developed a distinctive sound by fusing traditional Yoruba music with modern genres such as jazz, funk and hip-hop.

This sound has earned him a loyal following. Lagbaja is an African music pioneer known for his socially conscious lyrics and innovative use of percussion. To protect his identity when performing, he dons a distinctive mask that represents both his music and his message of social justice and harmony.

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12. Sho Madjozi: Ranked #10 on our list of best musicians in Africa is South African rapper, singer-songwriter Sho Madjozi, who was born Maya Christinah Xichavo Wegerif. She finished high school in Tanzania and received a scholarship to study Creative Writing and African Studies in the United States. While in the US, she began to develop her songwriting skills as a poet.

After moving back to South Africa, she took up songwriting, composing and rapping. Her breakthrough came with the release of "I'm hot bra"and the hit single "DR' in collaboration with Okmalumkoolkat.

She has since released her debut studio album titled Limpopo Champions League and a mixtape"What a life". The mixed tape showcased many local talents from their home province and the aim was to nurture them and give them a chance to break through.

Sho has been nominated and won numerous awards including Artist of the Year, Best Newcomer at the 2019 South African Music Awards, she was also named Best New International Artist at the 2019 BET Awards and she was included in the Forbes 30 under 30.

Sho Modjozi's musical style is hip-hop, pop and gqom - a genre of electronic dance music from South Africa. She brings culture to both her music and fashion style as she sings fluently in her native Swahili and English while she is also known for her hairstyles which are always influenced by the Fulani and Tuareg women.

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11. 2 Baba: The ninth best performing musician in Africa is Nigeria's Innocent Ujah Idibia, who went by the stage name 2Face Idibia until 2016, but then changed it to 2Baba.

He started his career as part of the group "Plantashun Boiz' which performed alongside two other group members, blackface Naija and Faze. The group released their first album, Body and Soul, in 2003 and a second, Sold Out, in 2004. Both albums were commercial successes, but the group disbanded soon after the release of the second album.

After the group disbanded, 2Baba launched his own solo career and released his debut album Face 2 Face in 2004, which was followed by Grass 2 Grace. The albums were a huge success both at home and internationally, earning him numerous awards.

As of 2020, 2Baba has seven studio albums and a variety of local and international awards including MTV Europe Music Award, World Music Award, Headies Awards, Channel O Music Video Awards and BET Music Award.

2Baba is considered instrumental in changing the face of music in Nigeria as he has been instrumental in driving the commercial rise of the Nigerian music industry's international community. His musical style includes Afrobeat, R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Afropop and Gospel.

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10. Yemi Alade: Eighth on the list is another Nigerian, Yemi Alade. She started her career in 2009 after winning the Peak Talent Show but had to wait until 2014 for her breakthrough when she released the hit single "Johnny“. The music video for the song is still the most watched music video by an African artist ever.

Yemi released her debut studio album Kings of Queens in 2014 to great commercial success and was followed by her second album Mama Africa which was also a huge success. So far she has recorded five studio albums and has toured the world with her music.

She has been a coach at The Voice Nigeria since 2017. In 2021, she was invited by the Royal Family to perform at the Earthshot Awards Ceremony hosted by the Royal Foundation.

In her career she has won a variety of awards including AFRIMA Awards (All Africa Music Awards), MTV African Music Awards, Soundcity MVP Awards, Independent Music Awards, Nigeria Entertainment Awards and The Headies. She is the first to win the MTV African Music Awards for Best Woman twice in a row and became the first African woman to be nominated for the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) in 2015. Her music videos and stage performances are characterized by their creative and eccentric implementation.

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9. Sarkodie: Michael Owusu Addo was under the stage name "Sarkodie“ is the seventh best African musician. A rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur from Ghana, he began his career in 2005 performing as an underground rapper in competitions. He met Hammer of The Last Two, a record producer who was impressed with his rap skills and ability to freestyle with meaningful and rhythmic flows through his former manager Duncan Williams.

Hammer signed Sarkodie to a five-year deal, making room for him to appear on a labelmate's album that was in the process of being recorded. After the album's release, Sarkodie became a star as demand for him skyrocketed. He then recorded his own first album, Makye, in 2009, which was well received by critics and fans alike, and then followed that up with a second album, Rapperholic. Since then he has released 6 studio albums, two live albums and one collaborative album with Jayso.

Sarkodie is considered one of the best and most successful African rappers of all time. He has won numerous awards including BET Awards, The Headies, Ghana Music Awards, National Youth Achievement Awards, MOBO Awards and Channel O Music Video Awards. He was awarded "Artist of the Decade" at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards and at the BET Hip Hop Awards 2019, he became the first artist to win the Best International Flow Artist award.

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8. Terms:Temilade Openiyi, commonly known as Tems, is a Nigerian songwriter, record producer and singer who is currently one of the hottest musical talents in Africa. Earlier this month she collaborated with a couple of American artists, a collaboration that left "Future" and some of his colleagues screaming at how excellent her singing is and how good she is.

Earlier last year, she collaborated with Drake on the song "Fountains," which debuted in the US top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her collaboration with Wizkid that same year on the song "Essence" also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and also earned her numerous award nominations, most notably a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance.

Tems is definitely one of the hottest female sensations in Africa as things stand. Her singing, musical style and performance make her one of the best African artists of 2022.

