2025 was a strange year for music; Jah Fire released a song every day for every new word he encountered. He is beginning to believe in himself, which is good for him but bad for an already struggling industry. And every delivery was energetic; it begs the question, how much shouting energy does he have? Or rather, how patient is his producer to sit through the gibberish passed as music. Anyways, dive in; below is my pick for 2025. Should you disagree, write yours.
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In a year, Akisa forgot to clock in, Timi G, and Okeng Borntown showed up early for the thronw. Okeng’s slow, strange, oddly charming style fills the gap nicely. I still wonder whether it is the Okeng of ‘Party Time’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxpoZqOhhiI…
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Tempah reminds us why lyrics still matter. I thought Eddy Wizzy would steal the spotlight, but turns out he was just running to keep up with the young kid on the block. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCt2G5X2KuU…
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Polished, patient, and refreshingly raw. In a world full of Nigerian noise, Nays Official calmly minds his own lane and wins. A beautiful tune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3m6eaBEDdI…
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Starts shaky, ends strong. Big Mosh, Clex B, and friends ride a beat that refuses to let you sit still. Credit the producer for the work, definitely a song to play again and again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlGBuJq1n10…
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A soft love story sneaks into the dancehall space. Simple, elegant, and heavily carried by production, but it grows on you like a chorus you didn’t ask for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuiQFKjOXPo…
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Yes, it’s a Nigerian sample. No, I don’t usually like that. Still, Van Brother delivers vocally after a very patient start. There is something about the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWLzFoMaooY…
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A village of artists, one big Luo hit. Blamo assembled the chaos, and Giddy Beats served it hot (He deserves his flowers). Certified dancehall energy (wrote about this earlier in the year) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhy6gVcEiCM…
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Low profile, high impact. Carol Flower plays freely with her voice and doesn’t hold back. The introduction classified her as upcoming – I think she has come (not cummed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDoCC0zbMb0…
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Everything works: vocals, lyrics, rhythm. I doubted Neo would fit; he proved me wrong. Classic loading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6vwze6pzRs…
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Anger powered this one, and it shows. Sharp bars, heavy meaning—arguably 2025’s most lyrically loaded release so far. Who thought Romeo and Freeman would be jointly inspired by anger? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm9uyZ43dQI…
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Genre-hopping done right, but with some confusion. It features flashes of Mixola’s signature wordplay. Not his best, but your ears won’t complain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrFhIg9vNVM…
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If dancehall had medals, this gets silver. Lyrics, rhythm, rhyme and sneaky comedy if you understand the language. Head nod guaranteed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OZht8f1QOQ…
Till next year!