Ghana continues to bring the heat in 2022, with massive hits from Black Sherif, Kelvyn Boy, Camidoh, Kwesi Arthur, Stonebwoy, and others.
It is officially halfway through 2022, and the world of West African music has had an exciting year thus far.
The first half of the year has seen a steady stream of Afropop hits, international remixes, and more from established and emerging Ghanaian artists. Check out the list below for some of the best songs to jam to this weekend!
Lasmid ‘Friday Night’
Emerging Ghanaian singer Lasmid makes a surprise entry on the list, after his most recent single “Friday Night” hit the mainstream to become a hit party anthem. Currently doing crazy numbers on digital streaming platforms, “Friday Night” has outdoor Lasmid as one of Ghana’s new acts to watch.
Gyakie ‘Something’
A week ago, Gyakie, the singer-songwriter with one of the unique voices on the planet, returned with her new song ‘Something’. It is about loyalty, showing up for others, and going through the motions of being in love. To celebrate the release, Gyakie, with dancers, performed a choreographed number that left her male fans drooling and wishing for an official music video.
Black Sherif ‘Kwaku the Traveller’
Black Sherif is on a roll this year! As the follow-up to the official remix of “Second Sermon,” the Ghanaian rapper and singer-songwriter rolled out his latest single “Kwaku The Traveller,” where he addressed a controversy surrounding an alleged breach of contract between him and his management. With the hot topic plus several catchy quotables combined with an infectious instrumental, the song went viral almost instantly, topping Nigeria’s Apple Music Top 100 Chart at the number one spot, sparking a viral TikTok challenge, and more.
Camidoh ‘Sugarcane’ Remix ft. Mayorkun, King Promise & Darkoo
Coming hard on the heels of the success of the original version, Ghanaian singer Camidoh enhanced his buzzing record “Sugarcane” with a star-studded remix. In an effort to gain more reach for the top-charting tune, Camidoh tapped afrobeats heavyweights King Promise and Mayorkun, alongside UK based Nigerian rapper Darkoo for the official remix of “Sugarcane.”
Kelvyn Boy ‘Down Flat’
It’s been quite the year for singer Kelvyn Boy, who dropped one of the biggest afrobeats songs of 2022 at the top of the year. It’s no news that the singer is immensely talented, but he outdid himself this time with “Down Flat,” a sleek afrobeats and highlife fusion that is doing a madness in Ghana and beyond.
Black Sherif ‘Second Sermon (Remix)’ ft. Burna Boy
In January, rising star Black Sherif issued the official music video for his smash hit single—the remix to “Second Sermon” featuring Nigeria’s Burna Boy. Currently sitting at over 7 million views on YouTube, “Second Sermon” has definitely been one of the top Ghanaian songs of 2022.
Kwesi Arthur x Adekunle Gold ‘Toxic’
Rapper Kwesi Arthur finally dropped his highly anticipated debut album Son of Jacob, which is chock-full of hits, but one of the standouts from the project was this one titled “Toxic.” It’s a solid collaboration with Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold, and together they do the Yung D3mz production justice, resulting in a smooth pop tune with serious appeal.
Darkoo ‘Always’ ft. Black Sherif
British-Nigerian rapper and singer Darkoo teamed up with Ghana’s rising star Black Sherif for “Always,” which was one of the most anticipated Ghanaian tunes so far this year. Darkoo posted a video snippet of Black Sherif’s verse a few weeks prior to its release, which quickly garnered views in the tens of thousands and sparked excitement for the incoming banger, and Blacko definitely did the song justice.
Shatta Wale ‘On God’
Shatta Wale also came through with a solid bop in the first half. In “On God,” the controversial singer addressed certain rumours concerning his standing in Ghana’s music industry, complete with thinly veiled subliminal shots at his unnamed colleagues.
Stonebwoy ‘Therapy’
Not too long ago Universal Music Group announced the signing of Ghanaian singer Stonebwoy to their divisions Def Jam Recordings, 0207 Def Jam, and Def Jam Africa in a global record deal. The news came along with the dancehall singer’s first release of 2022, this sultry sweet dancehall cut “Therapy,” his first single under the global imprints and a solid representation of the star singer’s talents.
King Promise ‘Ginger’
King Promise also came through in the first half with this solid single titled “Ginger,” a smooth afro-dancehall tune produced by the Grammy award-winning producer from the UK, JAE5. This is King Promise’s first single of the year and on this one he did what he does best.
Kuami Eugene ‘Take Away’
Lynx Entertainment star singer Kuami Eugene also came through in the first half of 2022 with his first single of the year “Take Away,” an afrobeats tune with mega-hit potential, in usual Kuami Eugene fashion.
Mr Drew ‘Dayana’
Singer Mr Drew also came through with his first release of 2022. The Highly Spiritual Music signee has been on a roll, and it looks like he’s adding another hit to his repertoire with the release of “Dayana,” an infectious afrobeats tune.
Wendy Shay ‘Survivor’
Singer Wendy Shay is a “Survivor” of heartbreak in her single, where she narrated her sour experience of a romance gone wrong. Wendy’s ex-lover got all the heat and all the smoke on her first single of the year, an MOG Beatz production.
KiDi ‘Blessed’ ft. Mavado
KiDi’s been on a roll since the massive success of his 2021 single “Touch It.” He finally came back with a brand new offering, an afro-dancehall single simply titled “Blessed.” On this latest tune, he teamed up with Jamaican dancehall singer Mavado for a positive, upbeat bop full of gratitude.
Smallgod ft Black Sherif & Tory Lanez ‘GIDI GIDI’
Ghanaian singer, songwriter and performer Smallgod has also been making moves. On his latest, he connects with Canadian rapper Tory Lanez as well as Ghanaian sensation Black Sherif for new single “Gidi Gidi”, and together the trio served one for the books.