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7. Tiwa Savage: Tiwatope Savage, known by the stage name Tiwa Savage (also known as the Queen of Afrobeat), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. She began her career in the UK as a backup singer, particularly for singers such as Mary J Blige. She went on to take part in the 2006 edition of The X Factor in the UK.

Encouraged by the growing music industry in Nigeria, she returned home in 2012 to sign a deal with Mavin Records where she released her debut album Once Upon a Time in 2013. Her second studio album R.E.D was released in 2015.

She has released 5 studio albums and eps and has won multiple awards in her career including Soundcity MVP Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, AFRIMA, COSON Song Awards, Channel O Music Video Awards, Channel O Music Video Awards, The Headies and others. She is the first woman to win the Best African Act award at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards. Their music is a mix of Afrobeats, R&B, Pop and Hip-Hop.We rank her as the sixth best African musician.

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6. Fally Ipuppe: Number 5 on our list Fally Ipupa N'simba, a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, guitarist and producer, known by his stage name Fally Ipupa. He began his musical career as a member of the band in the late 1990s„Quartier Latin International“.Within the band he became known as the conductor of the orchestra.

In 2006 he left the band to start his solo career and released his first solo album Droit Chemin. Three years after the album's release, he released a second 16-track album called Arsenal De Belles Melodies (French for"Arsenal of beautiful melodies"), giving him wider recognition across Africa and beyond. The album featured such famous artists as 50 Cents from G-Unit and Olivia, also formerly from G-Units.

As of 2021, Ipupa has six studio albums to his name and a host of awards recognizing his talent and influence on the African music scene. His list of awards includes MTV Africa Music Awards, BET Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards.

5. Angelique Kidjo:Angelique Kidjo is a veteran songwriter and singer from the Republic of Benin who has written her name in gold as long as Africa has been involved and is still on the rise as one of the continent's finest artists.

She is the most decorated artist in Africa12 Grammy nominations and winning a record five (5) Grammys, more recently this year 2022, where her recently released album Mother Nature won the Grammy for Best Global Music Album. Her previous album Celia also won the same award in 2020. For example, her last two albums have won the Grammy Global Music Award, an achievement unmatched by any other artist in Africa.

In her songs, Angelique Kidjo perfectly combines all styles of music such as Afropop, Afrobeat, Jazz, Hip Hop, Gospel, Reggae, Zouk and Makossa. Her great talent, commercial success and awards make her the best artist in Africa in 2022.

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4. Davido: David Adedeji Adeleke, commonly known as Davido, is a Nigerian singer and record producer. In 2010 he dropped out of college to pursue a career in music and released his debut album Omo Baba Olowo in 2012. The single "Dami Duro' of the album earned him the Next Rated award at the 2012 Headies Awards.

Between 2012 and 2019, Davido did not release any albums, however he released many singles during this period and also an extended play (EP) entitled "son of mercy' in 2016. As of 2021, he has released three albums and received countless awards including Kora Award, BET, African Muzik Magazine Awards, MTV Africa Music Awards, Channel O Music Video Awards, Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA), The Headies , City People Entertainment Awards among others.

3. Diamond Platnumz: Number three on our list is Diamond Platnumz, the stage name of Nasibu Abdul Juma Issack, a Tanzanian bongo flava singer. He started his career in 2006 at the age of 17 with the release of his first single "From the beginning' which was not a commercial success.

He had his breakthrough in 2010 with the release of his single "tell him' which earned him three music awards in Tanzania. In the same year 2010 he released his debut album of the same name. Since then, he has released two more albums, earning many personal awards along the way. He holds the record as the first African-based artist to have 900 million YouTube views.

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2. WizKid: Number two on our list is Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, known professionally as Wizkid. He is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He started recording music at the age of 11 after hearing the "Magnificent Five' with his friends from church. Signed to the Banky W record label in 2009, he burst into the limelight after releasing the lead single from his debut album,Superstar“. The album was a huge success and in 2014 he released his second album entitled "Ayo“.

Wizkid is the first Afrobeat artist to break new ground with the song "a dance' a collaboration with Canadian singer and rapper Drake, when the song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and broke several records. He is also the first Nigerian to perform with his song "beings' from his fourth album Made in Lagos.

With over 3.4 billion streams, he is the most streamed Nigerian artist on Sportify. He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including a Grammy for his work with American singer Beyoncé on the song "girl with brown skin“. His musical style includes Afrobeat, Reggae, Dancehall, R&B, Hip Hop, Pop.

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1. Burna boy: The best African musician on our list is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy, a Nigerian singer and rapper. After releasing the lead single from his debut album "like to celebrate"he stepped into the limelight. Since then he has released four more albums, two mixed tapes and two extended plays (EPs).

Burna has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including a Grammy Award for his fifth album Twice as Tall, which earned him Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. His second Grammys nomination made him the first Nigerian to receive consecutive Grammys nominations.

Burna's musical style has been described as Afro-fusion, a genre that blends Afrobeats, dancehall riddims, reggae, American rap and R&B. He is considered one of the greatest and most successful African artists.

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Finally, it's worth knowing that music in Africa is broader than ever, with artists creating their own unique styles and sounds. One thing is clear though, the continent is witnessing perhaps its most talented generation of musicians, although some argue this is because the music industry has grown to levels never seen before, the fact is that these levels have only been reached because of the talent of current musicians.