2022: MLLE, Love Damini, Playboy and 7 Others Make List of Biggest Albums of the Year
- As the year winds up, and we drop the curtains on 2022, we have decided to take a look at some of the music works released over the last 364 days that ruled our airwaves
- Several studio albums were released, but only a few stood out, newcomers in the industry like Asake, and Seyi Vibez all came through with very strong indications of what the future holds
- While some Afrobeat music veterans like Burna Boy and Wizkid continued to show why their global recognition is no fluke
- Legit.ng in this article has compiled a list of the top 10 music albums released in the country over the course of the last 12 months
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It has been another incredible year of great sounds, records and tunes for the Nigerian music industry. Our ears have been blessed with new forms of Afrobeats sounds, a fusion of the Amapiano beats with Fuji and several other indigenous Nigerian tunes.
In this article, we would be compiling a list of the 10 biggest, most-streamed and favourite music albums released in the country over the last 12 months.
Source: Instagram
We would also, take a look at why these bodies of works stood out amongst their pairs:
1. Mr Money With The Vibe - Asake
It should be no surprise that Asake's Mr Money With The Vibe tops this list. The singer could easily have had two of his projects on this list if only his debut record Ololade wasn't an EP.
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MMWTV is the most-streamed album of the year across all music streaming platforms. It held the number one position on the Nigerian Music Chart for nearly 14 weeks straight.
It is still the only music album with the most number of singles in the top 10 Nigerian music charts of 2022.
2022 has been a huge year for the YBNL signee, which has also seen him break into the international scene without too much fuss. Asake is a superiorly talented singer and performer, and he deserves his number-one spot.
2. Love Damini - Burna Boy
Well, to see Burna Boy at number 2 on this list shouldn't come as a surprise to many. The Odogwu crooner is a master at his craft.
In 2022, he released his sixth studio album, Love Damini. It didn't immediately hit on people but gradually tracks Last Last, Common Person, and Its Plenty became national anthems proving that the African Giant is still a king.
Burna Boy's single Las Last was so big, it was nominated as the 27th best song released in 2022 across the world by the Billboard top 100 global music charts.
3. Playboy - Fireboy
Young YBNL signee Adedamola Adefolahan has yet again proven his mettle as a fine singer and as a great Afrobeat musician.
He released his third official studio album this year, on August 5, it was another smashing hit with tracks like Bandana, Tattoo and Afro-Highlife all going on to do very well across streaming platforms.
Fireboy also got to feature some international stars that he looks up to, like Ed Sheeran and Chris Brown on Peru and Diana respectively.
His track Peru to date still holds the record as the first Afrobeat song to hold the BBC Radio number 1 position for more than eight weeks. 2022 was a smash for Fireboy, we hope to see him bring more of the same fire in 2023.
4. More Love, Less Ego (MLLE) - Wizkid
There are so many different differing opinions held on this Wizkid project More Love, Less Ego. Some have said it is his worst to date, but the truth his streaming numbers tell a completely different story.
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun is one of Nigeria's most talented musicians of his generation.
However, it seems lately he creates music and sounds not so familiar to many Nigerians anymore, thus the reason for constant criticism.
He is accused of losing a core of the sounds many Nigerians fell in love with him for. Rather, he creates tunes for the international market.
Just to show how well Wizkid's album is doing internationally, his single off MLLE is the third Nigerian song that made it to the Billboard top 100 best songs of 2022.
5. Catch Me If You Can - Adekunle Gold
Adekunle Gold released 'Catch Me If You Can' on February 4, 2022. It is his fifth studio album and one of his best to date.
'Catch Me If You Can' is one of AG Baby's best works yet because of the message it carries. The album speaks of Adekunle’s growth and evolution in the music industry.
It consists of songs like It is What It Is, Sinner, and High amongst others, plus the top artists like Davido, Lucky Daye, and Ty Dolla all featured on the album, giving it premium value.
6. Billion Dollar Baby - Seyi Vibez
Many might query as to why and how the album of the fast-rising Afro-fusion artist Seyi Vibez gets to feature on this list.
Seyi Vibez is yet another street music sensation whose craft is noteworthy. You only need to take a look at his streaming numbers across all platforms.
He came through with his third studio album without too much fuss, he has put the industry on lockdown.
Seyi Vibez's Billion Dollar Baby is the sixth most streamed album in the country at the moment, since its release in October, it has been nothing but shows after-shows for the singer as his stock continues to rise.
7. Boy Alone - Omah Lay:
Young Nigerian singer Stanley Omah Dibia better known as Omah Lay didn’t disappoint his fans when his hugely anticipated debut album was released on July 15.
It gradually sunk its way into the hearts of many Nigerians with tracks like Understand, Attention ft Justin Bieber and Woman all going on to do amazing numbers.
It consisted of songs that eclipsed the Nigerian music scene for months and still have music lovers dancing to the tracks. Dibia's 14-track debut album was a huge success, and we look forward to seeing him do more wonders come 2023.
8. Rave & Roses - Rema
At the recently concluded 2022 World Cup, one of Rema's tracks Calm Down was played at one of the stadiums during a half-time of one of the games at the competition.
The same song also made it to Barack Obama's playlist of the year. These all prove that 2022 was a great year for the Mavins signee.
Divine Okubor, continues to show that his rapid rise within the Nigerian music industry is no fluke, and he is not going away anytime soon.
His debut album, Rave and Roses, imbued amazing songs such as Calm Down, Dirty, Hold Me, Time and Affection and others that made it a delight to listen to.
9. M.I - The Guy
Veteran Nigerian rapper Jude Abaga aka M.I., finally, made a comeback to the music scene with his first album in four years.
The ace rapper finally came back from his self-imposed hiatus to show once again that he is still the biggest fish in the rap industry.
M.I. released his fourth official studio album 'The Guy' to quite a popular acclaim that left many drooling for more. The 13-track body of work is regarded as the best rap album of the year, seconded by Blaqbonez's Young Preacher.
10. Asa - V
“V” is an emotionally empowering album that sees Asa releasing herself to so many emotions and admitting that love comes with its flaws, but this doesn’t make it less desirable.
The album produced a couple of hit songs which are 'Show Me Off', 'IDG' ft. Wizkid and 'Mayana'.
'V' is on our list of one of the best 2022 Nigerian albums because it has a good replay value, and the artistry on the album is commendable. It is not as powerful as Asa’s first two albums, but it is definitely better than 'Lucid' her 2019 album.
New Afrobeat stars on the global stage: Meet 8 Nigerian singers that got big breaks as international artists 2022
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recalls doing a special on the growth of the Nigerian music industry globally at the moment is untenable, and leading that charge globally is Afrobeat.
The Nigerian sounds have gradually displaced Reggae, reggaeton, and dancehall as the party starters and club music across the globe.
And just to reinforce that growth in 2022, eight new Nigerian singers made a huge global berth. In this article, we highlighted eight Naija musicians that took their trade and craft internationally and got big breaks in 2022.
Source: Legit.ng
