Inside9jeria’s Top 10 Album Of 2020

By : Akinnibosun Kehinde

The year 2020 was undoubtedly a bizarre one for the most part, from having to stay put in one’s home due to the unprecedented killer virus to the country staging its biggest protest since 1993, this time against the brute force of its security agencies

It’s surely a year many people would point back to, in years to come. 

For the entertainment world, the oddities of the year clearly took a toll on it due to the lockdown that was unavoidable lockdown that was slammed by the government. Musical shows and festivals had to be halted, cinemas locked for several months, round the country tours deterred. In fact, when you look at those largely affected by the advent of the pandemic, the showbiz department ranks tops. 

On the flip side, the lockdown period had people doing more introspection, family bonding, honing crafts, learning new stuff, and whatnot. After all, it was just a restriction of movement. 

For the artists, it was time to fine-tune that pre-released album folder sitting pretty on the PC, enough to also perfectly create one, heck, veteran rappers, AQ and Mi Abaga put out a critically acclaimed collabo project within 7days. There was certainly a spike in music creation as a result of the lockdown. Thursday nights were even more exciting, as people anticipated new music from artists. We’ve certainly never consumed music albums as we did in 2020. Music helped provide a much-needed escape from reality 

As an artist, you had to come correct, especially if you didn’t belong in the A or B list category, releasing a below mediocre or even mediocre single or body of work meant you’d probably get lost in the crowd, due to the tons of new releases being churned out week in week out. 

As 2020 nears its final days, we’ve put together a list of top 10 albums we deemed were able to excel and leave their mark during a wildly unpredictable time

10)Afro-Pop -Adekunle Gold

Adekunle Gold leaving his comfort zone to rebrand and experiment with a new genre might just be the coolest thing to happen in the Nigerian music scene in 2020. 

AG baby, as he’s fondly referred to as,  major highlight of the year might be the fact he joined fatherhood, but his successful attempt at rebranding his artistry also deserved to be applauded.

His third studio album ‘Afro-pop,  a 10 track album, reeked of laid back, feel-good music. Ag baby was definitely in his bag while crafting this body of work

9)A Better time- Davido

On ABT, the follow up to his 2019 sophomore album, A good time, Davido showed once again how creating hits is a walk in the park for him. The 30 BG head, who has enjoyed a high level of success in recent times hit us with his third studio album on November 13. Bar its lack of cohesiveness, the album had several hits and feel-good songs.

8)God’s Engineering-  Aq 

Since he delivered one of the best verses in Nigeria’s hip-hop history on  ’crown’, veteran rapper, AQ, has been on a run that mirrors Lebron James’ 2012-13 Miami Heat season. 

From nicking the revered ’Lyricist on the roll’ award at the Headies the last time out, to giving fellow hip-hop heavyweight and buddy, Mi Abaga, a run for his money on track, Aq has certainly stamped his footprints as one of the country’s greatest rappers, and it was his latter days in the scene that made that mark.

God’s Engineering, a name inspired by a Jay-Z line, the album was laced with themes of adult contemporary hip-hop and self-introspection. Having released over 12 projects in his career, the veteran noted that the project was going to be his last album. Indeed it was a perfectly executed one, and if anyone was to make a list of artists that had a solid finale project, Aq has surely made the list.

 7)Roots – The Caveman

 Afro-Highlife Band, The Cavemen delivered an impeccable debut album dubbed “Roots”, The group went on a journey to bring the sounds of the past into the future, making the kind of music they grew up listening to. The execution? Perfect!  If anything, the Cavemen reminded us of the fact that music is a universal language.

6)Celia -Tiwa Savage

Made in honor of a phenomenal mother, stunning songstress, Tiwa savage oozes butter-soft voice in vibes of Afrobeats, Afropop, RnB, and even South-African house on her third studio album, Celia. The album was named one of the top 10best albums of 2020 by a prominent magazine, TIME.

5)Boo of the Booless- Chike

Bar the questionable artwork and album name, ex talent show winner, Chike, executed his debut body of work ’Boo of the Booless ’ impressively.

Debuted on the day of love, February 14, the album immediately found its way into people’s playlist, the exquisite songwriting and well-crafted diverse production gave the album a unique stance.

4)Made in Lagos -Wizkid 

Arguably the most anticipated Nigerian project in recent times, Starboy Wizkid kept Nigerians up on the eve of the release of his 5th body of work, ‘Made in Lagos’. The 14 track album was laced with feel-good songs, with the guest acts bringing their A-game to the table. The project is also quite sonically cohesive. 

3)Yellow -Brymo 

Brymo might have a proclivity for tomfoolery, but you can’t toss his sheer brilliance when it comes to crafting a music project. After his 2018 critically acclaimed album ’Oso’, which the writer considers his ’’Magnum opus’, Brymo exuded top-notch creativity as he examined topics such as love, society & self-discovery on Yellow. Compartilizing the album into three parts; English, pidgin, and Yoruba, the ex- choc city hook pilot showed once again why his pen game is considered one of the best in the Nigerian music scene. 

2)Get Layd-  Omah Lay 

Quite a number of people were caught unaware ( writer inclusive )  by his burst onto the scene, the PH born artist, Omah Lay, debut EP ’Get layd’  was an exceptional introduction of a talented kid to the music scene, one that mirrors that of Mavin’s star, Rema, in 2019.

The 5 track Ep contained the chart-topping, hit single, Bad Influence, one that was stuck on most music charts for months, despite big releases from the industry’s heavyweights.

 1)Twice as Tall-  Burna Boy

Just when we thought we had seen Burna Boy operate at his highest possible plane ever on his grammy-nominated 5th studio album, African Giant, he delivers another stupendous quality on the follow-up,’ Twice as Tall’. 

Having lost out at the 2019 Grammys, Burna’s bid for the revered award didn’t stifle, as he shrugged it up, went into his bag, and put out another Grammy worthy project this year. The album, which has been nominated for the Grammy’s, by the way, was declared a classic on arrival by most music enthusiasts.

The album peaked at number one on the Billboard World Album charts. The album also gained a spot for Burna Boy on the 2020 replay list of most Nigerian Apple music users.